AB Science’s top-line results from a Phase III study suggest its lead candidate masitinib may be of benefit when combined with docetaxel chemotherapy in patients with early metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Private Company Edition: VC mega-rounds boosted the Q1 2021 total. Also, new funds from Versant, The Column Group and Rapha Capital keep cash flowing into biopharma; up to $525m is invested in Exscientia; and Arch Oncology and Boundless Bio raised $105m each, while Forge brought in $120m.

Taysha gains control of GAN candidate and program; BI licenses COMT inhibitors from Lieber Institute; plus three new gene therapy-driven tie-ups between biopharma and academia.

Plus deals involving SELLAS/3D Medicines, Kyowa Kirin/InveniAI, JW/Voronoi, Y-mAbs/Takeda, Horizon Discovery/Sanyou, Sentinel Oncology/PharmaEngine