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Finance Watch: Rakuten Aspyrian Raises $150m VC Round For Laser-Activated Cancer Drugs

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private investors, including Japanese e-commerce mogul Hiroshi Mikitani, backed a $150m Series C round for Rakuten Aspyrian and its photoimmunotherapy platform. Also, pharma-backed therapeutic video game developer Akili boosts Series C to $68m, and Summit garners additional BARDA funding.

Finance Watch

Rakuten Aspyrian Inc. has raised $150m in Series C venture capital to fund a Phase III clinical trial that it intends to start before the end of this year to test its laser-activated antibody conjugate in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, and to initiate two to three additional studies for ASP-1929.

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Korea State R&D Fund Seeks Continuity To Enable Seamless Support

 
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Finance Watch: Investors Push ESSA Pharma, Elevation Oncology To Wind Down

 
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Finance Watch: Biopharma Sees An Early April VC Mega-Round Surge

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Private Company Edition: After Q1 venture capital investment slumped relative to 2024 totals due to declines in both smaller financings and mega-rounds, Q2 started off with six $100m-plus financings in the first half of April after there were only three in February and six in all off March.

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Korea State R&D Fund Seeks Continuity To Enable Seamless Support

 
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Roivant Tightens Leadership Grip On Immunovant, Narrows Near-Term IMVT-1402 Focus

 
• By Mandy Jackson

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