> Ipsen (EPA:IPN) teamed up with recently formed biotech PeptiMimesis for an oncology research project. PeptiMimesis, a biotech formed from an INSERM and Strasbourg University spinoff project in October, will apply knowledge of transmembrane peptide identification and intracellular signaling to the research program, which is aiming to push candidates toward the clinic. Ipsen has an option to license the candidates, in return for which it is providing research funding and committing to milestones. Release
> Scancell (LON:SCLP) set out to raise £6.8 million ($9.7 million) to fund development of its immunotherapies. The financing, which is made up of a £3 million firm placing and £3.8 million open offer, follows the advance of Scancell's plan to run a clinical trial. "We recently announced that we had put in place a prestigious team of US investigators to lead a Phase II checkpoint inhibitor combination study with the ImmunoBody lead cancer vaccine SCIB1 in melanoma," Scancell Chairman John Chiplin said in a statement. "A proportion of funds raised will be used to accelerate the remaining preparatory work to allow such a trial to begin in a timely manner in 2017. Statement
> Welsh politicians questioned senior civil servants over the process that led to the creation of Sir Chris Evans' Arthurian Life Sciences. The questioning follows a report that absolved Arthurian and Evans of blame but criticized the government's handling of aspects of the process. Some politicians have taken a dim view of the situation. "The impression being given is that a small group of people, who are experts in this field, are awarding each other large sums of money," Welsh politician Jenny Rathbone said at a committee meeting attended by BBC News. Arthurian responded by talking up its performance to date, highlights of which include "an average internal rate of return as high as 60%" and the creation of 150 highly skilled jobs. BBC News
> Ireland's Genable Technologies accepted a buyout bid from Spark Therapeutics ($ONCE). The deal, which the Irish Independent reports values Genable at $15 million (€13.6 million), follows a collaboration between the two companies. Spark is gaining access to Genable's lead candidate and focus of the collaboration, a gene therapy for the treatment of autosomal dominant rhodopsin linked retinitis pigmentosa. Release | Irish Independent
> Capella BioScience raised £11 million ($15.6 million) in a Series A round. The money, which was committed by Advent Life Sciences, Medicxi Ventures and Osage University Partners, will allow the London-based biotech to move its antibodies toward the clinic. As it stands, the lead candidates are aimed at ulcerative colitis and fibrosis, while a pair of backups are following on behind. Don Drakeman, a cofounder of Genmab who now works at Advent, is involved. FierceBiotech | Release
> TiGenix (EBR:TIG) posted positive 52-week data from a Phase III trial of its stem cell treatment for Crohn's disease. The data, which follow on from the positive 24-week results posted last year, are a boost for TiGenix's hopes of pulling off a $57 million (€53 million) Nasdaq IPO and potentially securing partnership deals to commercialize Cx601 in the U.S. and certain European markets. TiGenix filed to go public in the U.S. late last year, but has yet to execute the plan. FierceBiotech