Syntax Bio’s technology platform uses CRISPR to direct stem cells to become a desired cell type in a process that’s more scalable and less expensive than current methods. The startup is raising a Series A round of financing to further demonstrate the potential of its technology.

Beyond EHRs and digital front doors, reducing the gaps in patient care journeys.

Magnet Biomedicine builds on decades of molecular glue research from its scientific co-founder, Harvard University Professor Stuart Schreiber. The startup is developing drugs that take these glues beyond the biotech industry’s current focus on targeted protein degradation.

Avalon BioVentures unveiled new portfolio company Arialys Therapeutics. The startup’s lead program, an antibody from Astellas Pharma, is a potential treatment for anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (ANRE), a rare autoimmune inflammatory disorder.

The group of 10 startups in the accelerator have ambitions to improve early detection of lung cancer, eliminate contaminated needles, improve remote monitoring and provide new ways to treat head lice, among other goals.

By revealing how tumors interact with immune cells, Noetik aims to identify new targets for new cancer drugs. The startup and its artificial intelligence-driven platform are supported by $14 million in seed financing.

Startup Star Therapeutics will use the Series B funding to support clinical development of a drug candidate for von Willebrand disease, a bleeding disorder. The capital will also support the formation of new biotech subsidiaries developing antibodies with therapeutic applications in hematology and immunology.

Intarcia Therapeutics’ GLP-1 agonist product candidate for type 2 diabetes now belongs to i2o Therapeutics, which will make the treatment’s case for approval at an upcoming FDA advisory committee meeting. The startup’s $46 million Series A financing is one of several recently announced funding rounds.

Gilead Sciences is partnering with Tentarix Biotherapeutics, a startup developing multifunctional antibody drugs that it calls “Tentacles.” Tentarix’s technology offers the potential to selectively address targets in cancer and inflammation.

Biotech startups raised $2.6 billion globally in the second quarter of this year, but that’s down nearly 46% compared to the same period last year, according to a report from Pitchbook. Capital is harder to find, and the report projects an uptick in M&A activity as companies run out of cash.

Flagship Pioneering-founded Alltrna is developing tRNA therapies to address genetic diseases driven by truncated versions of proteins. By addressing an aberrant genetic instruction underpinning many diseases, the startup is developing what it describes as a potential “universal solution.”

Nexo Therapeutics is developing cancer drugs that expand the scope of amino acids addressable by covalent chemistry. Versant Ventures founded the startup and led its Series A financing.

Novartis’s acquisition of DTx Pharma brings a lead program for a rare disease with no FDA-approved therapies. But the deal could also help the pharma giant bring new RNA therapies to new places in the body, a top Novartis executive explained.

Tenpoint Therapeutics’ name refers to the time it takes for an image to hit the retina and be processed by the brain. The regenerative medicine startup is developing cell therapies it hopes restore that vision capability for patients with degenerative eye disorders.

Septerna Therapeutics’ Series B financing will support plans to reach the clinic with a pill for a rare disease whose only approved therapy is a Takeda Pharmaceutical drug that’s leaving the market. Potential rival therapies are all injectables.

A new cohort of startups has graduated from PharmStars, a digital health accelerator. This latest group focused on women’s health and health equity.

Scientists at Empress Therapeutics say molecules that co-evolved with humans over millennia are a promising source of new drugs. With its AI-driven technology platform, the Flagship Pioneering-founded startup finds them.

AstraZeneca is paying $85 million to kick off an alliance with Quell Therapeutics focused on developing new cell therapies for autoimmune diseases. Type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease are the focus of the research collaboration.

Ray Therapeutics’ gene therapy is independent of the causative genes driving inherited vision disorders, which CEO Paul Bresge says is important for reaching a broad patient population. Rare disease retinitis pigmentosa is the first disease target, but the startup also plans to test its approach in more prevalent eye disorders.

Presented by the Consulate General of Canada, the Canadian healthcare startup showcase included five companies. Technologies included a patient transfer solution, care coordination, women’s health, exercise tracking and remote monitoring for dysphagia, and mental health support.

The competition saw 23 healthcare startups across biopharma, medical devices, and health tech geared for consumers/employers as well as payers/providers pitch their business plans to teams of investor judges.

Robert Lewis is the founder of Freedom to Roam, a medical device company seeking to help people with mobility challenges.

A panel during the MedCity News INVEST conference discussed what digital health technologies need to do to demonstrate return on investment for payers, providers, and other stakeholders.

Yaniv Sneor, the co-founder of Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and part of the Ask the Investor sessions at MedCity INVEST this week, explained what his firm looks for in life science startups.

Companies presenting their technology at the conference seek to support a diverse patient population spanning conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, food allergies, and cancer. Cell, gene therapy and immunotherapies also form some of their treatment approaches in development.

Healthcare startups focused on solutions for payers and hospitals as well as consumers and employers will compete in the Pitch Perfect contest at MedCity INVEST May 22-24 in Chicago. Register today!

Five companies will take part in the showcase with technologies addressing mental health, care coordination, aging in place, physical therapy and more. Register for INVEST, scheduled for May 22-24, at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago!

Metaphore Biotechnologies leverages the concept of biomimicry for developing new drugs with potential applications in autoimmune diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancer. Flagship Pioneering is backing the startup with $50 million.

The Consulate General of Canada in Chicago is currently celebrating the 75th anniversary of its diplomatic presence in the Midwest.

Nido Biosciences’ lead drug hits a previously undrugged pocket as a way to potentially treat the rare neuromuscular disorder spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy. The startup’s tech platform screens neurons to find targets for new neurological disorder drugs.