After entering a new licensing agreement, Genmab A/S now has the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize an anti-glycan monoclonal antibody from Scancell Holdings plc. Genmab will make an up-front payment of an undisclosed amount to Scancell as well as covering milestone payments of up to $208 million for each candidate that’s developed and commercialized. The amount is capped at $624 million to Scancell if Genmab manages to develop and commercialize products across all modalities the companies have defined. This isn’t the first agreement between the two companies. In 2001, they began a collaboration to create a fully human antibody for targeting the Lewisy/b antigen, which is overexpressed in breast, lung, colon and ovarian cancers. Scancell’s stock (LSE:SCLP.L) closed Oct. 25 at £15.40 (US$17.67) per share, a 17.3% increase on the day.

Astellas invests $50M in Taysha, gaining 15% of company plus licensing options

Astellas Pharma Inc. has invested $50 million in Taysha Gene Therapies Inc. in exchange for 15% of the company and exclusive options to in-license Taysha’s lead gene therapy candidates, TSHA-102 for Rett syndrome and TSHA-120 for giant axonal neuropathy. Dallas-based Taysha is developing intrathecally delivered adeno-associated virus gene therapies for monogenic central nervous system diseases. It has granted Astellas certain rights related to any potential change of control of Taysha. Definitive agreements would be executed upon Astellas’ exercise of options, and any change of control transaction would require approval by Taysha’s stockholders. The deal is structured in such a way that economics will be negotiated later should Astellas exercise its options.

Inotrem’s nangibotide shines in curtailed COVID-19 trial

Inotrem SA obtained an unexpectedly robust efficacy signal from a curtailed phase II trial of nangibotide, an inhibitor of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (Trem-1), in patients with severe COVID-19. The placebo-controlled study fell well short of its original recruitment target of 730. Just 220 patients were included in the analysis, but nangibotide still attained the study’s primary endpoint as well as a key secondary endpoint. It demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in clinical status at day 28, as measured on a seven-point ordinal scale (p=0.04), as well as an absolute reduction in mortality at day 28 of 12% and a relative reduction in mortality as compared with placebo of 43% at the same time point (p=0.03).

Normunity closes $65M series A round to probe new biology in tumor microenvironment

Normunity Inc. emerged from stealth by unveiling $65 million in series A funding and bold plans to tackle one of the critical issues in immuno-oncology. Normunity is based on the research of scientific founder Lieping Chen, of Yale School of Medicine, an early immuno-oncology pioneer who identified and characterized the gene encoding PD-L1 (then called B7-H1) and shortly afterward reporting additional findings that contributed to its recognition as an important target in cancer immunotherapy.

Our Future Health: U.K.-launched effort to boost health research and discovery

The U.K. is launching a £230 million (US$260 million) project to build a database linking the health records and genetic information of 5 million people, which will be open for discovery research and as a source of clinical trial recruits for academics and companies. Of the £230 million to get the project of the ground, £150 million has come from the industry, with the balance coming from the government. The overarching objective of Our Future Health is to increase the healthspan of the population through better prevention, more targeted screening, earlier diagnosis and improved treatments.

Positive phase III clinical trial data for Sinocelltech’s COVID-19 vaccines

Sinocelltech Group Ltd. has reported positive interim data for two COVID-19 vaccine candidates, SCTV-01C and SCTV-01E, from phase III trials in the United Arab Emirates. SCTV-01C is a bivalent recombinant trimeric S protein vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants while SCTV-01E is a 4-valent recombinant trimeric S protein vaccine.

Startup Enhanc3D raises £10M for high-res genome mapping platform

Enhanc3D Genomics Ltd. has raised £10 million (US$11.3 million) in a series A round to advance development of its Genlink3D technology for directly linking gene regulators in non-coding DNA to their target protein coding genes. Genlink3D uses advanced high-throughput chromosome conformation capture assays to map DNA interactions in 3D space, enabling non-coding genetic variants to be deciphered into biomarkers and drug targets. A single experiment can encapsulate all the protein coding genes and their DNA regulators simultaneously. That unprecedently high resolution can home in on previously uncharted physical links between regulatory elements and target genes.

Precision psychiatry, marching to the beat of its own drummer

There is little doubt that progress in many brain diseases is being hampered because many, maybe most, diagnostic categories do not reflect underlying brain processes. In other disease areas, modern genetic and genomic methods have arrived in the form of approved drugs, from KRAS inhibitors in cancer to PCSK9 inhibitors to lower cholesterol. But brain diseases are different. Psychiatry is simultaneously the most personal area of medicine, and the least precise.

Clarivate RNA report spotlights seven innovators

With a 52% increase in patent filings and a 160% jump in research publications, the RNA technology field has exploded in the last 10 to 12 years, and the U.S. and Mainland China are paving the way. The surge in activity goes far beyond the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines that brought mainstream attention to the science. Identifying seven emerging RNA innovators, Clarivate plc’s RNA Technology Companies to Watch is a new report that harnesses data and insights from both Clarivate and BioWorld. The report focuses on everything from financings to R&D activity among companies that are targeting unmet needs.

Also in the news

Abbvie, Acumen, Adrestia, Alpine Immune, Alto, Aravive, Arthex, Astrazeneca, Aytu, Bio-Path, Bone, Cincor, Cullinan, Denali, Diffusion, Eisai, Ferring, Gilead, Gritstone, Horizon, JJP Biologics, Leo, Matinas, Merck, Micreos, Mirum, Modifi, Morphic, Novaliq, Novartis, Novavax, NS Pharma, Pfizer, Phathom, Recursion, Sauvie, Scholar Rock, Sensorion, SK Bioscience, Step, Tonix, Tricida, Vanda, Vaxcyte, Vaxxinity, Viiv, Viridian, Zentalis