> Cellestia Biotech raised CHF 8 million ($8 million) to take an anti-cancer drug into the clinic. The Swiss biotech is working on an oral pan-Notch inhibitor it sees as a treatment for certain forms of leukemia, lymphoma and solid tumors. Cellestia spun out of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in 2014. Release
> French gene therapy player Lysogene filed to raise €30 million ($32 million) through an IPO in Paris. More than half of the money is earmarked for a pivotal phase 2/3 trial of LYS-SAF302 in Sanfilippo syndrome type A. Lysogene also plans to use €6.5 million of the IPO haul for a phase 1/2 trial of its second gene therapy in people with GM1 gangliosidosis. Release (French)
> NeuroVive Pharmaceutical is offloading its Asian subsidiary. The deal will generate SEK 5 million ($565,000) for NeuroVive and free up resources for its core business. NeuroVive set up the unit in Taiwan in 2015 with a view to an Asian IPO, before going on to pen a regional deal with Sanofi. Since then, back-to-back failures in the clinic have derailed NeuroVive, forcing it to reboot its pipeline. Release I More
> UniQure named Alexander Kuta as SVP of regulatory affairs. Kuta joins uniQure from EMD Serono, where he served as VP of R&D global regulatory affairs. Earlier in his career, Kuta worked at companies including Genzyme and AMAG Pharmaceuticals. Last year, uniQure lost both its VP of regulatory affairs and director of regulatory affairs. Release
> Neovacs committed to developing IFN Kinoid as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. The plan is to generate preclinical proof-of-concept data this year with a view to moving into the clinic in 2018. Neovacs is currently testing IFN Kinoid in a phase 2b lupus trial. Release
> Discuva received a £1.5 million ($1.9 million) grant to research new antibiotic targets and deliver candidates. The work is underpinned by a platform designed to identify compounds with a narrower bacteriocidal spectrum of activity. Discuva thinks this will lead to the identification of more targets and cut the risk of cross-resistance. Release