Galvani Bioelectronics Ltd. reported the first patient implanted with its experimental direct splenic nerve stimulation therapy for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The first-in-human implant is part of a small trial at the NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde Health Board in Scotland.
LONDON – Quell Therapeutics Ltd. has raised $156 million in an oversubscribed series B, enabling it to start a phase I/II trial of its engineered T regulatory (Treg) cell therapy for promoting long-term immune tolerance in liver transplant patients, averting the need for chronic immunosuppression.
LONDON – There’s not yet proof of the pudding, but Omass Therapeutics Ltd.’s new structure-based technology has passed a key test, in enabling the discovery of orally available small molecules aimed at intractable and poorly drugged membrane and complex-bound protein targets. The targets, including G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), intracellular protein complexes and solute carriers, are relevant to immunology indications and rare diseases with high unmet need.
There’s a lot of competition in the regulatory T cells (Tregs) space and that’s a sign that something good is happening. Sonoma Biotherapeutics Inc. CEO Jeff Bluestone likened it to a typical drive leading to an everyday observation.
British and Taiwanese scientists have described a novel approach to the treatment of autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, using an already approved DNA-methylation inhibitor, which was shown to effectively treat active inflammatory disease in animal models.
Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (Labcorp) further consolidated its position as a leading provider of rheumatoid arthritis testing with a definitive agreement to acquire the Vectra assay from Myriad Genetics Inc. along with other assets of the Salt Lake City-based company’s autoimmune business unit in a deal valued at $150 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2021.
If the March 25 vote from a joint FDA advisory committee meeting is anything to go by, the long and bumpy development road for Pfizer Inc.’s tanezumab, a nonopioid pain drug, may have just gotten longer and bumpier. In what was nearly a unanimous vote, the Arthritis Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee said the sponsor’s proposed risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) was not adequate to ensure the benefits of tanezumab in alleviating osteoarthritis pain outweigh its risks, which include further joint deterioration.
Aclaris Therapeutics Inc. CEO Neal Walker said “a lot of room within rheumatoid arthritis [RA]” remains for new drugs, such as his firm’s orally delivered ATI-450. “We see opportunities given the profile, the relative efficacy and safety that we've already demonstrated, to look at not only potentially monotherapy or earlier treatment of disease but also combo treatment, particularly given the safety profile. I think it's pretty well-known that polypharmacy is the rule in this indication.”
Neurotech startup Nēsos Corp. has emerged from stealth with a novel approach for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Using wireless earbuds, the technology delivers electrical fields to targeted areas of the brain to help regulate immune function. The company recently raised $16.5 million in a series A round to advance clinical development of its first e-immunotherapy product.
Immune Regulation Ltd., a U.S.-U.K. venture advancing peptide-based therapies for rheumatoid arthritis and allergic diseases, has closed a £40.6 million (US$53.4 million) series B financing that will support its preparation for multiple phase II studies next year, as well as an evaluation of one candidate in COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. Morningside Ventures led the round, along with existing shareholders, including London-based 24Haymarket.
