A review of biopharma start-up dealmaking and financing activity from October through December 2019, based on data from Strategic Transactions, showed a large rise in fundraising transactions from Q3 to Q4 of last year.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding Deals column provides a comprehensive monthly review of emerging biopharmaceutical companies that have received venture funding. This month’s column covers deals announced October to November.

Venture Capital Edition: Pfizer deprioritized neuroscience as an early R&D focus earlier this year, but will stay involved by spending 25% of the $600m added to its venture fund on neurology investments. Also, China VC investment keeps up fast pace and Alta Partners closes a new $130m health care fund.

CRISPR technology was invented just five years ago but is so accurate, versatile, easy to use, and inexpensive that it has spread quickly through biology laboratories, giving researchers new tools to interrogate biology and make precise alterations to an organism’s genetic material, offering its potential use in a wide array of therapies.