Ruben Sebastian
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rubensebas.bsky.social
Ruben Sebastian
@rubensebas.bsky.social
Biotech investor & board member | Covering biotech, drug development, venture capital, startups and pharma |📍New York

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rubensebastianperez/
Today is a very sad day. Sir John Gurdon was a titan of developmental biology. Gurdon’s foundational research, culminating in his Nobel Prize recognition in 2012, was a great source of inspiration to me as a university student at the time

www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...
Nobel Laureate Professor Sir John Gurdon dies aged 92
It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute.
www.cam.ac.uk
October 7, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Great recognition to a fundamental discovery that reshaped modern #immunology. Congrats to the laureates!

However, imho the Nobel committee missed the chance to acknowledge an additional key contributor to the understanding of #Foxp3 and #Treg functionality
October 6, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Monte Rosa Therapeutics $GLUE announces collaboration with Novartis for molecular glue #degraders to treat immune-mediated diseases

2nd partnership between the 2 companies, now including $120M upfront and up to $5.7 billion total deal

#biotech #immunology

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...
Monte Rosa Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Novartis for Degraders to Treat Immune-mediated Diseases
Monte Rosa Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Novartis for Degraders to Treat Immune-mediated Diseases ...
www.globenewswire.com
September 15, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Thrilled to have contributed to the oversubscribed $67M Series B round of NRG Therapeutics

NRG is pioneering first-in-class therapies targeting #mitochondrial dysfunction for the treatment of devastating #neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Parkinson’s

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...
NRG Therapeutics Announces Oversubscribed £50m ($67m) Series B Financing to Deliver Clinical Data in Parkinson’s and Proof of Concept in ALS/MND
Oversubscribed £50m Series B led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund, alongside other new investors British Business Bank, M Ventures, Novartis...
www.globenewswire.com
September 8, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Gilead's Kite enters the in vivo #CART space with $350 million Interius buyout

#biotech #pharma #celltherapy

www.kitepharma.com/news/press-r...
Kite to Acquire Interius BioTherapeutics to Advance In Vivo Platform
Kite to Acquire Interius BioTherapeutics to Advance In Vivo Platform
www.kitepharma.com
August 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
And the whispers were going in the right direction: AbbVie to acquire Gilgamesh bretisilocin, a novel, investigational therapy for major #depressive disorder, expanding its #psychiatry pipeline

Total deal up to $1.2 billion

#pharma #innovation #biotech

news.abbvie.com/2025-08-25-A...
AbbVie to Acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals' Bretisilocin, a Novel, Investigational Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder, Expanding Psychiatry Pipeline
Gilgamesh's lead asset, bretisilocin (GM-2505), is a potential best-in-class psychedelic compound currently in Phase 2 development for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD)....
news.abbvie.com
August 25, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Novo’s Wegovy becomes first #GLP1 drug approved for MASH

The only other therapy approved for #MASH, Madrigal Rezdiffra, has gotten off to a stronger-than-expected sales start: $180m in net sales in 2024, $350m over H1 2025, $1b projected annual sales in 2026

www.biopharmadive.com/news/novo-we...
Novo’s Wegovy becomes first GLP-1 drug approved for MASH
The FDA clearance sets Novo’s medicine up a market battle with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ fast-selling Rezdiffra.
www.biopharmadive.com
August 18, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Boehringer Ingelheim and Palatin Technologies to develop potential first-in-class #melanocortin receptor targeted treatment for patients with #retinal diseases

Total deal up to €280 million

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...
Boehringer Ingelheim and Palatin Technologies to develop potential first-in-class melanocortin receptor targeted treatment for patients with retinal diseases
Boehringer and Palatin Technologies team up to develop potential first-in-class melanocortin receptor targeted treatment for patients with retinal...
www.globenewswire.com
August 18, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Skyhawk Therapeutics announces #strategic collaboration with Merck KGaA to discover novel #RNA targeting small molecules for #neurological disorders

Total deal value exceeds $2 billion

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Strategic Collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to Discover Novel RNA-Targeting Small Molecules for Neurological Disorders
/PRNewswire/ -- Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of small molecules that modulate RNA expression, today announces a...
www.prnewswire.com
August 18, 2025 at 8:33 PM
Daiichi Sankyo and Merck B7-H3 targeted #ADC I-DXd (ifinatamab deruxtecan) granted FDA #Breakthrough Therapy Designation for pretreated extensive-stage SCLC

www.merck.com/news/ifinata...
Ifinatamab Deruxtecan Granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by U.S. FDA for Patients with Pretreated Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer - Merck.com
Data from IDeate-Lung01 trial will be presented at upcoming IASLC 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer First Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Daiichi Sankyo and Merck’s ifinatamab deruxtecan based...
www.merck.com
August 18, 2025 at 8:26 PM
Pfizer’s #sicklecell disease drug inclacumab (P-selectin inhibitor) has flunked a key phase 3 test, the latest blow to the pharma’s $5.4 billion acquisition of Global Blood Therapeutics

Thrive-131 missed its primary endpoint at 48 weeks

www.pfizer.com/news/announc...
Pfizer Provides Update on Phase 3 Inclacumab Study for the Treatment of People with Sickle Cell Disease | Pfizer
NEW YORK, Friday, August 15, 2025 – Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) today announced results from the Phase 3 THRIVE-131 study evaluating inclacumab, an investigational P-selectin inhibitor, in patients 16 yea...
www.pfizer.com
August 18, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Encouraging phase 1 results of an off-the-shelf, lymph node targeted #cancer vaccine targeting common #KRAS mutations (G12D, G12R) in pancreatic and colorectal cancer from Elicio $ELTX, @mskcancercenter.bsky.social, @mdanderson.bsky.social‪‬, UCLA & clinical collabs

www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Lymph node-targeted, mKRAS-specific amphiphile vaccine in pancreatic and colorectal cancer: phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 trial final results - Nature Medicine
In the final analysis of a phase 1 trial evaluating a lymph node-targeting mutant KRAS peptide vaccine combined with CpG in the adjuvant setting for patients with KRAS mutant pancreatic or colorectal ...
www.nature.com
August 14, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Superluminal Medicines announces collaboration with Eli #Lilly to advance small molecule #therapeutics (undisclosed GPCR targets) for #cardiometabolic diseases and #obesity

Total deal of up to $1.3 billion

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Superluminal Medicines Announces Collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to Advance Small Molecule Therapeutics for Cardiometabolic Diseases and Obesity
/PRNewswire/ -- Superluminal Medicines, a drug discovery company integrating AI/ML, protein dynamics, and structural biology to rapidly unlock the most...
www.prnewswire.com
August 14, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences enter global exclusive #license and #collaboration to develop and commercialize Kumquat's #KRAS G12D inhibitor. Phase 1a study will initiate H2 2025

Total deal up to $1.3 billion

#oncology #pharma #oncogene #therapeutics

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...
Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences enter global exclusive license and collaboration in precision oncology
/PRNewswire/ -- Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company founded by pioneers of the KRAS pathway, today announced that they have...
www.prnewswire.com
August 12, 2025 at 6:51 PM
Novartis is closer to bringing the first targeted #drug to market for Sjogren’s disease

Ianalumab, a dual mechanism, #Bcell depleting antibody that targets BAFF-R, originated from #Morphosys collaboration

#immunology #innovation #biopharma

www.novartis.com/news/media-r...
Novartis announces both ianalumab Phase III clinical trials met primary endpoint in patients with Sjögren’s disease
www.novartis.com
August 11, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Abbvie is in talks to acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company that’s developing next-generation psychedelic compounds for mental health disorders

www.reuters.com/legal/transa...
AbbVie in talks to acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, Bloomberg News reports
Drugmaker AbbVie is in talks to acquire privately-held mental health therapeutics company Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth about $1 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
www.reuters.com
July 31, 2025 at 1:58 AM
GSK and Hengrui enter agreements to develop up to 12 innovative drugs across respiratory, #immunology & #inflammation and #oncology

Includes license for potential best-in-class PDE3/4 inhibitor in clinical dev for COPD

$500 million upfront, up to $12 billion total deal

www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/...
GSK and Hengrui Pharma enter agreements to develop up to 12 innovative medicines across Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation and Oncology | GSK
Includes license for potential best-in-class PDE3/4 inhibitor (HRS-9821) in clinical development for treatment of COPD
www.gsk.com
July 28, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Gate enters into a collab & license agreement w #Lilly to discover/develop molecular gate medicines > #smallmolecules that can eliminate disease-causing proteins modulating the secretory translocon

Undisclosed upfront & equity investment, total deal up to $856m

www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...
www.businesswire.com
July 25, 2025 at 6:53 PM
French biotech Abivax $ABVX has announced positive Phase 3 results for obefazimod, its first-in-class oral miR-124 enhancer, in moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis

ir.abivax.com/news-release...
Abivax Announces Positive Phase 3 Results from Both ABTECT 8-Week Induction Trials Investigating Obefazimod, its First-in-Class Oral miR-124 Enhancer, in Moderate to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis...
Abivax Announces Positive Phase 3 Results from Both ABTECT 8-Week Induction Trials Investigating Obefazimod, its First-in-Class Oral miR-124 Enhancer, in Moderate to Severely Active Ulcerative Colitis...
ir.abivax.com
July 24, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Roche has axed one of the #obesity assets from its $2.7 billion Carmot buyout. The dropped candidate, CT-173, is a long-acting PYY analog in preclinical dev

Carmot’s former lead asset CT-388, a GLP-1/GIP agonist, is pending a go decision for Ph3 in obesity

www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/roch...
Roche axes Carmot obesity asset, 3 cancer drugs in R&D clear-out
Roche has axed one of the obesity assets from its $2.7 billion Carmot Therapeutics
www.fiercebiotech.com
July 24, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Matchpoint Therapeutics announces exclusive option and license agreement with #Novartis to develop oral #covalent inhibitors directed at an undisclosed transcription factor linked to several inflammatory diseases

$60 million upfront and up to $1 billion total deal

matchpointtx.com/news/matchpo...
Matchpoint Therapeutics Announces Exclusive Option and License Agreement with Novartis to Develop Oral Inhibitors for Multiple Inflammatory Diseases - Matchpoint Therapeutics
Matchpoint Therapeutics Announces Exclusive Option and License Agreement with Novartis to Develop Oral Inhibitors for Multiple Inflammatory Diseases
matchpointtx.com
July 24, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Dispatch Bio emerges to develop a sequential gene & cell therapy for solid tumors

1) Engineered virus targets cancer cells > exposes antigen 🔥
2) CAR-T seeks out the antigen
3) Cancer cells are killed > release viral particles + antigen > flag nearby tumor > ♻️

www.biopharmadive.com/news/disptac...
Dispatch emerges with $216M and plans for a ‘universal’ solid tumor therapy
The startup is using elements of gene and cell therapy to create medicines that could be useful against an array of tough-to-treat solid tumors.
www.biopharmadive.com
July 23, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Very encouraging news from Minoryx, one of my former #biotech portfolio companies

Minoryx is one step closer to achieving approval for leriglitazone (NEZGLYAL) as the only pharmacological treatment for patients suffering from #cALD, a devastating #orphan disease

www.minoryx.com/media/lerigl...
Leriglitazone Marketing Authorization Application submitted for treatment of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy has been validated by European Medicines Agency
www.minoryx.com
July 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM