Days after buying Kymab, Sanofi partners with Israel’s Biond on IO candidate targeting ILT2. Gilead again tackles functional cure of hepatitis B in alliance with Vir.

With its first microbiome fund completing its investment period, French venture capitalist Seventure Partners has raised more than €100m of a €200m target for its second microbiome-focused fund.

Genocea shifts to preclinical neoantigen-based cancer vaccines rather than advance a Phase III-ready herpes program on its own and Mateon gives up on its lead drug as placebo outperforms. Also, Juno tops recent public company financings and new VC funds back early-stage firms.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, Informa’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Venture Funding Deals column provides a monthly review of emerging In Vitro Diagnostic, Medical Device, and Pharmaceutical companies that have received venture funding. This month’s column covers deals announced July through August 2015.