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.

Headquartered in both China and US, the new firm will help partners bring drugs to China and other Asian markets. Novavax licenses COVID-19 vaccine in Japan to Takeda, following previous week’s deal for the vaccine in India.

Astellas is funding the company’s Phase II vaccine against 24 pneumococcal serotypes. Affinivax will use its series B venture cash to advance its MAPS vaccines for bacterial and viral infections and cancer.

Funded entirely by grants and partnerships to date, Affinivax’s pneumococcal vaccine candidate has begun a Phase I/II study less than five year’s after the biotech’s founding. Firm thinks its technology may eventually apply to immuno-oncology as well.