Biotechnology 9 August 2025 - 17 February 2026

ImmunityBio (IBRX) stock price spikes 42% on EU Anktiva nod — what traders watch next
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ImmunityBio (IBRX) stock price spikes 42% on EU Anktiva nod — what traders watch next

ImmunityBio shares slipped 0.5% to $8.50 premarket Thursday after surging 41.9% on news the European Commission granted conditional marketing authorization for its bladder cancer therapy Anktiva plus BCG. The approval allows commercial rollout across 30 European countries for adults with BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Trading volume spiked to 78 million shares after the announcement.
February 19, 2026
Quince Therapeutics (QNCX) stock slides premarket as reverse-merger clock, Nasdaq risk hang over shares
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Quince Therapeutics (QNCX) stock slides premarket as reverse-merger clock, Nasdaq risk hang over shares

Quince Therapeutics shares dropped about 9% to $0.18 in premarket trading Tuesday after the company warned it may need bankruptcy protection if it cannot secure a strategic deal. The biotech has no active programs following a failed trial and faces possible Nasdaq delisting. Investors await updates on financing or merger activity. U.S. markets reopen Tuesday after the Presidents Day holiday.
February 17, 2026
Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock jumps on 2026 outlook as Casgevy and Journavx come into focus
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Vertex Pharmaceuticals stock jumps on 2026 outlook as Casgevy and Journavx come into focus

Vertex Pharmaceuticals shares rose 5.7% to $491.47 after hours Friday following a 2026 revenue forecast of up to $13.1 billion, matching Wall Street’s expectations. Fourth-quarter revenue reached $3.19 billion, with cystic fibrosis drugs Trikafta and Kaftrio accounting for $2.57 billion. Journavx prescriptions topped 550,000 through 2025. Casgevy sales more than tripled from the previous quarter.
February 13, 2026
U.S. senators move to police synthetic DNA sales as bioweapon fears sharpen
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U.S. senators move to police synthetic DNA sales as bioweapon fears sharpen

Two U.S. senators introduced the Biosecurity Modernization and Innovation Act of 2026, requiring the Commerce Department to regulate synthetic DNA sales and screen orders for dangerous genetic sequences. The bill mandates audits, red-teaming, and penalties up to $750,000 for violations. It also proposes a federal list of “sequences of concern” and a NIST “governance sandbox” for oversight.
February 4, 2026
FDA hits pause on Regenxbio gene therapies after child’s brain tumor; stock slumps
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FDA hits pause on Regenxbio gene therapies after child’s brain tumor; stock slumps

The FDA placed clinical holds on Regenxbio’s RGX-111 and RGX-121 gene therapy trials after a brain tumor was found in a child who received RGX-111. Regenxbio shares dropped about 20% in morning trading. The company is investigating whether the tumor is linked to the treatment and has not yet received the FDA’s full clinical hold letter. No tumors have been reported in other trial participants.
January 28, 2026
Pig Neurons in Human Brains? The 2025 Reality Check on Neuron Xenotransplantation—Breakthroughs, Risks, and What Happens Next
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Pig Neurons in Human Brains? The 2025 Reality Check on Neuron Xenotransplantation—Breakthroughs, Risks, and What Happens Next

Porcine interneuron precursors have successfully engrafted and functioned in rodents and an epileptic sea lion. Human neurons and glia have integrated into animal brains in research settings. In 2024–2025, FDA-cleared kidney xenotransplant trials began enrolling, and regulators updated guidance, but neuron xenotransplantation in humans has not yet started. Advances in CRISPR and immune-shielded pigs have improved safety foundations.
August 18, 2025
Yamanaka Factors Are Resetting Aging Cells
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Rewinding the Clock: How Yamanaka Factors Are Resetting Aging Cells

In 2022, 124-week-old mice treated with inducible OSK via AAV9 and a 1-day-on/6-days-off cycle lived about twice as long in remaining lifespan, with a 9–12% median lifespan extension. Earlier studies showed partial reprogramming with OSKM extended lifespan and improved tissue function in mice. Human cell experiments reset aging markers by about 30 years. Safety concerns, including cancer risk, remain unresolved.
August 18, 2025
Senolytic Drugs
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The Secret “Zombie Cell” Killers: Niche Senolytic Drugs Fighting Aging’s Clock

A Mayo Clinic-led Phase 2 trial published July 2024 found dasatinib plus quercetin modestly increased wrist bone density in older women with high senescent-cell burden. Unity Biotechnology’s foselutoclax improved vision in diabetic macular edema patients after a single injection. About 20 senolytic clinical trials are underway worldwide, with Alzheimer’s disease results expected in 2025.
August 17, 2025
Synthetic Pheromones Are Quietly Replacing Pesticides in Your Food
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Bug Love vs. Bugs: How Synthetic Pheromones Are Quietly Replacing Pesticides in Your Food—What You Need to Know in 2025

FMC launched Sofero™ Fall pheromone for fall armyworm in Brazil, while Provivi is rolling out Pherogen™ for the same pest in Australia. Bayer expanded its global pheromone partnership with M2i Group. The EU’s new microplastics rule will ban non-degradable microcapsules in plant-protection products after October 17, 2031, speeding adoption of biodegradable carriers. EPA and EU regulators classify these pheromones as low risk.
August 15, 2025
The Future of Artificial Blood, Organs, and Tissues - Breakthroughs and the Road to Transplantation
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In late 2022, UK researchers transfused lab-grown red blood cells into humans for the first time. The cost per unit dropped below $5,000 but remains higher than donated blood. In December 2024, the FDA approved Humacyte’s lab-grown blood vessel graft for trauma repair. Over 100,000 people in the U.S. await organ transplants; nearly 20 die daily.
August 13, 2025
How Gene Editing Therapies Are Curing the “Incurable”
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DNA Makeover: How Gene Editing Therapies Are Curing the “Incurable”

Casgevy became the first FDA-approved CRISPR-based therapy for sickle cell disease in late 2023, editing blood stem cells to boost fetal hemoglobin. Roctavian and Hemgenix, approved in 2023 and 2022, treat hemophilia A and B with single IV infusions that reduce bleeding and raise clotting factors. Zolgensma, approved in 2019 for spinal muscular atrophy, delivers a working gene in one dose.
August 12, 2025
Organ-on-a-Chip Technology
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Lab Rats No More: How Organ-on-a-Chip Technology is Revolutionizing Drug Testing

The FDA announced in April 2025 it will phase out many animal tests within 3–5 years, starting with monoclonal antibody drugs. Columbia University linked four human organ tissues on a single chip, keeping them alive and communicating for weeks. A kidney-on-a-chip predicted drug toxicity missed by animal tests. The global organ-on-a-chip market is projected to reach nearly $1 billion by decade’s end.
August 10, 2025
The mRNA Revolution Transforming Medicine
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Beyond COVID Vaccines: The mRNA Revolution Transforming Medicine

COVID-19 mRNA vaccines showed 94–95% efficacy in trials and over 13 billion doses were administered globally by 2022. In 2023, Moderna and Merck reported their personalized mRNA melanoma vaccine reduced recurrence or death by 44%. Moderna's RSV vaccine mRESVIA gained FDA approval in May 2024. The WHO set up an mRNA technology hub in South Africa in 2021, expanding to at least 15 countries by 2025.
August 10, 2025
Groundbreaking treatments - super crops - and a revolution in green technology
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Biotech 2025: Breakthrough Cures, Super Crops, and a Green Tech Revolution

The global biotech market is set to rise from $483 billion in 2024 to $546 billion in 2025. Casgevy, the first CRISPR-based gene therapy for sickle cell disease, will reach patients in 2025. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly invested billions to resolve U.S. shortages of GLP-1 drugs. Over 60% of new crop varieties in 2025 use advanced gene-editing, not traditional breeding.
August 9, 2025