Business Roundup

Danimer, the strug- gling maker of the biodegradable polymer polyhydroxyalkanoate, has tapped Richard Altice, a director and the former CEO of NatureWorks, as interim CEO. He replaces Stephen Croskrey, who is retiring after leading the company for 8 years.

Mitsubishi Chemical Group plans to expand production of ion-exchange resins at its plant in Kitakyushu City, Japan, by April 2026. The resins are used to make ultrapure water for semiconductor production.

CorePower Magnetics has received a $1 million grant from the US Department of Energy to develop electric motor magnets that don’t contain rare earth elements. The company uses soft magnetic materials.

Genomines has received a $5.4 million grant from the French government to genetically engineer crops that absorb nickel from soil. The nickel can then be extracted from the plants and used to make battery materials.

Honeywell and SGP BioEnergy are collaborating to convert hemp and other plant matter into biobased chemicals. Honeywell will contribute conversion technology; SGP will provide the hemp as well as feedstock-handling infrastructure and the workforce.

Pfizer has won US Food and Drug Administration approval for the hemophilia treatment Hympavzi. The drug can prevent bleeding episodes in adolescents and adults with certain types of hemophilia A and B.

Eli Lilly and Company has agreed to invest $363 mil- lion in the UK as part of a partnership with the UK government to address public health challenges, including obesity. The partnership aims to create a UK biotech hub that will support start-ups.

Shift Bioscience has raised $16 million in seed funding to develop generative artificial intelligence models that can potentially identify genes tied to age-related diseases. BGF led the financing.