Johnson & Johnson (J&J) has announced the acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies for $14.6 billion, marking a significant expansion of its neuroscience portfolio. The deal centres on CAPLYTA (lumateperone), a novel antipsychotic with a distinctive pharmacological profile characterised by high serotonin 5-HT2A receptor occupancy combined with lower dopamine D2 receptor binding at therapeutic doses.

Revvity Inc. has announced a strategic partnership with Element Biosciences Inc. to develop and commercialise an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) workflow solution for neonatal sequencing. The collaboration builds upon Revvity’s existing next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflow for newborn sequencing research and aims to strengthen Element’s regulatory approval pathway for their AVITI benchtop sequencing system.

Leica Biosystems has announced a significant strategic investment in artificial intelligence (AI) specialist Indica Labs, marking a pivotal advancement in digital pathology. The collaboration, announced on 8 January 2025, aims to accelerate the development of AI-enabled companion diagnostics (CDx) and enhance the detection of complex biomarker expression profiles that exceed human visual capabilities.

A new machine learning algorithm developed by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital researchers enables faster and more accurate analysis of large-scale single-cell gene expression datasets, potentially accelerating discoveries in cancer and other diseases.

A breakthrough in chemical synthesis methodology offers pharmaceutical manufacturers a more environmentally sustainable approach to incorporating chlorine into drug compounds, with implications for both process efficiency and molecular modification.