Taysha gains control of GAN candidate and program; BI licenses COMT inhibitors from Lieber Institute; plus three new gene therapy-driven tie-ups between biopharma and academia.

EcoR1 and Casdin/Corvex took their second and third special purpose acquisition corporations public. Also, Ionis sold notes to buy back older notes and fund operations as it cut 70% of Akcea’s staff. In venture capital, ValenzaBio raised $70m and RA boosted Metagenomi’s series A to $75m.

Biopharma companies struggle with which trials, if any, to pause or delay. Lilly said it wants to ease the burden on health care facilities, while Galapagos said its choice is related to patient safety.

Private Company Edition: VC deals are surging this year for cell and gene therapy firms, according to ARM’s third quarter report. Also, Vivo Capital and the CF Foundation plan to invest nearly $2bn in health care and life science opportunities, and Akeso completes $150m series D.