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04/08/2026
Likarda and The Tiny Cargo Company Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Next-Generation Delivery of Biologics, Peptides and Small Molecules
Likarda, Inc., a leader in hydrogel-based drug delivery technologies, today announced a strategic partnership with Tiny Cargo, an innovator in extracellular vesicle (EV) delivery systems. The collaboration will focus on advancing the delivery of biologics and small molecules by integrating Likarda’s Core-Shell Spherification® (CSS®) platform with Tiny Cargo’s vesicle-based technologies. The partnership is designed to …
04/08/2026
ReAlta Life Sciences Closes Oversubscribed $40 Million Financing Round to Advance Pegtarazimod Phase 2 Program in Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE)
ReAlta Life Sciences Inc. (“ReAlta” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on safely targeting neutrophils and central components of the complement system to potentially revolutionize the treatment of inflammatory disorders, today announced the closing of an oversubscribed $40 million financing. This brings the total capital raised to date to more than $150 million. …
04/02/2026
ATCC Receives New CDC Award to Help Fast-track Diagnostic Tests for Future Disease Outbreaks
TCC has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Readiness and Response (ORR) for a new five-year contract to support rapid test development during public health emergencies. The award, valued at up to $148 million (IDIQ contract 75D301-25-R-73207), will help ensure that diagnostic tools can be quickly created, validated, …
“Robert is a proven industry leader with extensive and highly relevant experience in Ophthalmology and DED,” said Anil Asrani, President and CEO of TearSolutions. “I am genuinely excited and honored to have Robert join our board, as we work together to bring next generation therapeutics to patients suffering from the maladies associated with ocular surface disease.”
“I’m thrilled to work closely with the TearSoultions team to help advance their programs and take the Company to the next level,” said Robert Dempsey. “With their lead product’s highly differentiated and well-characterized mechanism of action, human clinical data illustrating speed of relief, safety, and a best-in-class tolerability profile, as well as the potential to work in a majority of patients, I believe we have a novel disease-modifying solution that can bring much needed relief to patients as well as their treating physicians.”
Robert brings more than two decades of domestic and global leadership experience in the Ophthalmology space driving successful drug development in public and private sectors through efficient organizational structure and capital investments. His widespread experience in Ophthalmology stems from diverse leadership roles across commercial, business development, medical affairs, and venture-backed startups. Currently, Robert serves as the Chief Executive Officer at AsclepiX Therapeutics focused on advancing an integrin regulating peptide for posterior segment diseases and recently led a successful Series A-3 financing. He joined Asclepix in 2021, after serving as the Chief Executive Officer for TearClear where he accelerated the business and commercial strategies including a successful Series B financing and positive FDA engagements. Prior to that, he served as the Global Head of Ophthalmology at Shire, then Takeda, responsible for one of the top ten largest biopharma M&A deals in 2019, the divestiture of Xiidra® (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5%, to Novartis in June 2019 for up to $5.3B.