Private Company Edition: Alexis Borisy and his Curie.Bio co-founders will invest $5m-$7m to help companies get to lead optimization within 12-18 months. Also, Feng Zhang-founded Aera launched with $193m, Hexagon Bio raised a $77.3m series B round and Halda emerged with $76m.

The Bayh-Dole act of 1980 facilitated deal-making between private-sector firms and research institutions, largely seeding the US biotech industry. Plus, an overview of the latest tech transfer deals.

China's JW Therapeutics nets $90m for cancer cell therapy, including backing from biotechs Celgene and WuXi. Meanwhile, Foghorn sounds out a $50m A round for its gene trafficking technology applications.

The oral administration of synthetic thermostable vaccines that use a bacterial vector could enter clinical studies in 2019, funded by VCs interested in their use in emerging markets, where endemic and childhood diseases could yield to the new approach.