California Biotech Insights

Biotech Market Update

Actio Bio raises $66M, Illumina acquires SomaLogic, FDA leadership changes

June 24, 2025

Recent Funding: Actio Biosciences (SD) Raises $66M to Advance Rare Disease Programs Actio secured a $66M Series B to advance two oral small molecule treatments for rare neurological diseases: CMT2C and KCNT1-related epilepsy. The company’s TRPV4 and KCNT1 inhibitors are in or entering early clinical trials, with plans to reach proof-of-concept data by 2026. M&A, […]

Biotech Market Update

Genentech lays off 143, RayzeBio partners with Philochem, Capstan launches Phase 1 trial

June 17, 2025

Recent Layoffs: Genentech (SF) Lays Off 143 Employees Amid Restructuring Efforts Genentech, a Roche subsidiary, is laying off 143 employees at its South San Francisco headquarters as part of a strategy to improve operational efficiency. The layoffs are expected to be completed by July 14. This follows previous workforce reductions, including a 3% cut in […]

Biotech Leader Spotlight

Nathalie Dubois-Stringfellow, CDO of Sangamo Therapeutics

June 12, 2025

Nathalie Dubois-Stringfellow, Ph.D. has served as Chief Development Officer of Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. since August 2022 and is responsible for overseeing the strategy and execution of all development programs which integrate Clinical Science and Operations, Regulatory Affairs, Development Sciences and Program and Portfolio Management for Sangamo’s wholly owned and partnered programs. She has over 30 years of experience implementing and managing preclinical and clinical development of biologic therapies in oncology, as well as immune, infectious and genetic diseases. More recently she has led teams developing gene and cell therapy products for hemophilia, hemoglobinopathies, HIV, lysosomal diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and renal transplant. Dr. Dubois-Stringfellow joined Sangamo in January 2011 as Senior Director, Project Management and later served as our Vice President, Product Development and Management from January 2016 to September 2019 and as our Senior Vice President, Product Development and Management from September 2019 to August 2022. Prior to joining Sangamo, she worked in Discovery Research, Preclinical Research, Project Leadership, Clinical Development and Portfolio Management at Chiron Corp., Bayer Corp., Signature Biosciences, Inc. and XOMA LLC. Dr. Dubois-Stringfellow received her M.S. in Genetics and Immunology and her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris, France.

Biotech Market Update

Amplify Partners $200M biotech fund, SpyGlass raises $75M Series D, Concentra acquires Elevation Oncology

June 10, 2025

Recent Funding: Amplify Partners (SF) Raises $200M for First Biotech Fund, Adds Stanford PhD as Partner Amplify launched Amplify Bio Fund I with $200M to invest in 20 early-stage biotech startups (pre-seed to Series A), emphasizing AI and computational biology. Elliot Hershberg, PhD in computational biology from Stanford and writer of The Century of Biology, […]

Biotech Market Update

SiteOne acquired by Eli Lilly, Boundless Bio runway extension, FDA employee layoffs

June 3, 2025

M&A, Deals, Partnerships: Juri Biosciences (SF) Signs Licensing Deal with EpimAb Biotherapeutics (Shanghai) for KLK2-Directed T-Cell Engager in Prostate Cancer Juri Biosciences, a TCG Labs Soleil portfolio company, has secured exclusive global rights to EpimAb’s T-cell engager targeting KLK2 for metastatic prostate cancer, with the potential for up to $210 million in payments. The partnership […]

Biotech Leader Spotlight

Judy Chou, President & CEO of AltruBio

May 29, 2025

Dr. Judy Chou is the CEO, President and Board member of AltruBio Inc.. which is a clinical stage biotech company in San Francisco, CA. Before taking on her current roles, she headed the global Biotech organization at Bayer Pharmaceuticals overseeing the development, manufacturing and distribution of Bayer’s biotechnology product portfolio & 2000+ employees and leading the drug development and launch activities for the biologics pipeline. In addition, she served as the site head for Bayer’s facility in Berkeley, CA. She is well recognized by the biomedical industry for her leadership and has received the Most Influential Women in Business Award in 2018 by San Francisco Business Times.