Next Generation Gene Therapeutics is fast-tracking clinical trials in the US for its gene therapy candidates for Bietti's crystalline dystrophy and classic phenylketonuria, supported by China data, the Chinese venture's CEO tells Scrip in an interview.

As the proposed US BIOSECURE Act heads to a full House Oversight Committee vote, Scrip's China-based editors Brian Yang and Dexter Yan, together and guest Derrick Gingery from the Pink Sheet, discuss the implications and potential outcomes for the biopharma sector and factors behind the "biotech decoupling" trend. Dexter also shares insights from his recent coverage of antibody-drug conjugate R&D updates by Chinese companies.

The ranks of B7-H3-targeting antibody-drug conjugates under development in China have seen their first dropout, although elsewhere there are two FGFR2b-directed ADCs with first-in-class potential on the horizon. Meanwhile, there have been other discontinuations of KRAS G12C inhibitors and anti-BCMA CAR-T cell therapies in the country, while new players have surfaced in the areas of mRNA cancer vaccines and amyloid-beta-targeting antibodies for Alzheimer’s disease.

Plus transactions involving Nissan Chemical/Sanwa Kagaku, Memel/Therabest, Chugai/Alnylam, Takeda/Kumquat, Nxera/Handok, 3SBio/CStone and deals in brief.

Aiming to help create China’s first original treatment for under-researched rare diseases, the Hope for Rare Foundation is racing against a funding crunch to support translational research in China, its co-founder and secretary-general tells Scrip in an interview.

A China green light for domestic firm Avistone's c-Met inhibitor was based on positive outcomes from the Phase II/III FUGEN study in Chinese patients with recurrent relapsing glioma with the rare PTPRZ1-MET fusion gene. Avistone’s overseas partner Apollomics is also studying the molecule in a Phase II program outside China.