drug development

Walmart’s cautious guidance has dampened retail sentiment, contrasting with Wayfair’s sales growth and Etsy’s earnings beat. The Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes revealed differing views on future interest rates. In biotech, the U.S. faces competition from China in early drug development, though Moderna’s mRNA flu shot gained FDA review. Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark social media trial, and airlines are increasingly prioritizing credit card loyalty in their frequent flyer programs.

AstraZeneca is acquiring Modella AI, a pathology analysis firm, to deeply integrate AI into its oncology research and clinical workflows. This move signifies a strategic shift for the pharmaceutical giant, moving from AI as a tool to embedding it into core operations. The acquisition aims to enhance biomarker discovery, refine clinical trial design, and accelerate drug development by bringing AI talent and technology in-house.

IDEAYA Biosciences unveiled its 2026 strategic roadmap, focusing on advancing its pipeline. Key objectives include presenting darovasertib trial results for uveal melanoma, potentially supporting accelerated approval, and initiating four registrational trials. The company will also advance its antibody-drug conjugate programs, including IDE849 for neuroendocrine cancers, and explore next-generation therapies targeting MTAP pathway alterations and CDKN2A. With substantial cash reserves extending into 2030, IDEAYA is set for significant pipeline progress and potential regulatory milestones.

BD and Opentrons Labworks are partnering to revolutionize single-cell multiomics research by integrating robotic liquid-handling into BD’s instrumentation. This collaboration aims to automate key experimental steps, overcoming throughput and reproducibility limitations. The integration of the BD Rhapsody™ System with the Opentrons Flex® platform will simplify complex workflows and enable faster, more scalable disease research and drug development. Early access opportunities will be offered.