Synaptive Medical announced that its U.S. and Canadian Modus V robotic digital microscope now includes updates such as additional 3D visualization and voice-activated control. The Modus V is a robotically controlled digital microscope used as part of Synaptive’s BrightMatter surgical suite designed for less invasive, patient-specific approaches in complex cranial procedures.

NantKwest Inc. shares rose by a record after the company’s CEO said its experimental cancer therapy had shown a dramatic result in one patient with pancreatic cancer. In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Chief Executive Office Patrick Soon-Shiong said one patient with metastatic pancreatic cancer had their tumors eradicated after treatment with the company’s experimental immune-system-based therapy. The patient had previously been treated unsuccessfully, and received the drug as a compassionate measure for people without other treatment options.

Not everyone agrees that MRI is necessary to characterize joint structure. Samumed’s Yazici argued that if a molecule has a meaningful effect size, X-ray should be more than suitable for measuring the benefit. “In RA, if you look at all the approval packages, there’s nothing about MRIs. It is all X-rays because if you have a drug that has enough efficacy, you can see it on the X-ray,” he said.

Valneva’s has made a name for itself by developing vaccines for in-demand illnesses and now the biotech company has its eyes set on Lyme disease. Their Lyme disease vaccine prototype, VLA15 is currently in Phase 2 developments and is being tested on more than 800 people to measure both efficacy and safety. Although difficult to predict, Valneva’s CEO, Thomas Lingelbach told Forbes that he expected the vaccine to be completed in the next few years.

Nurix Therapeutics Inc. and Sanofi partnered to develop protein degradation therapies for three targets and multiple diseases. Sanofi, which has an option to license compounds for two additional targets, has exclusive rights to the candidates and is responsible for clinical development and commercialization. Nurix, which has a co-development and co-promotion option to up to two products in the U.S., will receive an upfront payment of $55 million and is eligible for $2.5 billion in milestones, plus royalties

Led by a team of veterans from Alios BioPharma and Janssen, Aligos Therapeutics raised $125 million in a series B round to bring three of its HBV therapies to the clinic this year. Aligos thinks that in combination, the trio of modalities could lead to the development of a functional HBV cure under one roof.

Nurix Therapeutics Inc. landed its second big pharma collaboration in seven months when it signed with Sanofi SA to discover, develop and commercialize a pipeline of protein degradation therapies.