The three-day meeting in Carlsbad, CA, included commentary from numerous executives and investors in the cell and gene therapy space. Here are some of the biggest takeaways.

Cidara gets $30m up front for US rights to the weekly echinocandin candidate for candidemia and invasive candidiasis. Takeda walks away from oncolytic virus candidate licensed from Turnstone.

Private Company Edition: Recent biopharma venture capital financings add up to $1.7bn, including a $135m crossover round for HilleVax after spinning out of Takeda in July to advance a norovirus vaccine, Skyhawk’s $133m in fresh funding and Obsidian’s $115m series B round.

CEO Mary Dillon noted during Ulta’s fiscal 2019 year-end call the rise of “clean beauty” at a time of growing interest in cosmetic ingredient safety. The retailer aims to provide its customers in 2020 with “a framework to help them evaluate products based on what's most important to them.”