Astellas subsidiary Xyphos Biosciences has entered a research partnership and licence agreement with Kelonia Therapeutics aimed at developing new immuno-oncology therapeutics in an $875m deal. The alliance will merge Xyphos’ ACCEL technology with Kelonia’s in vivo gene placement system to develop universal, off-the-shelf in vivo chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for up to two programmes. Kelonia focuses on genetic medicine innovation and utilises its in vivo gene placement system to precisely deliver genetic material to the target cells within the patient’s body. This system employs lentiviral particles for efficient delivery. Xyphos’ ACCEL technology platform features the convertible CAR used on immune cells. Xyphos will oversee the development and marketing of the products resulting from the joint research. Kelonia is entitled to an upfront payment of $40m for the first programme. If Xyphos opts for the second programme, an additional $35m will be paid to Kelonia. The deal also includes ...
Coherus BioSciences has concluded the acquisition of clinical-stage immuno-oncology (I-O) company Surface Oncology in a deal totalling nearly $66.9m. The deal value comprises $40m, along with Surface’s net cash at deal closing of $26.9m. Surface Oncology focuses on the development of immunotherapies that act on the microenvironment of the tumour. With the deal closing, Surface became a completely owned Coherus subsidiary. Following the takeover, Coherus expanded its I-O pipeline by adding clinical-stage antibody immunotherapy candidates of Surface, Casdozokitug (SRF388 / casdozo) and CHS-114 (SRF114). These product candidates can boost the innate and adaptive immune responses to facilitate a strong immunologic response and disease outcomes in cancer patients. Casdozokitug is a new antibody targeting IL-27 and is presently being analysed in Phase I/II clinical trials for lung and liver cancer. An anti-CCR8 antibody, CHS-114 is being evaluated in Phase I/II study as a single agent in advanced solid tumour patients. Coherus ...
Pfizer and Allogene Therapeutics Enter into Asset Contribution Agreement for Pfizer’s Allogeneic CAR T Immuno-oncology Portfolio
"This collaboration is the first for Harpoon and highlights the high level of industry interest in best-in-class platform technologies. We are excited about partnering with AbbVie to help generate novel T-cell engagers for the treatment of cancer based on the combination of T-cell receptors with TriTACs," said Jerry McMahon, Ph.D., chief executive officer, Harpoon Therapeutics.
Shanghai, China, April, 17th, 2024 – Shanghai Henlius Biotech, Inc. (2696.HK) announced that the investigational new drug application (IND) for the clinical trial of HLX53, an anti-TIGIT Fc fusion protein, in combination with HANSIZHUANG (serplulimab, HLX10) and HANBEITAI (bevacizumab, HLX04) for the first line treatment of locally advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma, has been approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). A phase 2 clinical trial will be initiated to evaluate the safety, tolerance and efficacy of the multiple immunotherapy-based treatment combinations in patients with advanced or metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancy in the world. According to GLOBALCAN 2022, there are about 870,000 new cases diagnosed and 760,000 deaths for the tumour in the globe. Meanwhile, primary liver cancer (PLC) is the fourth most common cause and the second mortality cancer in China, with about 370,000 new cases and 320,000 deaths in ...
XIlio Therapeutics has implemented cost-cutting measures which include a 21% workforce reduction and the termination of investments for developing one of its assets, XTX202, as a monotherapy. Xilio expects to incur one-time cost of approximately $1m for reducing its workforce by 15 employees. The company has reported $44.7m in cash reserves, which are expected to fund the company’s activities into Q2 2025. The Waltham, Massachusetts-based company’s market cap currently stands at $42.1m. Following the recent round of layoffs, Xilio joins a list of pharmaceutical companies including Atreca, Candel Therapeutics, Kinnate Bio, and NexImmune that have fired workers to funnel more money into their clinical development pipelines in the last few months. The company plans to not investigate XTX202, a tumour-activated beta-gamma biased interleukin (IL)-2, as a monotherapy and instead will explore partnerships to develop the therapy as a combination treatment. The therapy was evaluated in an open label Phase I/II ...
Don Tracy, Associate Editor Deal aims to commercialize XTX301 for treating advanced solid tumors by leveraging Xilio’s tumor-activated immuno-oncology therapies. Gilead Sciences and Xilio Therapeutics announced that they have agreed to terms on a licensing agreement regarding XTX301, Xilio’s Phase I tumor-activated IL-12. According to Gilead, the partnership aims to expand the company’s focus in immuno-oncology, leveraging Xilio’s novel tumor-activation platform to improve its therapeutic nature and build a consistent pipeline of tumor-activated molecules. As per the deal, Xilio will receive an upfront payment of $43.5 million, with $30 million in cash and an equity investment of $13.5 million provided by Gilead in common stock. Overall, Xilio will have the opportunity to earn up to $604 million based on specified development, regulatory, and sales-based milestones.1 “Xilio’s novel tumor-activation platform naturally complements Gilead’s clinical development program in difficult-to-treat cancers and expands our focus in immuno-oncology,” said Bill Grossman, MD, PhD, SVP, ...
Clasp Therapeutics’ novel T cell engagers could offer advantages over others in this class of cancer immunotherapies. The startup is based on the research of Johns Hopkins University scientist Bert Vogelstein. By FRANK VINLUANCancer immunotherapy comes in several forms, and one area of growing research interest is a type of drug called a T cell engager. These drugs bind to a cancer cell and a T cell simultaneously, bringing both of them together to spark a therapeutic effect. Robert Ross, CEO of Clasp Therapeutics, likens T cell engagers to the chaperone at a middle school dance who grabs a boy and a girl in each hand, getting them to dance together. But in cancer drugs, just as in school dances, sometimes the pairing just isn’t right. The wrong pairing in cancer happens when a drug that’s targeted to a tumor also hits healthy cells, causing toxic effects. Clasp is developing ...
Don Tracy, Associate Editor Tevimbra (tislelizumab-jsgr) has been approved as a monotherapy for adult patients with unresectable or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who have previously undergone systemic chemotherapy excluding PD-L1 inhibitors. The FDA has approved BeiGene’s Tevimbra (tislelizumab-jsgr) for patients with unresectable or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who have previously undergone systemic chemotherapy excluding PD-L1 inhibitors. The FDA based the approval on findings from the Phase III RATIONALE 302 trial (NCT03430843), which showed a significant survival benefit with Tevimbra compared to chemotherapy, with an overall survival rate of 8.6 months compared with 6.3 months in patients administered chemotherapy. Further, the treatment was found to be safer altogether, with manageable adverse effects.1 “Today’s FDA approval of Tevimbra for patients with ESCC who have previously received chemotherapy, along with its ongoing review of our [biologics license application] for first line ESCC patients, represents a significant step in our commitment ...
Recently, an Innovation Passport designation has been awarded to serplulimab, Henlius’ self-developed anti-PD-1 mAb (trade name in China: HANSIZHUANG), for the treatment of extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) by the U.K. Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway Steering Group including the Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). This designation marks serplulimab’s entry into the U.K.’s Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway (ILAP) and is expected to promote the presence of serplulimab in the U.K., benefiting more local SCLC patients. ILAP steering group consists of The All Wales Therapeutics and Toxicology Centre (AWTTC), The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). It was launched by the MHRA in order to accelerate the development and access to promising medicines. The designation is open to medicinal product that developed for life-threatening or seriously debilitating condition and meet ...
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