Delivering the right drugs to the right place at the right time has always been a challenge for the biopharmaceutical industry. Peptineo LLC aims to meet that challenge by developing and commercializing nanoscale technologies and materials for drug delivery and drug discovery. Its aim is to improve the delivery of drugs in development, extend the life cycle of marketed drugs, and repurpose existing or failed compounds.

The French firm has partners for its diagnostics, wants to spin out a "stool banking" company, and might follow other microbiome start-ups into drug discovery to explore the connections between our bugs and our immune system.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Elsevier Business Intelligence’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment – In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals – and then categorized by type – Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing.

Second Genome’s ulcerative colitis research alliance with Janssen Biotech is a first in the burgeoning microbiome therapeutics space, which may be transitioning from venture investment to commercial partnering. But is the deal an inflection point or a fluke?