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Tristan Manalac

Tristan Manalac

Senior Staff Writer

Tristan is BioSpace‘s senior staff writer. Based in Metro Manila, Tristan has more than eight years of experience writing about medicine, biotech and science. Being formally trained in molecular biology, he once dreamed of collecting degrees and starting his own lab. But these days, he finds his greatest joy in a bottle of beer and a beautiful sentence. He can be reached at tristan.manalac@biospace.com, tristan@tristanmanalac.com or on LinkedIn.

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Gene therapy
After Mortality-Marred Year, Sarepta Looks Ahead to Catalyst-Rich 2026
Jefferies analysts forecast a $1 billion market opportunity for each of Sarepta’s siRNA programs for facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy type 1.
January 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
the skyline of san francisco at night
Events
JPM26 Day 1: Obesity Front-and-Center, Q4 Sales Beats
Obesity took center stage on the first day of the 2026 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, with industry frontrunners Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk providing supply chain, regulatory and pricing updates.
January 13, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Stairs Leading to Flying Paper Plane - Success, Growth, and Freedom, 3D Render
ADCs
Lung Cancer Trial to Proceed After FDA Releases Hold on Merck, Daiichi’s ADC
The FDA initially placed the Phase III IDeate-Lung02 study on hold due to a “higher than expected” number of deaths in patients treated with ifinatamab deruxtecan.
January 13, 2026
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3 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Manufacturing
AbbVie Commits $100B in US R&D, Manufacturing, Winning Tariff, Pricing Exemptions
AbbVie has also pledged to participate in TrumpRx and offer many of its products, including Humira, on a direct-to-patient basis. In exchange, the pharma secured exemptions from tariffs and other future pricing directives.
January 13, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Red engraving brain illustration in top view isolated on blue background
Alzheimer’s disease
Novartis Makes $1.5B+ Alzheimer’s Play With China’s SciNeuro
The deal will see Novartis gain global rights over SciNeuro’s potentially disease-modifying anti-amyloid antibody, which leverages the latter’s proprietary shuttle platform to allow delivery into the brain.
January 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
a robotic assembly line with vials
Regulatory
FDA Carves Out Manufacturing Exemptions for CGTs To Accelerate Development
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary called these changes “common-sense reforms” that could expedite the development of cell and gene therapies.
January 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
2D illustration showing scientists' hands editing a DNA strand
Gene editing
Startup Aurora Seeks To Replicate Baby KJ Success With $16M in Seed Money
Aurora joins the clutch of companies linked to Nobel Prize winner and CRISPR trailblazer Jennifer Doudna.
January 12, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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FDA
6 FDA Decisions To Watch in Q1 2026
After greenlighting 56 novel therapeutics in 2025, four notable applications continue to await the agency’s action after being delayed from the fourth quarter last year.
January 12, 2026
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8 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Pleasanton, CA, USA - Feb 21, 2024: Exterior view of the headquarters of Roche Molecular Diagnostics (RMD) in Pleasanton, California. F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG is a Swiss pharmaceutical company.
Lung cancer
Roche Spends $570M on Another ADC Agreement With China’s MediLink
Roche first partnered with MediLink in January 2024, likewise for an antibody-drug conjugate for solid tumors.
January 9, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Layoffs
Rampart Closes Down Less Than 2 Years After Launch
Rampart Bioscience was working on a platform to deliver gene therapies without the need for viral vectors.
January 9, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Company downsizing, staff reduction and layoffs. Employee dismissal, firing and unemployment. Business concept.
Layoffs
InflaRx Stanches Spending With 30% Staff Reduction, Priority Pivot
Aside from the layoffs, InflaRx will deprioritize Gohibic, a COVID-19 antibody that was granted emergency use authorization in 2023. The therapy failed a late-stage trial in a rare skin disease last year.
January 9, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Mergers & acquisitions
Revolution Soars Amid Swirling Buyout Rumors With Merck, AbbVie
Rumors of a Revolution buyout come as the industry gears up for one of its biggest trade conferences, where observers expect many such deals to be announced.
January 9, 2026
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1 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Trendy halftone business concept collage. Idea concept, business concept, financial planning,profit, earnings. Trendy modern retro illustration. Vector illustration
Venture capital
Parabilis Heads Biotech Fundraising Frenzy With $305M to Advance Cancer Drug
A bevy of other companies also brought in money on Thursday, including Alveus Therapeutics, Diagonal Therapeutics, EpiBiologics, Beacon Therapeutics and Protege.
January 8, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
Businessman carrying big bag of money moving forward
Venture capital
VC Funding Uptick in Back Half of 2025 Has Analysts Hopeful for 2026
While venture capital funding dipped to a six-year low in 2025, it nevertheless remained above pre-pandemic levels for Massachusetts-based biopharma companies, according to MassBio.
January 8, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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Collaboration
Lilly Bulks Up Inflammatory Pipeline With $1.2B Ventyx Buy, InduPro Cancer Pact
The deals will help Lilly diversify its portfolio that is heavily weighted on the obesity juggernaut tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro for diabetes and Zepbound for weight loss.
January 8, 2026
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2 min read
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Tristan Manalac
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