Weekly Roundup: One week till Optimum’s Annual Healthcare Investor Conference
Sofinnova Partners closed oversubscribed €82 million Sofinnova MD Start IV fund to create the next generation of medtech companies
Sofinnova Partners a leading European life sciences venture capital firm based in Paris, London, and Milan, announced the final close of Sofinnova MD Start IV at €82 million. The fund, which was oversubscribed, will help expand Sofinnova’s medtech company-creation strategy across Europe and the US with greater capacity to launch new ventures and support them through key stages of development.
ViCentra presented large-scale real-world evidence demonstrating Kaleido insulin patch pump system delivers stable glucose control with very low hypoglycemia
ViCentra, a European medical device company commercialising the Kaleido insulin patch pump system, announced new real-world data showing strong glycaemic outcomes in 3,918 adults with type 1 diabetes using the Kaleido insulin patch pump with Diabeloop’s DBLG1 automated insulin delivery algorithm and the Dexcom G6 continuous glucose monitoring system.
Hansa Biopharma partnered with Cradle to advance AI-driven protein design and engineering
Hansa Biopharma, a pioneer in treatments for rare IgG related immunologic conditions, announced a partnership with Cradle, which builds the leading AI-driven protein design and engineering platform for biologics. Hansa will use Cradle’s end-to-end platform across its discovery pipeline to design, optimize, and advance novel therapeutic candidates for patients with severe autoimmune diseases.
Hansa also announced its CEO Renée Aguiar-Lucander, will participate in the State of the Industry panel at the 26th Annual Biotech in Europe Forum on Wednesday 7th October at 08.30am CEST, in Basel, Switzerland.
DaltonTx, the decision engine for drug discovery, launched advanced AI-powered antibody discovery platform
DaltonTx, the decision engine for drug discovery, announced the launch of advanced antibody discovery capabilities within the Dalton platform.
The platform brings together antibody design, structure prediction and validation tools within a single workflow.
Numab Therapeutics appointed Dr. Rajesh Chopra as Chief Scientific Officer to advance its proprietary multispecific antibody pipeline
Numab Therapeutics, a biotechnology company advancing a proprietary pipeline of multispecific antibodies in immunology and oncology, announced the appointment of Rajesh Chopra, M.D., PhD, as Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Chopra joins Numab from Prologue Medicines, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer, and previously was a Venture Partner at Apple Tree Partners. Earlier, he led the Cancer Research UK Cancer Therapeutics Unit at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, one of the world’s largest academic drug discovery organizations.
Atrogi announced positive human data for ATR-258, its first-in-class, oral therapy designed to improve muscle function and body composition
Atrogi AB, a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering novel GPCR pathway-signalling modulators to transform metabolic and muscle health, announced positive data from a human trial for its lead candidate ATR-258, a first-in-class small molecule oral GRK2-biased β2-adrenergic modulator, which showed approximately 13% mean improvement in lower extremity muscle power in combination with an increase in lean muscle mass and a reduction in fat mass.
R1 Therapeutics expanded Series A to $80.5 million to advance global Phase 2b program in hyperphosphatemia
R1 Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class therapies for patients with kidney disease, announced an expansion of its Series A financing to $80.5 million, with new investment from Samsara BioCapital. The proceeds will support the continued development of lead asset, AP306, which is currently being evaluated as a monotherapy in a global Phase 2b trial for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia.
Oncoinvent to present three abstracts at EANM and ESMO 2026
Oncoinvent, a clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical company developing Radspherin®, a receptor-independent alpha-emitting therapy to eradicate cancer cells in the abdominal cavity after surgery with a single, targeted dose, announced that three abstracts from its Radspherin® program have been accepted for presentation at the European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Annual Congress 2026 in Vienna, Austria (17-21 October) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2026 in Madrid, Spain (23-27 October).
Currus Biologics announced FDA IND clearance for Phase 1 trial of CUR-001 in mesothelin-positive advanced refractory solid tumours
Currus Biologics, an Australian biotech developing the BEAT, a proprietary, universal, bispecific antibody platform to unlock CAR T-cell therapy for solid tumours, announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for its lead programme, CUR-001. The clearance enables Currus to initiate a first-in-human Phase 1 basket trial in patients with mesothelin-positive advanced refractory solid tumours.
Breye Therapeutics raised €67.5 million in over-subscribed Series A financing
Breye Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral therapeutics for the early treatment of retinal diseases, announced the successful close of an over-subscribed €67.5 million ($76 million) Series A financing round. The round was co-led by new investor Mission BioCapital and existing investor Novo Holdings, with participation from existing investor Sound Bioventures and additional new investors including the Ljungström family office, Innovestor Life Science, EIFO, Catalyze Capital, Modi Ventures and Pappas Capital.
Kither Biotech initiated dosing of patients in Phase 1b / 2a study of KIT2014 in COPD
Kither Biotech Pty Ltd and Kither Biotech Srl, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical group of companies developing innovative therapies for respiratory diseases, announced that it has dosed the first patients in its Phase 1b / 2a clinical study of KIT2014 in adults with moderate to severe COPD, taking place at multiple sites in Australia. Initial results are expected in early 2027.
Poolbeg Pharma – POLB 001 TOPICAL trial recruitment update and unaudited interim results
Poolbeg Pharma a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a core focus on transforming the cancer immunotherapy field, announced that participant recruitment for the POLB 001 TOPICAL trial is progressing well. Following the previously announced six-patient safety cohort, a total of eight participants have now been dosed out of approximately 30 since the first patient was dosed in July 2026.
Poolbeg also announced its unaudited interim results for the six months to 30 June 2026.
📺 Optimum TV
Hear insights about AC Immune’s week 100 Phase 2 trial results for ACI-7104, for the treatment of early-stage Parkinson’s disease. This trial focused on safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of ACI-7104 with some encouraging findings such as good CSF penetration and a correlation between the increase in antibody titers and the patients’ response as measured by the UPDRS part three score.
Acting CEO, Martin Zugel spoke about the trial’s objectives, results and hopes for the future – not just for ACI-7104 but for the ongoing fight against Parkinson’s disease.
Watch the whole episode here:
👥Industry events
Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference
London | 8 October 2026
One week to go until we welcome leaders from across the life sciences and investment communities to Optimum’s Annual Healthcare Investor Conference. The agenda, which is now live on our website, features leading voices from across the sector. Attendance is strictly limited and by invitation only, and we have now reached full capacity.
If you’ve missed the registration window reach out to marketing@optimumcomms.com
Find our agenda on our website:
Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference Agenda
Download our attendance banners on our website here:
Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference Social Media Kit
BIO-Europe 2026 – Cologne, Germany | 9–11th Nov 2026
Connecting with the global biotech community – Our CEO, Mary Clark, and Associate Director, Zoe Bolt, will be attending BIO-Europe 2026, one of the leading international dealmaking events for the life sciences industry.
The team are looking forward to meeting with companies, investors and potential partners to discuss collaboration opportunities. Get in touch to schedule a get-together.
London Landmarks Run | 17 November 2026
Optimum Strategic Communications and Catalyst Advisors LP will be hosting a 5K #LondonLandmarksRun during the #Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference and London Life Sciences Week this November.
Start your day the right way with the London Landmarks Run. Connect with fellow #LifeSciences professionals while taking in some of London’s most iconic sights before the London Life Sciences/Jefferies conference day begins in November.
🕰️ ~7.00am GMT
🔗 Register for more information: https://lnkd.in/eAXkyvBF
Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference & London Life Sciences Week – London | 15–20th Nov 2026
📅 Planning an event during the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference or London Life Sciences Week this November?
Optimum Strategic Communications and Catalyst Advisors LP in partnership with Jefferies, are producing the official Jefferies Networking Event Guide, helping attendees discover the key receptions, networking events, panels and gatherings taking place throughout the week.
If you’re hosting an event and would like to reach founders, investors, pharma leaders and industry decision-makers attending the conference, there’s still time to be included.
📍To submit your event, email contact@optimumcomms.com to be included
🔗 Register to receive the guide when it launches: here
Sponsorship opportunities – Anglonordic Europe Life Science Conference
Looking to raise your visibility among Europe’s life sciences decision-makers?
Sponsorship opportunities for the 23rd Anglonordic Europe Life Science Conference are now available. Showcase your expertise, strengthen your brand and connect with investors, partners and industry leaders driving the future of the sector.
📩 Contact anglonordic@optimumcomms.com to explore sponsorship packages
🔗 Learn more: Sponsorship opportunities
🧩 Sector moves
The life sciences sector never stands still. From boardroom changes to strategic appointments, here’s a round-up of the latest moves shaping the industry.
That’s all folks! To stay in the know – subscribe to Optimum’s weekly wrap-up today!
