Daily Snap - 18. November 2025

Author

Joachim Eeckhout
November 18, 2025

 

Good morning! Outside the big headlines of multi-billion-dollar obesity drug deals, the field is also welcoming a wave of ambitious new entrants. One of them, MitoRx Therapeutics, has just raised £5.5M ($7.2M) to advance a mitochondrial-targeted small molecule that takes a very different approach from the GLP-1 class dominating the market. Its lead candidate, Myo-004, aims to drive fat loss without sacrificing lean muscle, an increasingly important differentiator as concerns grow around muscle and bone depletion in current therapies. Buoyed by strong preclinical data presented at major scientific meetings, MitoRx is quietly positioning itself within the emerging “energy-expenditure” category of obesity drugs, one that could define the field’s next chapter. Turns out the next big thing in obesity might actually start small.

Enjoy today’s read!

—Joachim E. 

PRESENTED BY MOLECULAR DEVICES 

What makes organoids so exciting for researchers?

 

Imagine having miniaturized versions of human organs in the lab. That’s what organoids bring to drug discovery — 3D models that mimic real biology more closely than 2D cultures ever could. They’re already driving advances in cancer, neurology, and stem cell research, with huge potential ahead in precision medicine. 

👉 Curious? Download the free eBook and discover the essential guide to organoids.

SNIPPETS

What’s happening in biotech today?

🧬 DNA series D: Artios Pharma has raised $115M in a Series D funding round to advance its mid-stage clinical trials for two experimental cancer drugs targeting DNA damage repair mechanisms. The funding will support expanded trials of alnodesertib, an ATR inhibitor being tested with chemotherapy for pancreatic and colorectal cancers, and launch a Phase 2 trial of ART6043, a polymerase theta blocker for BRCA-mutant HER2-negative breast cancer. These approaches aim to disrupt tumor cell DNA repair pathways, similar to the strategy used by PARP inhibitors. Backed by leading investors, the company plans to operate through 2027, with key trial results expected by then.

✂️ Strategic snips: Nxera Pharma, formerly known as Sosei, is laying off 15% of its workforce and streamlining its leadership team as part of a strategic shift aimed at achieving profitability by 2030. The layoffs, affecting staff primarily in the U.K. and Japan, are accompanied by a reduction in R&D spending of approximately $22.6M at the company’s U.K. site. As it refocuses its pipeline, Nxera is prioritizing next-generation therapies for obesity, metabolic, and endocrine disorders, leveraging its GPCR drug discovery capabilities. The company is also discontinuing internal development of its EP4 agonist program in inflammatory bowel disease due to high competition and cost, seeking partners to advance the asset.

⚔️ Pfizer rival: Nuvalent has released promising phase 1/2 data for its ALK inhibitor neladalkib in advanced ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), positioning it as a potential rival to Pfizer’s Lorbrena. In heavily pretreated patients, the drug showed a 31% overall response rate, with durable responses lasting up to 18 months in some cases. Among patients previously treated with Lorbrena, neladalkib achieved a 49% response rate and a 14.4-month median duration of response. In those not previously on Lorbrena, the response rate was 46%, with high durability. Nuvalent now plans to discuss a new drug application with the FDA and is advancing a phase 3 trial in tyrosine kinase inhibitor-naïve patients.

🧠 Breaking past the BBB: ABL Bio has signed a two-part agreement with Eli Lilly valued at up to $2.6B, including $40M upfront and an equity investment of $15M, granting Lilly global rights to ABL’s IGF1R-based blood-brain barrier (BBB) shuttle platform, Grabody-B. This collaboration enables Lilly to apply the technology across various biologics for central nervous system diseases while providing ABL capital to advance late-stage cancer and next-generation antibody-drug conjugate programs, including the promising tovecimig (ABL001), currently in phase 2/3 trials, and additional assets targeting gastric and colorectal cancers.

🦠 TCR cash boost: Captain T Cell, a Berlin-based spin-out from the Max Delbrück Center, has secured €20M in funding and grants to advance its novel TCR-T cell therapies targeting solid tumours. New investors include Springboard Health Angels, Pluton Asset Holding, Sintra Limited, and the Technologiegründerfonds Sachsen. The funding will support the Phase I TOMATA trial of its autologous candidate CTC127 for MAGE-A4-positive cancers and further development of its allogeneic platform. The company’s proprietary engineering enhances T cell resilience in tumour environments, positioning it within Europe’s emerging immuno-oncology scene.

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