Kelonia Therapeutics became the newest biotech takeout target this week. The privately held company, which is developing cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, will be acquired by Eli Lilly.
The acquisition is a boon for the small startup, which has subsisted on $60 million over the last five years and previously struggled to stay afloat. (Check out an earlier slide deck and memo on the company here.) Kelonia came within a week of running out of cash three times. Now it’s being bought for $3.2 billion with potential milestone payments that could double that payout.
On this week’s edition of its biotech podcast, “The Readout Loud,” STAT spoke with Bryan Roberts, a partner at VC firm Venrock, which incubated the biotech, to discuss how this small company managed to land a big deal.
Utah’s high-profile experiment with using an artificial intelligence system to renew prescriptions without physician oversight is facing its first major challenge as doctors in the state push back.
Utah’s Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy in January announced an agreement with AI doctor startup Doctronic to launch a chatbot that can conduct a clinical evaluation of a patient and autonomously renew prescriptions for nearly 200 drugs. In a letter published Friday, the Utah Medical Licensing Board said it only learned about the agreement after it had been launched and asked the state to halt the program.
“Proceeding with this agreement without consulting the Medical Board potentially places Utah citizens at risk and remains a major concern of the board,” they wrote. “It is the strong recommendation of the Utah Medical Licensing Board that this program be immediately suspended pending further discussion.”
<![CDATA[Definium’s CMO says FDA talks stay aligned with their plans for advancing DT120 ODT for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and now PTSD.]]>
Retrieval-augmented generation improved overall quality scores for patient-facing gynecological cancer information mainly through better source attribution.
<img src="https://jmir-production.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/thumbs/6f5424b223cbd674be852ff0ea0cbaf2" />
Some GEN editors were in sunny San Diego covering the hottest research, trends, and products from the American Association for Cancer Research meeting. We kick things off with news from America’s Finest City, particularly around the growing role of AI in oncology. Then we dive into two new research studies. In the first, scientists used CRISPR to identify genes in primary CD4+ T cells that promote or restrict HIV infection. The second study described engineered implantable liver constructs that could eventually serve as a stopgap for patients waiting for donor transplants. Finally, the acquisitions keep coming as Eli Lilly scoops up CAR T cell therapy developer Kelonia for $7B. Also, Revolution Medicines has shared some impressive data from a Phase III trial of its pancreatic cancer drug.
Listed below are links to the GEN stories referenced in this episode of Touching Base:
<![CDATA[In this CME article, learn how depression hides in organ failure, transplants, neurologic disease, and hormonal shifts—plus screening tips and safer treatment choices.]]>
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<![CDATA[Explore GLP-1 agonists and their “truly transformative” role in psychiatry in this podcast. ]]>
This is today’s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what’s going on in the world of technology.
We’re in a new era of AI-driven scams
When ChatGPT was released in late 2022, it showed how easily generative AI could create human-like text. This quickly caught the eye of cybercriminals, who began using LLMs to compose malicious emails. Since then, they’ve adopted AI for everything from turbocharged phishing and hyperrealistic deepfakes to automated vulnerability scans.
Many organizations are now struggling to cope with the sheer volume of cyberattacks. AI is making them faster, cheaper, and easier to carry out, a problem set to worsen as more cybercriminals adopt these tools—and their capabilities improve. Read the full story on how AI is reshaping cybercrime.
Subscribers can watch an exclusive roundtable unveiling the technologies and trends on the list, with analysis from MIT Technology Review’s AI reporter Grace Huckins and executive editors Amy Nordrum and Niall Firth.
Healthcare AI is here. We don’t know if it actually helps patients.
Doctors are using AI to help them with notetaking. AI-based tools are trawling through patient records, flagging people who may require certain support or treatments. They are also used to interpret medical exam results and X-rays.
A growing number of studies suggest that many of these tools can deliver accurate results. But there’s a bigger question here: Does using them actually translate into better health outcomes for patients? We don’t yet have a good answer—here’s why.
—Jessica Hamzelou
The story is from The Checkup, our weekly newsletter that gives you the latest from the worlds of health and biotech. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.
The must-reads
I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.
1 DeepSeek has unveiled its long-awaited new AI model The Chinese company has just launched preview versions of DeepSeek-V4. (CNN) +It says V4 is the most powerful open-source platform. (Bloomberg $) + And rivals top closed-source models from OpenAI and DeepMind. (SCMP) + The model is adapted for Huawei chip technology. (Reuters $)
2 More countries are curbing children’s social media access Norway is set to enforce the latest ban. (Reuters $) + The Philippines could follow soon. (Bloomberg $) + Americans are pushing to get AI out of schools. (The New Yorker)
3 The US has accused China of mass AI theft as tensions rise A White House memo claims Chinese firms are exploiting American models. (BBC) + Beijing calls the accusations “slander.” (Ars Technica)
4 OpenAI set itself apart from Anthropic by widely releasing its new model It’s releasing GPT-5.5 to all ChatGPT users, despite cybersecurity concerns. (NYT $) + OpenAI says the new model is better at coding and more efficient. (The Verge)
5 Meta is cutting 10% of jobs to offset AI spending Roughly 8,000 layoffs are set to be announced on May 20. (QZ) + Anti-AI protests are growing. (MIT Technology Review)
6 Palantir is facing a backlash from employees Thanks to its work with ICE and the Trump administration. (Wired $) + Surveillance tech is reshaping the fight for privacy. (MIT Technology Review)
7 The era of free access to advanced AI is coming to an end AI labs are under mounting pressure to start turning profits. (The Verge)
8 Elon Musk’s feud with Sam Altman is heading to court The case has already revealed several unflattering secrets. (WP $)
9 A new movement is encouraging people to ditch their smartphones for a month “Month Offline” is like a Dry January for smartphones. (The Atlantic)
10 Spotify has revealed its most-streamed music of the last 20 years Featuring Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, and The Weeknd. (Gizmodo)
Quote of the day
“We want a childhood where children get to be children. Play, friendships, and everyday life must not be taken over by algorithms and screens.”
—Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announces age restrictions for social media.
One More Thing
NASA/JPL-CALTECH VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS; CRAFT NASA/JPL-CALTECH/SWRI/MSSS; IMAGE PROCESSING: KEVIN M. GILL
The search for extraterrestrial life is targeting Jupiter’s icy moon Europa
As astronomers have discovered more about Europa over the past few decades, Jupiter’s fourth-largest moon has excited planetary scientists interested in the geophysics of alien worlds.
All that water and energy—and hints of elements essential for building organic molecules —point to an extraordinary possibility. In the depths of its ocean, or perhaps crowded in subsurface lakes or below icy surface vents, Jupiter’s big, bright moon could host life.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors. With the increasing prevalence of ASD diagnosis, it is crucial to understand the mechanisms behind preventable causes, such as prenatal infections, and look for possible routes to improve outcomes. For example, maternal immune activation (MIA), the process by which immunogens that enter the maternal system lead to a maternal inflammatory response, has been well established as associated with increased ASD diagnosis. However, the mechanisms have not been fully elucidated and the options for targeting MIA as a preventative measure are uncertain. The maternal cytokine response is considered a crucial mechanism underlying MIA-induced neurodevelopmental changes, with key contributing cytokines, which include interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-17a. These cytokines can be produced in the maternal periphery and placenta, leading to the transmission of maternal cytokines into the fetal brain and causing upregulation of endogenous production. In the fetal brain, IL-6 and IL-17a act on microglia, the innate immune cells of the central nervous system, to further induce pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Furthermore, microglia alter fetal brain neurocircuitry, leading to lifelong, ASD-like dysregulation. The vagus nerve, the primary nerve of the parasympathetic nervous system, may serve as a target for intervention. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway can be targeted by vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and can lead to the downregulation of peripheral cytokines. This review is intended to summarize the cytokine-related mechanisms of MIA, the role of fetal microglia in dysregulation, and to assess the potential for VNS as a preventative treatment measure for MIA-induced alterations.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder primarily caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. Although recent therapeutic advances, such as the approval of Trofinetide, offer partial relief, no comprehensive curative treatment is currently available. Among the emerging strategies, nerve growth factor (NGF) has gained attention due to its neurotrophic and immunomodulatory properties. This review, in addition to discussing the key features of RTT and the role of growth factors, also highlights recent evidence supporting NGF-based strategies for RTT, focusing on two independent studies that tested intranasal administration of NGF-like molecules in Mecp2-mutant mice. Both recombinant human NGF (rhNGF) and a modified, “painless” variant (hNGFp) improved behavioral (cognitive and motor) symptoms. While rhNGF primarily restored mitochondrial function, hNGFp restored neuroinflammatory responses through microglial regulation. Despite differences in molecular mechanisms and dosages, both molecules demonstrated efficacy without adverse effects, especially when administered intranasally, preventively, and over longer periods. These findings suggest that NGF may act through dual mechanisms, by supporting energy homeostasis and regulating immune responses. The use of intranasal delivery further enhances translational potential by overcoming blood–brain barrier limitations. Together, these studies provide a strong rationale for pursuing NGF-based therapies in RTT and encourage further investigations to optimize dosing, timing, and safety in preclinical and clinical settings.
