Denali leases a new R&D hub; iCo dumps its entire staff;

@FierceBiotech: Top 10 mega-rounds fuel record VC pace, with a distinctly ex-U.S. biotech accent. Report | Follow @FierceBiotech

@JohnCFierce: And in case you missed it: Eleven Bio faces cash crunch as lead drug flunks another PhIII. Article | Follow @JohnCFierce

@DamianFierce: Index Ventures' official Dick Costolo announcement is a link to his tweets of screenshots from his notes app. More | Follow @DamianFierce

> Canada's iCo Therapeutics is cutting its entire staff in an effort to conserve cash, demoting its executives to consultants after failing to secure a buyout. More

> Denali Therapeutics, working off of a $217 million funding round, has leased the entire first floor of a new life sciences hub in the Bay Area. Story

> U.K. startup Centauri Therapeutics is getting off the ground with plans to develop new therapies for infectious diseases, securing £3 million ($4.3 million) in investor commitments to move forward. News

Medical Device News

@FierceMedDev: Second activist investor buys 5% stake in HeartWare, putting Valtech deal in doubt. Article | Follow @FierceMedDev

@VarunSaxena2: Interesting article in . Which lifesci hub do you think is no. 1? More (reg. req.) | Follow @VarunSaxena2

@EmilyWFierce: Shkreli, Valeant CEO set for a grilling at Congressional price-hike hearing. FiercePharma story | Follow @EmilyWFierce

> Startup raises $19M to market suture-replacing, Zip skin closure products. Report

> J&J axes 3,000 jobs in bid to save $1B and revive lagging medical devices business. Article

Pharma News

@FiercePharma: New strain of avian flu confirmed in Indiana poultry flocks. FierceAnimalHealth item | Follow @FiercePharma

@EricPFierce: FDA says this Hong Kong plant pretty much had not quality control in place. FiercePharmaManfacturing story | Follow @EricPFierce

@CarlyHFierce: ICYMI: PTO shuts down Amgen's Humira IP challenge. Article | Follow @CarlyHFierce

> Shkreli, Valeant CEO set for a grilling at Congressional price-hike hearing. Report

> Supreme Court rebuffs another J&J appeal, leaving $140M failure-to-warn judgment intact. Article

Animal Health News

> New strain of avian flu confirmed in Indiana poultry flocks. Story

> Affymetrix teams with Bio-Genesys to offer genetic testing for livestock. More

> Animal drugs, diagnostics and distribution on display at J.P. Morgan confab. Item

> EMA launches review of 'last-resort' antibiotic after scientists ID resistance gene. Report

> Dechra's growth spurt continues with $6M acquisition of Mexican manufacturer. Article

Biotech IT News

> BioMed X emerges from Merck KGaA alliance armed with bioinformatics tools. News

> NIH kicks off $313M genome sequencing drive. Report

> Illumina moves into semiconductor-based sequencing with Project Firefly. More

> Biden puts data sharing at center of drive to cure cancer. Article

> Astellas hooks up with NuMedii to continue drug repurposing deal drive. Story

Drug Delivery News

> Dental anesthesia delivered via electric current could offer needle-free alternative. Item

> Will FDA panel's second recommendation of approval for implant to treat opioid addiction be enough? More

> Takeda teams up with enGene for gastrointestinal gene delivery R&D. Report

> Catalent to earn up to $618M under antibody-drug conjugate research alliance with Roche. Story

> Pfizer invests in 4D Molecular Therapeutics, a maker of gene delivery vectors. Article

Pharma Manufacturing News

> Mylan halts production at Poland plant after inspectors uncover problems. News

> Plant-based biologics production to be offered by new CMO. Item

> FDA slams another Chinese drugmaker with a warning letter. Story

> Emcure, which has issues with FDA, buys Canadian firms. Report

> Wockhardt's new sterile injectable plant issued a Form 483 by the FDA. Article

Pharma Asia News

> Unit of Singapore's Biosensors refuses U.S. FDA inspection. Item

> Redesigned scope by Japan's Olympus cleared by FDA. More

> Japanese drugmakers shift focus as government pushes for more generics. Report

> Sanofi may get waiver from large-scale dengue vaccine trials in India. Story

> Healthcare reform in China raises tensions between hospitals, pharma companies. Article