Empress Therapeutics Inc., a Flagship Pioneering firm, has come out of stealth with $50 million in initial funding, a new chief scientific officer and an ambitious plan to file multiple INDs for novel small-molecule compounds over the next two years.

After raising AU$4 million (US$2.6 million), Argenica Therapeutics Pty. Ltd. is gearing up to begin phase II trials in ischemic stroke for ARG-007, a glutamate receptor modulator that is believed to reduce brain tissue death after stroke.

Itabmed Ltd. received an IND approval to start a phase I trial of its CD3-activating bispecific antibody A-337 for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors.

Could a bioactive peptide secreted in the saliva of ticks offer a useful therapy for people who have experienced intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)? That’s the question Bioxodes SA has set out to answer, and the company is about to move its first-in-class drug candidate, Ir-CPI, which has dual anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory effects, into a phase IIa trial in patients with ICH.

After raising AU$4 million (US$2.6 million), Argenica Therapeutics Pty. Ltd. is gearing up to begin phase II trials in ischemic stroke for ARG-007, a glutamate receptor modulator that is believed to reduce brain tissue death after stroke.

The U.S. FDA greenlighted Highfield Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd.’s IND, paving way for the Chinese immunotherapy firm to begin clinical testing its immunoliposome cancer therapy.

Itabmed Ltd. received an IND approval to start a phase I trial of its CD3-activating bispecific antibody A-337 for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors.

Seeking to repurpose a validated oncology drug target for atherosclerosis is Bitterroot Bio Inc., a biotech company that introduced itself to the world on the back of a sizable $145 million series A, funds it intends to use to advance its lead monoclonal antibody, BRB-002, toward the clinic.

The lead asset of Applied Genetic Technologies Corp. has been spun into Beacon Therapeutics Ltd., which launches with $120.9 million to run a phase II/III pivotal trial of AGTC-501 in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, and to take forward two other in-licensed preclinical programs in age-related macular degeneration and cone rod dystrophy.

Incannex Healthcare Ltd. had quietly been developing its commercialization plans for psychedelic clinics well before Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration announced it would allow psilocybin and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine) to be prescribed by authorized psychiatrists for treatment-resistant depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.