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Patient dies in Sarepta gene therapy trial, adding to safety concerns

The death will likely further stoke safety concerns around Sarepta's gene therapies, as well as raise questions around the company’s transparency.

In latest sign of lab space woes, Wellesley building auctions at big loss
The four-story, 284,000-square-foot office building just off Route 9 was ultimately acquired by its lender.

Sarepta Therapeutics lays off one-third of workforce in drastic cost-cutting
The drastic cost-cutting move follows the deaths of two teenagers that forced the company to restrict usage of its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

A well-placed biotech investor says US policies are straining life sciences startups
“There’s sort of a boom-type feeling at the moment,” he said about returning to his home country of Germany.

As Rhode Island bets on biotech, Life Science Hub founding chair Neil Steinberg resigns
His successor will inherit an agency with big ambitions, and a limited time to prove its worth. The Hub will face a key funding cliff in 2026.

The Broad Institute lays off 75 ahead of slashes to federal funding
The Broad is the latest Massachusetts research hub to take cost-saving measures amid unprecedented freezes and likely reductions in federal funding for scientific research.

Moderna’s flu vaccine hits goal, paving way for combo shot
The Cambridge biotech believes packaging the two immunizations together will lead to higher uptake of COVID vaccines.

Sage Therapeutics cuts more than 330 jobs after announcing its $795 million acquisition
Notice of the Cambridge biotech's layoffs came less than two weeks after Sage announced it would be acquired by Maryland-based Supernus Pharmaceuticals in a deal that could be worth up to $795 million.

More Life Sciences Headlines

For Boston’s budding biotechs, an uncertain future amid funding cuts

Life science leaders flocked to the BIO International Convention this week, where there was still a sense of optimism.

BOLD TYPES

At BIO convention, Healey offers upbeat message to life sciences crowd

The governor focused on the strengths of the Massachusetts biotech ecosystem and the state programs that support it, rather than gripe about current challenges.

Eli Lilly to buy gene-editing biotech Verve for $1.3 billion

Boston-based Verve is a rare example of a gene-editing company targeting a disease that affects a large population, offering better commercial prospects.

Sage Therapeutics gets acquired by Maryland drugmaker for up to $795 million

After rejecting a buyout offer from its partner Biogen, the Cambridge firm is being acquired by Supernus Pharmaceuticals.

RI HEALTH

Vertex to lay off 125 employees in R.I., consolidate offices

The layoffs will be effective on Aug. 5, according to a letter sent to the state’s Department of Labor and Training.

Lab space no more: New vision for old Needham car dealership includes housing and a hotel

Demand for lab space has plummeted, so a development firm is changing up its plans for the site of Needham’s former Muzi Ford dealership, exploring a pivot to a mixed-use project.

‘People inside Moderna are afraid’: As the antivaccine climate intensifies, a big local firm has much to lose

Moderna vaulted to the forefront of biotech, becoming a major pillar of the region’s economy. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s skepticism of mRNA vaccines has cost the company dearly.

More bad news in biotech: Watertown cancer firm iTeos shutting down

The 12-year-old company had been collaborating with British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline on an immuno-oncology drug candidate.