BioSpace

In this episode of Denatured, as part of our series on the European life sciences investment ecosystem, you’ll hear from Hakan Goker, managing director at M Ventures and Maina Bhaman, partner at Sofinnova Partners. We explore the UK biotech ecosystem : from the Golden Triangle’s evolving role to the challenges of scaling companies, unlocking pension capital and staying globally competitive.

Host

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, ...

This year has been partly defined by a return to M&A. In the first quarter of 2026, biopharma spent nearly $47 billion in acquisitions across 19 deals, and this week, AbbVie notched another one for the second quarter, scooping up Apogee Therapeutics and its IL-23 blocker for atopic dermatitis for around $10.9 billion. The deal follows GSK’s $10.6 billion Nuvalent Bio acquisition earlier this month.

These deals come as seve...

In this episode of Denatured, you'll hear from Mark Lowdell, CSO & co-founder at INmuneBio Inc. and Vishwas Seshadri, CEO & director at Abeona Therapeutics. We examine how recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa serves as a model for cell and gene therapy, and what this ultra-rare disease teaches us about scaling advanced treatments for the future.

Host

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, Director of Insights, BioSpace

Guests

Mark Low...

Moderna’s mRNA-based flu vaccine made headlines in February when the FDA declined to even review the application. Days later, the agency reversed course, setting a decision date for August and later scheduling an advisory committee meeting for June 18. In documents released ahead of that meeting, the FDA and Moderna seem to have reached alignment, though the agency did flag certain data gaps for advisors to review.

Biotech IPO...

In this episode of Denatured, as part of our series on the European life sciences investment ecosystem, you'll hear from Hannah Franklin, associate at Biovance Capital and Pablo Gabriel Cironi Lopez, director of life science investment at Caixa Capital Risc. We examine the rise of Southern Europe’s biotech ecosystem—from Portugal’s efforts to turn strong science into startups to Spain’s growing depth of cap...

Everything came up roses for Eli Lilly at the American Diabetes Association, as the pharma boasted positive results for its new pill Foundayo and next-gen asset retatrutide—not just for weight loss but also for other indications.

Obesity rival Novo Nordisk, meanwhile, held a dinner, during which executives may have convinced analysts that the company is turning a corner after a rough couple of years.

Also check out ADA updates ...

In this episode of Denatured, you'll be hearing from Daniel Gil, CEO of Pelage Pharmaceuticals and Francisco Ramírez-Valle, senior vice president of immunology discovery at Eli Lilly. We dive into the long-overlooked hair loss space, exploring why true innovation has lagged, how a regenerative approach aims to reactivate dormant follicles and what early proof-of-concept means for patients.

Host

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, Director of I...

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago this past weekend, packed plenary sessions from Revolution Medicines and Summit Therapeutics’ Chinese partner Akeso stole the show. For RevMed, analysts anticipate a potential approval in pancreatic cancer as early as this year, while Summit still has a tough road ahead showing that the survival benefit seen in Akeso’s clinical trial in China ...

In this episode of Denatured, as part of our series on the European life sciences investment ecosystem, you'll be hearing from Ksenija Pavletic, partner and chief commercial officer at Jeito Capital and Thierry Laugel, managing partner at Kurma Partners. We dive into France’s biotech ecosystem and what still needs to happen for more early innovation to translate into investable, scalable biotech.

Host

⁠Jennifer C. Smith-Parker,...

Eli Lilly has been as acquisitive as ever, striking five new deals in the past week alone. On Tuesday, the company dove into the deep end of vaccine development with three separate buys in the space. Outside of vaccines, Lilly scooped up preclinical biotech Engage Bio for $202 million and teamed up with AI company Collaborative Drug Discovery for its life sciences data management solutions.

These deals and Lilly’s skyrocketing...

In this episode of Denatured, as part of our series of the European life science investment ecosystem, you'll be hearing from Regina Hodits, managing director at Angelini Ventures and Sofia Ioannidou, VC partner at Andera Life Sciences. They examine Germany’s biotech and life sciences landscape, focusing on the scientific, infrastructure and policy shifts required to enable European companies to scale globally while remainin...

FDA Commissioner Marty Makary officially resigned last week following reports of his ouster. Then, the acting directors for the agency’s two main review units also left their posts, as did the FDA chief of staff and chief AI officer.

Domino effect aside, the reaction from the industry has been mostly positive, given Makary’s tumultuous reign. But he might be hard to replace. If it were up to the biotech industry, former...

In this episode of Denatured, you'll be hearing from Miguel Forte, president of the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), and John Ellis, co-founder & CEO of Trenchant Bios, speaking live from the ISCT annual meeting. We dive into mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, exploring the science behind them, the manufacturing challenges, and the potential for scalable, engineered next-generation...

Moments after recording this episode of The Weekly, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced his resignation. Reports first circulated last Friday that President Donald Trump had signed off on his ouster. The president initially denied this account, originally from The Wall Street Journal, on Saturday morning, but appears to have now confirmed the plan.

This confusion underscores a key theme in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s health de...

In this episode of Denatured, you'll be hearing from Georg Vo Beiske, CEO of Tribune Therapeutics and Jonas Hallén, co-founder & Chief Medical Officer of Calluna Pharma. We dive into IPF and fibrosis challenges, unpacking treatment hurdles, emerging targets, unmet needs and expansion paths beyond the lung.

Host

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, Director of Insights, BioSpace

Guests

Georg Vo Beiske, CEO, Tribune Therapeutics

Jonas Hallén, Co...

First quarter earnings continue to roll in, with Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Amgen and more reporting in the past week. While Pfizer beat consensus estimates, it wasn’t enough for analysts, who had greater expectations for the New York pharma. Analysts were more than satisfied with Lilly’s 56% revenue increase, though the company itself appeared to want more—a feat executives believe it could have achieved had it not lower...

In this episode of Denatured, you'll be hearing from Yaniv Sneor, founder of the Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and Alex Pederson, an investor at Mid Atlantic Bio Angels and partner at Alloy Bio Consulting. We discuss why a life sciences-only angel group matters, how they evaluate opportunities, and the importance of strong teams, capital efficiency and a realistic path to exit.

Host

Jennifer C. Smith-Parker, Director of Insights, BioSpace

G...

First quarter earnings are coming in at a rapid pace, with Sanofi and Novartis defending patents for Dupixent and Lutathera, respectively, and Sanofi welcoming Belén Garijo as CEO. Still to come this week are Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Regeneron and many more.

Lilly will undoubtedly discuss its recent streak of dealmaking, including a $2.25 billion pact with AI biotech Profluent, plus buyouts of Ajax Therapeutics for up to $2.3 billion...