After more than two decades of working together, Genmab A/S has entered a new licensing agreement with Scancell Holdings plc to gain the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize an anti-glycan monoclonal antibody. All potential disease areas except cell therapy applications are on the table in the deal. 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. Scancell could also receive single-digit royalties on the net sales of products. Read More
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. Read More
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, in patients with severe COVID-19. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. Read More
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. 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. Read More
Biopharmas raising money in public or private financings, including: Alto, Aravive, Aytu, Denali, Gritstone, Micreos, Recursion, Tonix, Vaxcyte. Read More
Clinical updates, including trial initiations, enrollment status and data readouts and publications: Alpine Immune, Bio-Path, Cincor, Matinas, Mirum, Morphic, NS, Novartis, Phathom, Scholar Rock, Step, Tricida, Vaxcyte, Vaxxinity, Viiv, Viridian, Zentalis. Read More
Biopharma happenings, including deals and partnerships, grants, preclinical data and other news in brief: Adrestia, Arthex, Bone, Cullinan, Dc4u, Diffusion, Medsenic, Modifi, Proteros Biostructures, Sauvie, SK. Read More
Regulatory snapshots, including global drug submissions and approvals, clinical trial approvals and other regulatory decisions and designations: Abbvie, Acumen, Astrazeneca, Daiichi, JJP, Leo, Merck & Co., Novaliq, Novavax, Sensorion, Vanda, Vaxxinity. Read More
