Private Company Edition: NVCA and Pitchbook data show pharma and biotech companies raised $37.8bn in venture capital in 2021, up 41% from the record $26.8bn total in 2020. Recent mega-rounds include $190m for Maze and $200m for Alumis, and Sound Bioventures raised a €110m fund.

Heading into the J.P. Morgan Healthcare conference, pharmas have been focusing on discovery alliances. J&J’s deals look into novel tissue-targeted drugs, ionic liquid delivery technology and cancer vaccine R&D. Lilly teams with Entos on novel methods for delivering neurology drugs.

BioMarin teams with Skyline on gene therapies for cardiovascular disease. Myrtelle discloses licensing of gene therapy for Canavan disease from Pfizer earlier in 2021.

Lilly partners with Kumquat to discover small molecule IO drug. Kite, Appia Bio collaborate on allogeneic cell therapies. AstraZeneca and Regeneron pursue novel metabolic therapies targeting GPR75. Lexeo and Stelios merge to focus on gene therapies for rare cardiovascular indications.