Aspect says its bioprinted tissue therapeutics include immune-resistant encapsulation, which Novo Nordisk hopes will offer a safer approach to type 1 diabetes cell therapy.

Mereo will reduce its headcount by 40% to focus on its lead programs while NeuBase revealed a 60% workforce reduction to extend its cash runway. Also, Invivyd (formerly Adagio), Greenlight and BioMarin announced job cuts, while Otonomy and others planned strategic shifts. 

AlloVir/Baylor, Soligenix/Hawaii and CEL-SCI/Georgia ink coronavirus collaborations, but deal-making continues in other areas as well, including Asklepios/UNC teaming on a gene therapy for Angelman syndrome and DeMelle licensing a targeted pancreatic cancer drug from Moffitt, among others.

A collaboration between Novo and Fauna will look at animal hibernation and genetic sequencing for hints toward novel therapies for obesity. Pfizer will use Insilico’s machine learning technology in target validation.