Janney Capital analyst Debjit Chattopadhyay noted that, on a relative basis vs. the Nasdaq, 2016 was the worst year for the Nasdaq biotechnology index (NBI) since 1994 and he believes the "outlook for 2017 isn't particularly rosy" given structural challenges for the sector along with rising interest rates. He cautions about overenthusiasm on M&A, as Chattopadhyay thinks "cash rich pharma may choose to return cash to shareholders through increased buybacks and dividends," and he believes "M&A, if any, is likely to lead to short-term relief rallies and may not represent a broader turn in sentiment." Meanwhile, broader discussion on healthcare spending and regulatory changes are likely to be bigger drivers of biotech sentiment during 2017 than M&A, said Chattopadhyay, who listed bluebird bio (BLUE), Galapagos NV (GLPG), Vertex (VRTX), Clovis (CLVS) and Nektar (NKTR) as on the firm's 2017 biotechnology focus list.

Biolojic Design announced that Nektar exercised its license option to develop a program resulting from the companies' research collaboration initiated in 2021. The research collaboration was established to design and test agonistic antibodies targeting tumor necrosis factor receptor type II, a novel, biologically-validated disease target implicated in a wide range of autoimmune diseases that has been difficult to drug with conventional medicines. The antibody program selected for development is designed to modulate the TNFR2 pathway in order to agonize - or activate - T regulatory cells and other anti-inflammatory cell populations, making this a promising approach to stimulating the immune system in ulcerative colitis, multiple sclerosis, vitiligo, and other autoimmune disease states. Under the 2021 research agreement, Nektar has tested antibodies computationally designed by Biolojic Design to precisely agonize the TNFR2 receptor. Following successful preclinical in vitro and in vivo studies, Nektar decided to exercise the license option and has been advancing the program through IND enabling studies since late December, 2023. If the NKTR-0165 candidate proceeds through clinical development, Biolojic Design is entitled to development milestones and sales royalties.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals and TreeFrog Therapeutics announced that Vertex has obtained an exclusive license to TreeFrog's proprietary cell manufacturing technology, C-Stem, to optimize production of Vertex's cell therapies for type 1 diabetes, or T1D. TreeFrog and Vertex will collaborate to scale-up TreeFrog's process to produce and amplify cells for Vertex's T1D therapies. TreeFrog's proprietary technology platform, C-Stem, is designed to mimic the natural microenvironment, allowing cells to grow exponentially in 3D. The technology will enhance Vertex's ability to generate large amounts of fully differentiated cells for its portfolio of T1D cell therapies.