The axolotl, which can regenerate many of its body parts, was the inspiration for Walking Fish Therapeutics Inc., which just closed on a $50 million series A financing to advance its B-cell therapies for oncology, rare disease, regenerative medicine, autoimmune disease and recombinant antibody production.
New and updated preclinical and clinical data to be presented by biopharma firms at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2021, including: Adaptimmune, Boehringer Ingelheim, BMS, Cantargia, Harbour, Leap, Ose, Samsung Bioepis, Zymeworks.
Shares of antibody drug conjugate developer Mersana Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:MRSN) fell 39.1% to $8.56 on Sept. 10 after the company disclosed a second death from pneumonitis in the ongoing phase I trial testing its antibody drug conjugate, upifitamab rilsodotin against tumor types likely to express the sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein NaPi2b, such as ovarian cancer.
DUBLIN – In biopharma, U.S. patent grants hardly represent big news. Without them, you simply don’t get to sit at the table. So Onk Therapeutics Ltd.’s receipt of U.S. patent no. 11104735 covering CISH gene knockouts in natural killer (NK) cell therapies for cancer is not a major event in the general scheme of things. At the same time, it is a vitally important enabler for a company that is, paradoxically, both an early mover in the field but also a laggard in the highly competitive race to move NK cells into clinical development.
Lucrative partnerships lately in the targeted protein degradation (TPD) space have shone an even brighter light on the already-intriguing approach, and among the firms to spark enthusiasm is Monte Rosa Therapeutics Inc., pursuing programs aimed solely at drugs that deploy molecular “glue” – an E3 ligase enzyme affixed to a target substrate.
Illumina Inc. and Merck & Co. Inc. are partnering to commercialize tests identifying genetic mutations used in the assessment of homologous recombination deficiency.
Abion Inc., which focuses on precision oncology, raised ₩38.76 billion (US$33.36 million) in its debut on the Korean Stock Exchange’s Kosdaq board on Sept. 8.
Diaccurate SAB has scooped a cancer drug from Germany’s Merck KGaA, transforming the small French biotech into a clinical-stage company. With expertise on its scientific advisory board from Nobel prize winner Tasuku Honjo, famously credited with the work establishing PD-1 as a target in immune-oncology, Diaccurate said it has fought off other competitors to acquire M-2698.
Replicate Bioscience Inc. secured a $40 million series A round to take a portfolio of preclinical projects employing self-replicating RNA into the clinic.
A new deal between Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc and Roche Holding AG's Genentech Inc. aims to develop allogeneic cell therapies for up to five shared cancer targets. Should the agreement win regulatory clearance, still pending, Adaptimmune will receive $150 million up front and additional payments of $150 million over five years. In addition, it could be eligible for development, regulatory and commercial milestones payments from Roche exceeding $3 billion, plus royalties.
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