SNAPSHOT

AI biotech Cellular Intelligence gives Novo’s scrapped Parkinson’s program a second life

Cellular Intelligence licensed Novo’s clinical-stage Parkinson’s disease therapy STEM-PD, taking over development after Novo exited cell therapy last year. The deal also includes an equity investment from Novo, with future milestone and royalty payments tied to commercialization success.

Why it matters: The agreement rescues one of Novo’s most advanced cell therapy assets and keeps momentum alive in the competitive race to develop regenerative treatments for Parkinson’s disease. It also highlights growing investor and pharma interest in combining AI with cell engineering and manufacturing.

Backstory: Novo Nordisk shut down much of its cell therapy operation in October 2025, cutting nearly all 250 employees in the division as part of a restructuring. Since then, the company has been searching for new homes for its pipeline assets. Earlier this year, Aspect Biosystems acquired Novo’s diabetes-focused cell therapy programs.

Big picture: Cell replacement therapies are viewed as a potential breakthrough for neurodegenerative diseases because they aim to restore damaged neurons rather than just manage symptoms. But the field has struggled with manufacturing scale, consistency, and cost. AI-driven optimization platforms like Cellular Intelligence’s are emerging as a possible solution.

Zoom in: STEM-PD uses donor-derived stem cells that are converted into neurons and transplanted into patients’ brains. The therapy is already in a first-in-human trial, with a phase 2 study planned before the end of 2026. Cellular Intelligence says its AI platform can make “minor tweaks” to stem cells that improve viability and manufacturability, two major bottlenecks in regenerative medicine.

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What’s happening in biotech today?

💥 OX40 combo: Inhibrx Biosciences reported encouraging interim phase 2 data from its HexAgon trial, showing that adding its OX40 agonist INBRX-106 to Merck’s Keytruda doubled the objective response rate in treatment-naïve patients with advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and high PD-L1 expression. The combination achieved a 44% response rate versus 21.4% for Keytruda alone, including three complete responses in the combination arm. Inhibrx plans to begin the phase 3 portion of the study in the third quarter and expand development into lung cancer and other immunotherapy combinations.

❤️ Happy heart: Braveheart Bio announced positive Phase 2 results for its Hengrui-licensed cardiac drug HRS/BHB-1893 in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (nHCM), marking a second clinical success for the therapy. In the China-based study of 84 patients, the high-dose group showed significant improvements in symptom severity and exercise capacity compared with placebo, including a 5.5-point placebo-adjusted gain on the KCCQ-CSS symptom scale and a 0.9 mL/kg/min advantage in peak oxygen uptake. The drug also improved cardiac biomarkers and measures of heart muscle health, with no severe treatment-related side effects reported. Braveheart plans to launch a global registrational study as it positions the cardiac myosin inhibitor against rivals such as Cytokinetics’ Myqorzo and Bristol Myers Squibb’s Camzyos.

🧬 Gene GLP-1: Fractyl Health has received approval from European regulators to begin the first clinical trial of a GLP-1 gene therapy for type 2 diabetes, with the study set to launch in the Netherlands. The experimental treatment uses an adeno-associated virus delivered directly into the pancreas via endoscopy to enable patients’ beta cells to continuously produce GLP-1 peptides, potentially replacing chronic injections or pills with a long-lasting therapy. The Phase 1/2 trial will initially test three dose levels in nine patients who previously benefited from GLP-1 drugs but still have poorly controlled diabetes, with early data expected later this year. Fractyl says preclinical studies showed stronger glucose-lowering effects than semaglutide with potentially fewer side effects, while the company also continues developing related gene therapies for obesity.

🇨🇳 China push: GSK has signed an agreement with Hong Kong-listed Sino Biopharmaceutical to expand its presence in China by supplying its experimental chronic hepatitis B treatment, bepirovirsen, through Sino’s unit Chia Tai Tianqing Pharmaceutical for an initial five-and-a-half-year term. Bepirovirsen is central to GSK’s strategy to grow beyond its HIV and vaccines businesses, with expected peak annual sales exceeding £2B and planned launches in some markets later this year, while approval in China is anticipated in 2027. The drug targets hepatitis B by suppressing viral replication and enhancing immune response, addressing a disease that affects an estimated 75 million people in China and over 250 million globally.

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