The company has assembled small molecule discovery capabilities for the development of targeted cancer drugs that it believes rivals big pharma efforts and will fulfill patients’ unmet needs.

Having acquired Jecure Therapeutics and its preclinical portfolio of NLRP3 inhibitors just under two years ago, the Swiss giant has swooped in to buy Dublin-based Inflazome and expand its presence in a hot field of inflammatory research.

UK-headquartered company gets further backing from Novo Ventures and other investors convinced of the potential of NLRP3 inhibitors.

A review of second quarter biopharma start-up deal-making and financing activity from Strategic Transactions showed a quarter-over-quarter drop in dollars raised despite multiple mega-rounds, including $100m-plus VC deals for SpringWorks and Fusion.