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Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Senior Staff Writer

Tristan is BioSpace‘s senior staff writer. Based in Metro Manila, Tristan has more than eight years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and science. Being formally trained in molecular biology, he once dreamed of collecting degrees and starting his own lab. But these days, he finds his greatest joy in a bottle of beer and a beautiful sentence. He can be reached at tristan.manalac@biospace.com, tristan@tristanmanalac.com or on LinkedIn.

Hand putting print screen dart and target board wooden cube on up arrows. Target of investment and business concept.
CAR-T
J&J, Legend tout long-term survival benefits for Carvykti in multiple myeloma
Ten patients out of 20 who received Johnson & Johnson and Legend Biotech’s Carvykti remained alive at five years of follow up.
September 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Handshake of man and robot. Modern technologies. Art collage.
Artificial intelligence
Genentech makes $1.5B+ deal with AI heavyweight Earendil for cancer bispecifics
Genentech’s agreement with Earendil Labs came the same day its parent company, Roche, inked a cardiometabolic and renal deal with Atavistik Bio for up to $2 billion.
September 25, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Robotic claw clutching a money stock illustration
Funding
Backed by NVIDIA, Basecamp bags $140M to advance AI-designed drugs
Basecamp Research joins the growing group of AI-forward biotechs that in recent months have brought in notable sums from investors, including Isomorphic Labs and Enveda.
September 24, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Business people shaking hand in China.
China
Lilly sets aside up to $3.25B to tackle critical unmet need targets with InnoCare
InnoCare Pharma is the latest addition to Eli Lilly’s dealmaking spree, which includes some of the biggest acquisitions this year: up to $7 billion for Kelonia Therapeutics in April and up to $7.8 billion for Centessa Pharmaceuticals in March.
September 24, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Opportunity of winning. man sees a illuminated trophy door. vector
autoimmune disease
Amgen asset from $27.8B Horizon buy scores in Phase 3 Sjögren’s study
Amgen is awaiting another Phase 3 readout for the investigational Sjögren’s disease therapy, set for later this year. William Blair anticipates that at least two trials will be needed to support an FDA application.
September 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Deals
Novartis bets up to $900M for radioligand therapy from China’s BoomRay
Novartis is the current radiopharma leader with two FDA-approved therapies in Pluvicto and Lutathera.
September 23, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Vector illustration of businessman as a superhero standing on top of a mountain, optimism, confidence in business concept
IPO
2026 IPO blitz continues with 4 new biotech filings
With more than 25 companies debuting on the public markets, 2026 has recorded the highest number of biotech IPOs since 2021. Now, four companies—including Iambic Therapeutics and ADARx Pharmaceuticals—are looking to grow this total even further.
September 22, 2026
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4 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Cancer
Boehringer Ingelheim bets up to $1B in AI-centered solid tumor collab with Envisagenics
Envisagenics’ platform makes use of AI to screen and detect cancer-specific RNA alterations, which Boehringer Ingelheim wants to target through various precision treatment modalities, including multi-specific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates and T cell engagers.
September 22, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Two men walking on separate winding paths that merge into a single large upward arrow representing business partnership and shared goals, 3d render
Mergers & acquisitions
Telix buys ITM for $1.65B in ‘supercritical’ radiopharma M&A
Aside from its manufacturing and distribution footprint, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich will give Telix Pharmaceuticals the late-stage ITM-11, being developed for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. The asset was rejected by the FDA last month for manufacturing concerns.
September 21, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Contemporary art collage. Businessman standing under heavy pressure. Working conditions. Concept of struggle, failure, success, competition, motivation, concentration, crisis, fear Copy space for ad
Obesity
Novo buys three early-stage obesity assets from Kallyope as investor pressure mounts
Investors and analysts have been hounding Novo to beef up its pipeline and advance new molecules as a majority of the company’s sales stem from its semaglutide franchise.
September 21, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Money or health. Scale of balance between money, dollar and medicine, pill. Cost of health. Compare of price healthcare and healthy. Seesaw between wealth and healthy. Treatment or savings. Vector.
Approvals
Ultragenyx wins FDA greenlight for first Sanfilippo therapy, priced at nearly $4M
The market approval for Fayuvi, which was rejected in 2025 due to manufacturing problems, comes shortly after Ultragenyx got the FDA nod for its first gene therapy last month.
September 18, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Sorting garbage concept. Cropped photo of paper thash. Crumple paper falling to the recycling bin
Cancer
BMS scraps Orum’s targeted degrader after reviewing Phase 1 data
Bristol Myers Squibb acquired the degrader-antibody conjugate from Orum Therapeutics in 2023 for $100 million upfront and the possibility of up to $80 million more in milestones.
September 18, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
A brain hovers over a hand against a yellow-striped background
Neuroscience
Novartis drops $125M for Sironax’s tech to cross blood-brain barrier
Novartis stands alongside Big Pharma peers that have similarly invested in technologies to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, including GSK, Roche and Eli Lilly.
September 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Stagflation, economic slow down or recession while inflation high up, GDP growth decrease causing by unemployment concept, fearful businessman riding fall down economic graph with inflation high up.
Cardiovascular disease
Longeveron’s shares crash as stem cell therapy flunks mid-stage cardio trial
With just over $10 million in cash available to fuel operations through the end of the year, Longeveron is undertaking a strategic review after the failure of a cardiovascular study.
September 17, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Investment mistakes, taxes, expenses, and unknown costs drain money, concept of Businessman carries a money bag with a big hole, banknotes falling out
Immunology and inflammation
Roche bets up to $1B to advance next-gen bispecifics with Dualitas
The partners will focus R&D efforts on immunological and inflammatory conditions using Dualitas’ DualScreen Bispecific Discovery Engine platform.
September 17, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac