Newly public Aligos will team with Merck & Co. on oligonucleotide therapies for NASH. Maze Therapeutics launches ophthalmology and CV-focused spinouts with Alloy and BridgeBio.

Private Company Edition: VC deals are surging this year for cell and gene therapy firms, according to ARM’s third quarter report. Also, Vivo Capital and the CF Foundation plan to invest nearly $2bn in health care and life science opportunities, and Akeso completes $150m series D.

2018 was a banner year for venture funding, and Relay's December Series C was only the third largest VC round of the year. Other year-end financings include Millendo, Erasca, Aristea and more... 

The Japanese pharmaceutical companies will work with the Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership on screening targets for utility against WHO-listed priority pathogens. Avacta and LG Chem collaborate around the former’s Affimer technology.