Nestlé Health Science has invested $23m in a joint venture it is setting up with French microbiome company Enterome. Microbiome Diagnostics Partners (MDP) will be focused on developing microbiome-based diagnostics for the assessment and management of irritable bowel disorder and liver diseases.

For the third quarter of 2021, biopharmas brought in an aggregate $17.4bn in financing and device company fundraising totaled $3.4bn; while in vitro diagnostic firms and research tools players raised $2.5bn.

Three $1bn+ alliances were penned in September. Topping the list was a potential $3.25bn deal between Adaptimmune Therapeutics and Roche's Genentech for the development and commercialization of allogeneic T-cell therapies in multiple oncology indications. Adaptimmune will be responsible for developing clinical candidates using its induced pluripotent stem cell-derived allogeneic platform to produce T-cells. Genentech will be responsible for the input TCRs and subsequent clinical development and commercialization. Adaptimmune has the right to opt in to a 50/50 US profit/cost share on off-the-shelf products.