BioCentury
ARTICLE | Deals

After stumbles along winding path, Acelyrin merges with Alumis: Deals Report

Plus: Pair of cash-rich biotechs agree to combine, and Australian radiopharma company Advancell follows venture round by expanding Lilly relationship

February 11, 2025 1:10 AM UTC

A merger with Alumis will spell the end of Acelyrin’s five-year run as an independent company, mostly leaving disappointment in its wake as its first in-licensed program ended up being a bust.

Launched in 2020, Acelryin Inc. (NASDAQ:SLRN) was conceived as a venture-backed bet on experienced drug-hunters who intended to in-license the best available immunology assets and move them forward. Hopes ran high for the first molecules it chose, allowing the biotech to complete a $621 million IPO, the sector’s biggest of 2023...