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On the hunt for a better AAV capsid for gene therapy, Eric Kelsic’s Dyno Therapeutics has set itself apart with its focus on machine learning to help speed discovery. Now, Japanese drugmaker Astellas — fresh off a slate of gene therapy burns — is taking a bet on Dyno as it looks to the future.

Astellas and Dyno will work together as part of an R&D pact to develop next-gen AAV vectors for gene therapy using Dyno’s CapsidMap platform directed at skeletal and cardiac muscle, the companies said Wednesday. Under the terms of the deal, Dyno will design AAV capsids for gene therapy, while Astellas will be responsible for conducting preclinical, clinical and commercialization activities for gene therapy product candidates using the capsids.

J&J and Sanofi have gone back and forth in their multiple myeloma tug-of-war. Earlier this year, Sanofi notched an approval of Sarclisa in combination with Amgen’s Kyprolis to try to outflank the big conglomerate, but J&J is clapping back.

Wednesday afternoon, Amgen announced that the subcutaneous version of J&J’s blockbuster Darzalex is also now approved as a combo with Kyprolis and dexamethasone. The green light came through for adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma who had progressed on one to three earlier lines of therapy.

As Covid-19 drug and vaccine developers race to figure out which of their products might be hampered by the new variant, the CDC on Wednesday afternoon announced the first confirmed case of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) in the US, found in San Francisco.

The unidentified individual was a traveler who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22, 2021, was fully vaccinated, and had mild symptoms that the CDC described as improving. All close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative, the centers said.

Last summer, when Cytocom merged with Cleveland BioLabs to grab a spot on Nasdaq, it also inherited an intriguing rare disease program that was under clinical hold. With a new name and brand, the company says it’s ready to bring that program back to the forefront.

The FDA has lifted its clinical hold on entolimod, a toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) agonist being developed for patients exposed to lethal amounts of radiation, the company — now called Statera Biopharma — announced on Wednesday.