Private Company Edition: Biomedtracker found that 53% of financings during the first quarter were venture capital deals versus 32% in Q1 of last year. Also, Qiming closed a $260m fund, Transition Bio raised a $50m series A round, ProfoundBio completed a $70m series A+ and MycoMedica raised $60m.

Bayer is handing back rights to two early-stage off-the-shelf CAR-Ts to Atara, but the split could still be good news for the biotech company.

The German group is putting another €1.3bn into its Leaps by Bayer investment arm until the end of 2024 to support new companies that are "shifting core paradigms in the sectors of health and agriculture."

Many industry leaders expect broad progress in the field of RNA technologies following the rapid and successful roll-out of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 last year. Genetic medicines of various types, emerging platforms for tackling previously “undruggable” targets and the microbiome were among other areas singled out as areas to watch in 2022.