Dermatology-focused regenerative medicine firm Fibrocell has been reviewing strategic opportunities for more than a year; April’s FCX-007 license deal with Castle Creek results in buyout.

Investors' and Big Pharmas' hitherto frosty view of gene-based medicines may be starting to thaw, at least in places, warmed by clinical progress and a smattering of deals. Is there any real potential in this market? Until the first FDA approval, no-one's expecting any real heat. But there are companies which are enjoying limited success in the early stages, whose experience most likely reflects where at least the near-term potential of gene-based medicines lie.

Non-profit organizations' growing support for industry drug development does more than fill a funding gap. It brings disease-knowledge, patient-access and an understanding of the end-market that few traditional VCs can offer.

One of the challenges surrounding the development of new vaccines has been inducing a strong enough immune response to protect the recipient from future infections, or to eradicate existing infection. The founding scientists of Oxxon Pharmaccines found that a particular combination of immunizations, using different vectors to deliver the same antigen in a sequence dependent upon priming and timing, created a high T-cell response. The scientists filed a patent around their so-called {Prime-Boost} technology, which has potential in a whole range of diseases, including hepatitis B and melanoma.