Private Company Edition: The amount of venture capital investment in biopharma companies has shrunk from quarter to quarter, but the average deal size remained high until the third quarter. Larger rounds from Treeline, Odyssey and Neumora offset a plethora of smaller VC financings early in Q4. 

Many gene therapies companies have faced R&D and financial problems this year but the longer term potential of the field and low prices might tempt big pharma into deals.

Vir’s George Scangos, Westlake Village BioPartners’ Sean Harper, Kronos Bio’s Norbert Bischofberger, Scorpion’s Axel Hoos and Eikon’s Roy Baynes discuss the experiences they bring and the challenges they have faced in the transition from large drug makers to small biotechs. 

French biotech brings candidate for Gaucher and Parkinson’s disease in-house under 2020 pact with Weizmann. Cellevolve, Seattle Children’s partner on cell therapies for CNS cancers.