{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/65736d39d32e730012c98919/6a34279ff1612f1c695286eb?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Historic Biotech IPO, Merck, Protillion’s AI Deal, Testing a Lassa–Rabies Vaccine","description":"<p>We are still talking about big pharma deals and biotech fundraising in this episode. The big news this week was Parabilis Medicines’s history-making IPO. We dive into the drug developer’s plans for the eye-popping $770.5 million that it raised. Next, we discuss the details of a collaboration between Merck and Protillion Biosciences to use artificial intelligence to discover multiple therapeutic candidates. Turning to some newly published research, we discuss the early results of a first-in-human clinical trial that is testing a dual vaccine against Lassa fever and rabies, a CRISPR system engineered to selectively trigger cancer cell death by chromatin shredding, and a novel mRNA delivery platform for delivering gene therapies starting with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Join <em>GEN</em> editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Alex Philippidis, Uduak Thomas, and Fay Lin, PhD, for a discussion of the latest biotech and biopharma news.&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Listed below are links to the <em>GEN</em> stories referenced in this episode of <em>Touching Base</em>:&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href=\"https://www.genengnews.com/topics/cancer/stockwatch-parabilis-medicines-makes-wall-street-history-with-770-5m-ipo/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">StockWatch: Parabilis Medicines Makes Wall Street History with $770.5M IPO</a></p><p>By Alex Philippidis, <em>GEN Edge</em>, June 14, 2026</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.genengnews.com/topics/artificial-intelligence/merck-protillion-launch-ai-drug-discovery-collaboration-with-up-to-510m-in-milestone-payments/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Merck, Protillion Launch AI Drug Discovery Collaboration with Up-to-$510M in Milestone Payments</a></p><p>By Alex Philippidis, <em>GEN Edge</em>, June 16, 2026</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.genengnews.com/news/first-in-human-trial-reports-promising-dual-lassa-rabies-vaccine-data/?_gl=1*15568ew*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTYzMTkyMzIzMy4xNzgxNjk5Mjky*_ga_F1EYPPYL3X*czE3ODE2OTkyOTIkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODE2OTkzMTckajM1JGwwJGg1NTExOTM4MjY.\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">First-in-Human Trial Reports Promising Dual Lassa–Rabies Vaccine Data</a></p><p><em>GEN</em>, June 9, 2026</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.genengnews.com/topics/genome-editing/crispr-shreds-undruggable-cancer-cells-with-precision/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">CRISPR Shreds Undruggable Cancer Cells with Precision</a></p><p>By Fay Lin, PhD, <em>GEN Edge</em>, June 8, 2026</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.genengnews.com/news/new-mrna-delivery-platform-restores-muscle-function-in-dmd-models/?_gl=1*15ovjdo*_up*MQ..*_ga*MTYzMTkyMzIzMy4xNzgxNjk5Mjky*_ga_F1EYPPYL3X*czE3ODE2OTkyOTIkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODE2OTkzMTckajM1JGwwJGg1NTExOTM4MjY.\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">New mRNA Delivery Platform Restores Muscle Function in DMD Models</a></p><p><em>GEN</em>, June 11, 2026</p><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://www.genengnews.com/category/multimedia/podcasts/touching-base/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Touching Base Podcast</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Hosted by Corinna Singleman, PhD&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p><a href=\"https://www.insideprecisionmedicine.com/category/multimedia/podcasts/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Behind the Breakthroughs</a>&nbsp;</p><p>Hosted by Jonathan D. Grinstein, PhD&nbsp;</p>","author_name":"Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN)"}