Kevin Bitterman

Cambridge-based life science tools specialist Lightcast has completed a stellar board line-up by appointing former Agilent Technologies executive Philip Binns as chair. The board now includes one investor director each from Arch Ventures, Illumina Ventures, M Ventures , and Longwall Ventures; two independent directors, Kevin J. Knopp, CEO of 908 Devices, and Kevin Hrusovsky, chairman and former CEO of Quanterix; as well as observers from OMX Ventures, +ND Capital, and Terra Magnum. Binns recently served as president of the life sciences and applied markets group at Agilent whom he joined in 2010 through its acquisition of Varian, Inc., where he played a pivotal role in expanding the company's atomic and molecular spectroscopy portfolio into a market-leading business. In addition to his new role at Lightcast, Binns serves as chair and non-executive director of Epiminder, a Melbourne company developing implantable brain-monitoring devices; as a director of the Bionics Institute, a globally recognised medical device research organisation; and as a National Council Advisor to the Australian Industry AI Group. Lightcast CEO, Paul Loeffen, said: “We are thrilled to add Phil to our highly experienced board. His extensive industry expertise and proven leadership will be invaluable as we evolve from a product development-focused company into a fully commercial organisation, expanding our global reach and maximising our impact in the life sciences market.” Lightcast, which has facilities in Cambridge (UK) and Cambridge (US), recently announced the limited commercial release of its Envisia™ benchtop platform. The company is actively collaborating with leading pharmaceutical and academic institutions to validate performance, optimise protocols, and expand application areas. Binns added: “The Lightcast Envisia™ platform has the potential to transform single-cell analysis by unlocking functional insights that were previously out of reach. The company is at an exciting inflection point, and I'm eager to collaborate with this talented team to support the platform's global adoption and help drive the next generation of biologics and therapies.” Full article – https://lnkd.in/eHK8yFKi

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Cabaletta Bio announced new and updated rese-cel clinical and translational data from the first 10 patients dosed across the RESET development program. The data demonstrated that clinical responses continue to deepen with rese-cel across patients with #lupus, #myositis and #scleroderma with a favorable safety profile. These data were presented at the 2025 American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual (AAAS) Meeting and will be presented at the 5th International Conference on Lymphocyte Engineering. Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/ef-CxTxn #CART #celltherapy #reset #autoimmune

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Our Director of Computational Biology, Alyssa Fronk, Ph.D., gave an incredible presentation last week at the 24th Annual Bio-IT World Conference & Expo in Boston. Her talk described how Envisagenics is leveraging AI-powered RNA splicing analysis to uncover novel, tumor-specific epitopes for next-gen immunotherapies. Alyssa Fronk, Ph.D. also shared experimental validation studies, including exciting immunohistochemistry (IHC) data in human tumor tissues, offering a compelling layer of confidence in our oncology targets. Her talk sparked engaging discussions around the potential of our SpliceCore platform to transform precision drug discovery. Thank you to everyone who attended and connected with us at #BioITWorld! #AIinLifeSciences #RNAsplicing #Immunotherapy #CancerResearch #DrugDiscovery #MachineLearning #Envisagenics #BiotechInnovation

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𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐍𝐘𝐒𝐄: Arsenal Biosciences, Inc. Co-Founder & CEO Ken Drazan talks about engineering the next generation of T-cell therapies, including a clinical stage renal cell program that includes multiple features. He describes the ArsenalBio's "CITE" platform, which allows it to make heterogenous cells by inserting modifications all in the same place. Plus, writing in logic gating, harnessing shRNA, and more. The company recently raised a $325M series C. Full video: https://lnkd.in/gMYwG9-W BiotechTV is brought to you by: Mispro | Breakthrough Properties | HSBC Innovation Banking | Allucent | NYSE | Klein Hersh | Savills | Genezen

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280,000+ whole genomes. One powerful partnership. ​ Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is the latest member to join the AGD to help accelerate their discovery and development of RNAi therapeutics. ​ “We welcome Alnylam to the AGD as our members continue to leverage these data to fuel innovation in novel therapeutics to improve lives of patients everywhere” -Todd Christian, Senior Vice President, Services, Arrays, and Genomic Access. ​ More on our partnership: https://bit.ly/4mgqx9j NashBio

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Forbion announces that it has co-led a $372.5 million oversubscribed Series D financing in MapLight Therapeutics, Inc., one of the largest private biotech rounds globally in 2025. MapLight is advancing innovative therapies for CNS disorders, with its lead candidate ML-007C-MA showing significant potential in schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease psychosis. The funding will accelerate late-stage clinical development and pipeline expansion. We are excited to join MapLight’s Board of Directors and partner with an outstanding syndicate including Life Sciences at Goldman Sachs Alternatives, Sanofi, T. Rowe Price, Avego BioScience Capital, Novo Holdings, 5AM Ventures, and Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities. This financing reflects our continued commitment to supporting transformational science and ambitious teams addressing the most pressing medical needs. #CNS #Biotech #VentureCapital #LifeSciences #DrugDevelopment #Forbion #Neuroscience #Schizophrenia #Alzheimers #PrivateEquity #GrowthCapital #MapLightTherapeutics #HealthcareInnovation #SeriesD #Biopharma Click on the following link to learn more: https://lnkd.in/egvM6FFr Tim Lohoff, Ph.D. Regina Salvat Nanna Lüneborg Charlotte Koldeweij

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🔬 REGENXBIO Completes Enrollment in Phase 3 Trials for Wet AMD Gene Therapy Regenxbio has announced full enrollment in its pivotal Phase 3 ATMOSPHERE and ASCENT studies for ABBV-RGX-314 (sura-vec), a one-time gene therapy being evaluated for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These global, multicenter trials, comparing sura-vec to ranibizumab and aflibercept, have enrolled over 1,200 participants across more than 200 clinical sites. The primary endpoint is visual acuity change, with topline data expected in Q4 2026. 🔗 Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dMNSvxHM #ClinicalTrial #GeneTherapy #AMD #Ophthalmology #VisionHealth #Treatment #Innovation #Regenxbio

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New promising data from a phase 1/2 study showed that treatment with investigational tividenofusp alfa (Denali Therapeutics) resulted in substantial and significant reductions to critical biomarkers among patients with Hunter syndrome, otherwise known as MPS II. Based on the totality of the evidence, the company plans to submit a biologics license application (BLA) in early 2025 under the accelerated approval pathway for the agent as a potential new treatment of Hunter syndrome. Read more: https://lnkd.in/ewpzBqkh

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We are thrilled to announce a partnership with Adaptive Biotechnologies to expand access to minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring options for select blood cancer patients. Our COMPASS® and CHART® comprehensive and personalized assessment services for complex blood cancers will be integrating Adaptive’s next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based clonoSEQ®, which detects MRD in lymphoid cancers, offering a unique multi-modal testing approach for patients. To learn which blood cancers will be applicable for this innovative partnership, visit us online: https://lnkd.in/g7rJ5XuS #Oncology #BloodCancerCare #CancerTesting #MRD #NeoGenomics

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New Episode Release: https://lnkd.in/eb9ZF7JQ In an industry turning its attention to AI, what core human skills in drug discovery will be valuable in the future? In this month’s episode of The Chain, Derek Lowe, Director of Chemical Biology Therapeutics at Novartis and author of In the Pipeline, and host chris bahl discuss the impact of AI, and non-AI technologies on the business of drug making. Their conversation also covers the long-term impacts of knowledge creation in US leadership positions and what this means for the US biotech ecosystem. Listen and subscribe: https://lnkd.in/eb9ZF7JQ

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We're pleased to share that Cellular Origins (a TTP company), Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult), and Resolution Therapeutics have announced the formation of a new consortium focused on transforming #CellTherapyManufacturing. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eF_E9-VM The consortium has been awarded a £1 million Smart Grant from Innovate UK to develop a globally unique, fully automated, and scalable platform for cell therapy production. The project began on 1 July 2025 and will run for 20 months. Continue reading in the reading above ⤴️

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ICYMI: We're excited to announce IGI–Bakar Labs! This new building will allow the IGI to continue expanding our impact in health and agricultural applications of #CRISPR, and will be shared with the Bakar Bio Labs incubator for growing biotech companies. Learn more: https://ow.ly/mXWl50WrxMF

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#ICYMI: Nicoya has acquired Applied Photophysics, a UK-based provider of biophysical characterization instrumentation, expanding its portfolio of biologics characterization tools. The acquisition combines Applied Photophysics’ 50-year legacy with Nicoya’s innovative solutions for drug discovery and development. It’s expected to double Nicoya’s annual revenue, triple its customer base, and set the stage for significant profitability with projected organic growth of 25%. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gBu87UJQ

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