Weekly roundup: Innovation and deals for Optimum’s clients
SpliceBio secures $135 Million Series B financing to advance lead program SB-007 in Stargardt disease and expand pipeline of genetic medicines
SpliceBio, a clinical-stage genetic medicines company pioneering Protein Splicing to address diseases caused by mutations in large genes, announced the close of a $135 million Series B financing co-led by new investors EQT Life Sciences and Sanofi Ventures, with participation from Roche Venture Fund, as well as all existing investors: New Enterprise Associates, UCB Ventures, Ysios Capital, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, and Asabys Partners. The funding will be used to advance the clinical development of SpliceBio’s lead gene therapy candidate, SB-007 for Stargardt disease, including the ongoing interventional Phase 1/2 ASTRA study and the observational POLARIS study.
AMSilk enters Consumer Care Market with the launch of AMSilk4Shine and AMSilk4Care
AMSilk, a global leader in advanced biomaterials based on silk proteins, announced its expansion into the consumer care market with the launch of AMSilk4Shine and AMSilk4Care.
AMSilk4Shine is an innovative, silk protein-based ingredient designed to provide a more sustainable, high-performance alternative to traditional petroleum-based polymers which are present in current rinse-aid formulations for automatic dishwashing, and in some screen and window cleaning formulations. AMSilk4Care is a pure protein formulation ingredient, designed for brand owners and ingredient suppliers to test in their product formulations to unlock the full potential of silk proteins in different household and personal care applications.
Alys Pharmaceuticals announces CTA submission for ALY-301, the first mast cell selective c-Kit inhibitor for treatment of Cold Urticaria
Alys Pharmaceuticals, an immune-dermatology focused company, announced the submission of a Clinical Trial Application to Germany’s Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI) to initiate a Phase 1/1b study of ALY-301 in healthy volunteers and patients suffering from Cold Urticaria, a subtype of Chronic Inducible Urticaria (CIndU). ALY-301 is the first mast cell-selective c-Kit inhibitor designed to target only activated mast cells, potentially avoiding the safety issues seen with conventional c-Kit inhibitors.
Sofinnova Partners collaborates with NVIDIA to accelerate European life sciences startups
Sofinnova Partners announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to support its portfolio of life sciences startups. The collaboration delivers significant Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) credits to select Sofinnova portfolio companies, effectively giving access to the same computational firepower used by tech titans in Silicon Valley.
Sofinnova portfolio companies BioCorteX, Bioptimus, Cure51, and Latent Labs are among the first cohort to gain access to these GPU capacity credits, helping position Europe at the forefront of AI-driven drug discovery.
📺Optimum TV
🔥 Hot topic
Science is making amazing advances in the fight against cancer, developing technologies like next-generation immunotherapies, ADCs and radiotherapies, as delegates at American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2025 recently witnessed. But there is also a great deal of scepticism about evidence-based cancer treatments in the world at large – a problem getting worse due to the proliferation of misinformation on social media. Read Optimum’s latest Hot Topic article today⬇️
👥Industry events
EQT Biotech Update 2025
The Optimum Team were delighted to attend the invitation-only Biotech Update 2025, hosted by EQT Life Sciences and EY. It was a fantastic event, featuring insightful discussions on board and CEO collaboration to drive positive company outcomes, as well as the vital human factor in biotech.
ON Helix 2025
ON Helix is a great event which addresses key bio-innovation trends, generating discussions around the progress and future of the Life Science industry!
Optimum is a proud supporter of One Nucleus events and is happy to share an exclusive 10% F&F discount. Please get in touch if you would like to optimise this or connect with the team there!
Optimum’s 17th Annual Healthcare Conference
Returning to the King’s Fund this autumn, this prestigious invitation-only event brings together investors and executives from across the life sciences sector, register your interest today.
📍Thursday 9th October, London
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