Private Company Edition: The pre-J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference financing news deluge during the first week of 2021 included several significant venture capital deals, including a $226m series B round for Affinivax, Ikena’s $120m series B round and an $88m series A round for Aro.

The pending US FDA decision on Biogen’s drug overshadows progress in Alzheimer’s diagnosis, symptomatic treatments and the need to keep studying anti-tau therapies after Roche’s setback.

Amylyx has raised just $75m to date, but that was enough to develop AMX0035 through a Phase II/III trial in which the drug slowed the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis versus placebo.

Emerging Company Profile: Turning to gene therapy after its dry eye drug didn’t work out, Ocugen hopes to overcome financial challenges to bring a gene therapy into the clinic for numerous mutations of RP.