Oct. 10 Quick Takes: WuXi Biologics clears one unit from U.S. watch list

WuXi Biologics Inc. (HKEX:2269) will now look to clear a second subsidiary from the Department of Commerce’s “unverified list” after the U.S. agency removed WuXi Biologics Co. Ltd. from the federal watch list Oct. 7. WuXi Biologics Co. and WuXi Biologics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. were surprise additions to the list in February after Commerce was unable to inspect the units due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Chris Chen told BioCentury at the time that the move would not affect the CRO’s operations. The company’s stock finished Monday down HK$1.20 at HK$47, well below its HK$80 close on Feb. 7, before the U.S. agency’s action was announced.

Ochre Bio Ltd. announced a $30 million series A round from a syndicate that included Khosla Ventures — who led the Oxford, U.K.-based company's $9.6 million seed round in 2021 — along with Hermes-Epitek, Backed VC, LifeForce Capital, Selvedge, AixThera, LifeLink EIT and three individual investors: Alice Zhang, CEO of Verge Genomics Inc., Kristen Fortney, CEO of BioAge Labs Inc., and Marty Chavez, Chairman of Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX). Khosla's Nessan Bermingham has joined the board. The company is using "deep phenotyping" of diseased human livers, including spatial and single-cell transcriptomics, to identify targets for RNA-based candidates that could improve the viability of marginal donor livers, and open the door to therapies for a broader set of liver diseases. The financing will support preclinical development of Ochre's first set of candidates, with a lead candidate expected to enter the clinic in 2024, as well as the company's RNA chemistry capabilities...