Merck Acquires Verona, Virtual Cell Challenge, Gene Therapy Restores Hearing

Merck & Co. has acquired Verona Pharma for $10 billion in a deal designed to expand the pharma giant’s portfolio of cardio-pulmonary disease treatments. In a step toward virtual cell benchmarking, the Arc Institute has launched the Virtual Cell Challenge to evaluate the ability of transcriptome AI models to generalize to new cell contexts for therapeutic applications. Fujifilm rebrands life science companies to position itself as a drug development leader. Additionally, AAV-OTOF gene therapy shows promise in restoring hearing loss while a new proteomics tool gleams insight into telomere repair. We wrap up our episode with highlights from BIO 2025, as FDA Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, shared his vision for a “New FDA” focused on accelerating drug applications, industry partnerships, and applying AI.

Join GEN editors Corinna Singleman, PhD, Alex Philippidis, Fay Lin, PhD, and Uduak Thomas for a discussion of the latest biotech and biopharma news.

Listed below are links to the GEN stories referenced in this episode of Touching Base:

Merck to Acquire Verona Pharma for $10B, Adding Fast-Growing COPD Drug

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, July 9, 2025

Arc Institute Launces Virtual Cell Challenge to Accelerate AI Model Development

By Fay Lin, PhD, GEN Edge, June 26, 2025

End-to-End: Fujifilm Rebrands Life Sciences Companies, Positioning Itself as Drug Development Cycle Leader

By Alex Philippidis, GEN Edge, July 8, 2025

AAV-OTOF Gene Therapy Trial Restores Hearing in Both Children and Adults

By GEN, July 7, 2025

Proteomics Tool Sheds Light on Cancer Cells’ Telomere Repair Tactics

By GEN, July 7, 2025

Makary Calls for “New FDA” at BIO; Defends Agency’s Spring Job Cuts