A slow start to the year in health care is usually tempered by announcements that build up to investor conference season. However, early 2022’s plethora of negative announcements may continue biotech’s unloved status of 2021.

Share prices for many gene-editing companies declined in 2021, but the field is burgeoning with novel approaches due to be highlighted at the J.P. Morgan meeting, and one player, Intellia, could move closer to a breakthrough in 2022.

Hoping to bring a candidate for the alpha-1 disorder into the clinic in 2023, Korro’s latest funding is meant to enable development of a rare CNS disorder drug and a third drug for a more prevalent indication.

The Basel-headquartered giant has decided to spend a major chunk of its $20.7bn windfall from the sale of its stake in Roche on a stock repurchasing program up to the end of 2023, disappointing some observers who wanted to see big licensing deals or acquisitions.