Alphabet's AI biotech raises $600M for next-gen drug design model

Today’s Big News

Mar 31, 2025

The top 10 pharma R&D budgets for 2024


As FDA's Peter Marks resigns, industry watchers eye vaccine, cell and gene therapy hits


Alphabet's AI biotech Isomorphic Labs hauls in $600M to power next-gen drug design model


Corcept’s investigational oral therapy cuts ovarian cancer progression by 30%, teeing up FDA filing


Lilly links lepodisiran to durably lower lipoprotein in phase 2, providing edge over Amgen and Novartis


Vertex abandons islet cell-device combo after failing to improve diabetes biomarker


'It's just ugly': Federal funding cuts to Columbia University leave chronic fatigue syndrome research in limbo


Transcend rises above threshold for success, linking MDMA analog to PTSD improvements in phase 2


Opthea scraps wet AMD program after eye drug loses out to Lucentis in latest phase 3 fail


BiomX's bacteria-killing virus reduces diabetic bone ulcers in midstage test

The Top Line Podcast: Don’t miss out on the newest episode. Listen now.

 

Featured

The top 10 pharma R&D budgets for 2024

While coming back down from 2023’s dizzying high, Merck & Co. still managed to hang on to the top spot of our annual research and development budgets list.
 

Top Stories

As FDA's Peter Marks resigns, industry watchers size up vaccine, cell and gene therapy hits

In resigning as director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Peter Marks, M.D., Ph.D., blast the promotion of vaccine disinformation under new HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Alphabet's AI biotech Isomorphic Labs hauls in $600M to power next-gen drug design model

AI drug discovery firm Isomorphic Labs has completed the company’s first external funding round since its 2021 founding within Google parent company Alphabet, raising $600 million to advance its programs spanning multiple therapeutic areas.

Corcept's investigational oral therapy cuts ovarian cancer progression by 30%, teeing up FDA filing

Corcept Therapeutics’ oral antiglucocorticoid plus chemotherapy slashed risk of ovarian cancer progression by 30% compared to chemotherapy alone.

Lilly links lepodisiran to durably lower lipoprotein in phase 2, providing edge over Amgen and Novartis

Eli Lilly has linked lepodisiran to sustained reductions in a cardiovascular disease risk factor for nearly 1.5 years, bolstering the company’s argument that the siRNA candidate has an edge over rivals from Amgen and Novartis.

Vertex abandons islet cell-device combo after failing to improve diabetes biomarker

Vertex is ending work on one of its two islet cell treatments after the diabetes therapy looked unlikely to trigger sufficient levels of insulin production in a phase 1/2 trial.

'It's just ugly': Federal funding cuts to Columbia University leave chronic fatigue syndrome research in limbo

Earlier this month, Ian Lipkin, M.D., and his team at Columbia University submitted a paper for publication that suggests certain approved drugs could possibly be repurposed for a severe fatigue condition that currently has no approved treatment, while also highlighting prospective targets for new therapeutics. A week later, the NIH terminated grant funding to Columbia's center studying the condition.

Transcend rises above threshold for success, linking MDMA analog to PTSD improvements in phase 2

Transcend Therapeutics has glided over the bar for success, linking its MDMA analog to improvements in PTSD symptoms that began on Day 8 and persisted through Day 64 of its phase 2 trial.

Opthea scraps wet AMD program after eye drug loses out to Lucentis in latest phase 3 fail

Opthea’s eye disease drug has failed its second phase 3 trial in a week, leaving the Australian biotech to can the entire wet age-related macular degeneration program.

BiomX's bacteria-killing virus reduces diabetic bone ulcers in midstage test

BiomX’s acquisition of Adaptive Phage Therapeutics is looking like a good bet now that one of the treatments from the deal has been shown to reduce uclers in a phase 2 study of patients with a diabetic foot infection.

Bluebird bio receives rival M&A bid worth 50% higher than Carlyle-SK offer

A rival bidder has emerged to acquire struggling gene therapy specialist bluebird bio, and the company's board is "carefully reviewing" the offer, which values the biotech 50% higher than the original deal.

Merck's Winrevair slashes mortality-morbidity risk by 76%

Merck revealed data from a phase 3 study of pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Winrevair, which showed it reduced the risk of all-cause death, lung transplantation and hospitalization by 76% versus placebo, despite maximal background therapy.
 
Fierce podcasts

Don’t miss an episode

What diversity means in medtech

This week on "The Top Line," we hear from Nada Hanafi, co-founder of MedTech Color, about the importance of diversity in healthcare settings.
 

Resources

Research

Best Practice Customer-Facing Organization Study Report

We interviewed 15 biopharma leaders on the critical success factors for building a Best Practice customer-facing organization. This report shares what we learned.

Whitepaper

The Oncology Market: 2025 Outlook

Read about four trends that will shape the innovations, therapies, & market landscape in oncology during 2025 & beyond.
Whitepaper

Redefining vaccine trial recruitment

Discover how to revolutionize your vaccine trials with Avacare's latest white paper. Gain exclusive access to innovative, data-driven recruitment strategies that ensure diverse, efficient, and high-quality vaccine trials.
Whitepaper

Solutions for CAR-Engineered Cell Characterization

Develop your CAR molecule faster
 

Upcoming Fierce Events

3-10
Mar-Apr
Accepting Nominations Now
3-10
Mar-Apr
Accepting Nominations Now
29-1
Apr-May
San Diego, CA
7-9
May
Free Virtual Event
14
May
Free Virtual Event

View all events