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Sep 29
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Aura Biosciences Expands Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors

By Aura Biosciences, Press Release, Publicly Listed
Press Release.

 

Chris Primiano, J.D., Appointed as Chief Business Officer
Antony Mattessich Appointed to the Board of Directors

CAMBRIDGE, MA – September 29,2021 – Aura Biosciences, a clinical-stage oncology company developing a novel class of virus-like drug conjugate (VDC) therapies for multiple oncology indications, today announced the appointment of Chris Primiano, J.D., as Chief Business Officer and the appointment of Antony Mattessich to its Board of Directors.

“We are delighted to welcome Chris to our team and Antony to the Board during an important transformational period for Aura. Both of their experiences in strategic advisory, drug development and commercialization in oncology and ophthalmology will be crucial as we work to advance AU-011 to pivotal development and expand our oncology pipeline,”

said Elisabet de los Pinos, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Aura.

“I am eager to be joining the Aura team to help expand its novel targeted oncology platform and global reach across multiple indications,”

said Mr. Primiano.

“AU-011 presents an opportunity to offer a new therapy that may eliminate the need for treatment with local radiotherapy for many patients with choroidal melanoma. This could be transformative in preserving vision and improving quality of life for these patients. I look forward to working with the rest of the management team to achieve Aura’s goal of advancing innovative oncology therapies to patients with life-threatening cancers.”

“It is a privilege to join the Board at this exciting time in the Company’s evolution,”

said Mr. Mattessich.

“I look forward to working alongside the Board and supporting Aura’s executive team as it lays the groundwork to transform Aura into a commercial-stage oncology company.”

Mr. Primiano joins Aura from Karyopharm Therapeutics, where he served in roles of increasing responsibility, most recently as Executive Vice President, Chief Business Officer, General Counsel and Secretary. Mr. Primiano played an important role in transitioning Karyopharm from 40 employees in a preclinical and early clinical development setting to 400 employees commercializing XPOVIO® (selinexor) across multiple indications. Prior to Karyopharm, Mr. Primiano was Counsel in the Boston office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. Mr. Primiano holds a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School, a Master of Business Administration from the Boston College Carroll School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy and English from Georgetown University. He is a member of the bars of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of New York.

Mr. Mattessich is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Ocular Therapeutix. Prior to Ocular Therapeutix, he was Managing Director of Mundipharma International based in Cambridge, England. Previous to his time at Mundipharma, Mr. Mattessich ran the U.S. respiratory, dermatology and pediatrics group at Novartis. He also held several positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, among them, Managing Director roles in Malaysia/Singapore and The Netherlands, and Head of Operations for the International Medicines Group. Mr. Mattessich holds a BA from the University of California at Berkeley and a master’s in international affairs from Columbia University.

About Aura Biosciences

Aura Biosciences, Inc. is a clinical-stage oncology company developing a novel technology platform based on virus-like drug conjugates (VDCs) to target and destroy cancer cells selectively while activating the immune system to create long lasting anti-tumor immunity. The VDC technology platform is based on the discoveries of NIH Distinguished Investigator Dr. John Schiller of the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The company has the goal of developing this technology in multiple cancer indications with an initial focus in ocular oncology, a group of rare diseases for which there are no approved drugs. Aura’s lead product candidate belzupacap sarotalocan (AU-011) is currently in Phase 2 development for the first line treatment of choroidal melanoma, a vision and life-threatening form of eye cancer where standard of care radioactive treatments leave patients with major vision loss and severe comorbidities. AU-011 was well tolerated in a Phase 1b/2 trial, demonstrating high rates of tumor control and vision preservation. Future pipeline applications for Aura’s technology include additional ocular oncology indications like choroidal metastases and solid tumor indications like non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Aura is headquartered in Cambridge, MA. For more information, visit www.aurabiosciences.com or follow us on Twitter.

 

Investor and Media Contact:

Matthew DeYoung
Argot Partners
914-330-6516 | matthew@argotpartners.com

Source: Aura Biosciences

Sep 21
Love0

Dr. Carolin Barth Joins MiroBio as CEO to Lead Precision Immunology Company Focused on Checkpoint Agonist Antibodies

By MiroBio, Press Release
Press Release.

 

  •     Former Novartis executive to lead emerging biotech with a novel precision approach to autoimmune disease, supported by recent senior appointments
  •     MiroBio is exclusively focused on checkpoint agonists produced by its unique discovery engine that comprehensively maps inhibitory checkpoint signaling pathways
  •     Clinical initiation with BTLA agonist program anticipated in 2022 with a rich checkpoint agonist pipeline in earlier stages of development

Oxford, U.K. – 21 September 2021 – MiroBio, a biotechnology company advancing a new class of precision therapies designed to address the immune imbalance that drives autoimmune disease, today announced the appointment of Carolin Barth, M.D., as chief executive officer. Dr. Barth will lead MiroBio through the next major stage of its growth as its lead program, MB272, transitions into clinical development. Dr. Barth’s appointment follows other recent senior appointments to support operational expansion including Julian Hirst, formerly of Immunocore, as chief financial officer and Lynne Murray, Ph.D., formerly of AstraZeneca, as senior vice president of research & development.

MiroBio is uniquely focused on a new area of precision immunology using checkpoint agonist antibodies. Each of MiroBio’s candidates is designed to selectively activate a specific immune checkpoint pathway, with the goal of restoring immune homeostasisCheckpoint receptor pathways are powerful regulators of immune reactivity. Currently approved checkpoint inhibitor therapies use receptor antagonism to ‘take the brakes off’ the immune system to fight cancer. By contrast, MiroBio’s therapies are designed to specifically activate inhibitory checkpoint pathways through receptor agonism. This approach is intended to dampen the immune overactivity that drives immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and restore a balanced immune state. MiroBio’s most advanced program, MB272, targets the immune receptor BTLA and is readying for Phase 1 initiation in early 2022. A PD-1 agonist program, MB151, is also in preclinical development, followed by a growing pipeline of checkpoint agonist antibodies in earlier-stage development.

“It is the ideal time for Carolin to assume leadership of MiroBio,”

said Eliot Charles, Ph.D, executive chairman of MiroBio.

“The Company is approaching the clinic with an exciting pipeline that represents the most substantial portfolio in an important new class of autoimmune therapies. MiroBio has built its proprietary drug discovery and development engine to comprehensively evaluate the more than 70 inhibitory checkpoints for new drug programs. Carolin’s strategic mindset and wealth of experience in the successful development and commercialization of several ground-breaking therapies, particularly in the areas of immunology and autoimmune disease, will be invaluable as MiroBio seeks to deliver these promising new medicines to patients.  Together with MiroBio’s other recent hires, I am confident that the team is exceptionally well-suited to drive the Company’s next stages of growth and longer-term success.”

Dr. Barth most recently served at Novartis as global head of commercial and pipeline strategy, cell and gene. She held roles at Novartis of increasing responsibility over 17 years, including serving as global program head for several development programs and commercial launch leader in the areas of dermatology, rheumatology and chronic myeloid leukemia. As global head, dermatology she played an instrumental role in the development and commercialization of transformational antibody therapies such as COSENTYX and XOLAIR.

“I am very excited to join MiroBio – a company that stands out for its deep expertise, focus, and bold vision for delivering a new, better class of therapies for autoimmune disease. With its agonist antibody design expertise and unique approach to understanding both checkpoint pathway function and its potential in a wide variety of disease settings, I believe MiroBio can deliver several best-in-class new medicines that offer patients more efficacious and safer treatment options,”

said Dr. Barth.

“I look forward to working with the MiroBio team to continue building the entrepreneurial and patient-centric culture that will help us succeed through a critical phase of growth and development.”

MiroBio’s drug discovery engine combines proprietary discovery and development technologies with strategic mapping of the inhibitory signalling landscape across immune cell types and diseases. It builds on 15 years of deep foundational research at the University of Oxford and is designed to deliver best-in-class agonistic antibodies in addition to an unmatched understanding of inhibitory checkpoint pathways. MiroBio antibodies are uniquely designed to robustly agonize a specific immune checkpoint receptor. MiroBio’s pathway database is informed by a growing global collaborator network that allows the Company to catalogue diseased inhibitory receptor states which will inform the future selection of patient populations for clinical trial enrichment and highly targeted indications.

Dr. Barth’s appointment follows the recent appointments of other senior strategic leaders to oversee the financial and R&D functions of MiroBio. CFO Julian Hirst previously served as corporate finance director and head of investor relations at Immunocore where he played an instrumental role in raising over $930 million in three private rounds, a venture debt financing and an IPO. He previously spent over 20 years in investment banking including leading the European technology corporate finance team at UBS where he was a managing director. SVP of R&D Dr. Lynne Murray joined MiroBio from AstraZeneca where she was head of regeneration, early respiratory and immunology. Dr. Murray’s earlier roles at AstraZeneca were in the partnering & strategy department and as head of fibrosis biology at MedImmune, where she established MedImmune/AstraZeneca’s fibrosis pipeline that delivered multiple assets into the clinic.  Before that, she served as a director of pharmacology at Promedior and in R&D at antibody developer Centocor.

About Checkpoint Agonist Antibodies

MiroBio is creating a new class of therapies for autoimmune disease: Checkpoint agonist antibodies. These therapies are designed to precisely restore a balanced immune response and prevent the body from attacking its own cells. Checkpoint pathways are powerful regulators of immune cell function. Each has its own role in specific types of immune cells and differing activity in disease.  By selectively activating, or agonizing, the appropriate checkpoint receptor, MiroBio’s therapies can deliver a highly potent inhibitory signal to overactive immune cells without being broadly immunosuppressive.

MiroBio is comprehensively mapping the 70+ inhibitory checkpoint receptor pathways with its proprietary discovery engine, I-ReSToRE, to identify therapeutic opportunities for autoimmune disease. MiroBio’s antibody engineering capabilities and depth of expertise in inhibitory checkpoint signalling pathways are the foundation for its scientific leadership in this vast new area of precision immunology.

About MiroBio (www.mirobio.com)

MiroBio is a biotechnology company advancing a new class of precision therapies designed to address the immune imbalance that drives autoimmune disease. Its proprietary drug discovery engine, I-ReSToRE, comprehensively evaluates inhibitory receptors for therapeutic potential and designs checkpoint agonist antibody candidates that precisely modulate immune signalling to restore health. MiroBio’s pipeline includes several candidates against validated and novel targets with potential in a variety of autoimmune diseases. MiroBio is based in Oxford, U.K.

For more information about MiroBio contact:

Ten Bridge Communications

TBCMiroBio@tenbridgecommunications.com

Sep 21
Love0

Amphista Therapeutics Appoints New Chairman, Joshua T. Brumm

By Amphista Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Glasgow, UK, 21 September 2021 – Amphista Therapeutics, a leader in next generation targeted protein degradation (TPD) approaches, today announced the appointment of Joshua T. Brumm as its new Independent Chairman, succeeding Satish Jindal.

Amphista’s CEO Dr Nicola Thompson said,

“On behalf of the Amphista team I am thrilled to welcome someone of Josh’s calibre to the Board. I look forward to working with Josh as we rapidly develop our pipeline of TPD therapeutics in oncology and beyond and unlock the full therapeutic potential of this exciting new modality. I would also like to thank our outgoing Chairman, Satish Jindal, who has tirelessly given his support as we have successfully advanced Amphista to this next stage of growth.”

Josh Brumm, Amphista’s new Chairman, commented on his appointment,

“I am delighted to join Amphista as its Chairman. The company, founded by leading pioneers in the field, has a unique, truly differentiated approach to targeted protein degradation and the opportunity to develop transformational therapies for patients. The potential of the technology is extremely exciting and together with Amphista’s world class team, I’m looking forward to executing on our mission of building the leading TPD company.”

Founding investor Raj Parekh, General Partner, Advent Life Sciences added,

“I am excited to welcome Josh as Amphista’s new Chairman. He brings a wealth of experience that will compliment the work that Nicki and the team have achieved and will support Amphista’s ambitious strategy”.

Josh Brumm is the president and CEO of Dyne Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: DYN), a leading muscle disease company focused on advancing innovative life-transforming therapeutics for people living with genetically driven diseases. Before joining Dyne, he served as COO and CFO of Kaleido Biosciences, leading the company’s IPO, and helped bring the lead program into Phase 2 development.  Prior to this he was COO and CFO at Versartis, where he oversaw the company’s financial strategy including the successful completion of its IPO. Brumm has also held senior positions at Pharmacyclics, ZELTIQ Aesthetics and Proteolix, Inc as well as investment banking positions at Citigroup Global Markets, Inc. and Morgan Stanley. Over the course of his career, he has raised nearly $2 billion in capital. He holds a B.A. in business administration from the University of Notre Dame.

– Ends –

Media contacts:

Amphista Therapeutics
CEO NicolaThompson
+447464974714
nicki@amphista.com

Scius Communications
Katja Stout
+447789435990
katja@sciuscommunications.com

About Amphista Therapeutics

Amphista Therapeutics is focused on transforming the lives of patients with severe diseases including cancer. The company is applying its proprietary Amphista degrader platform to advance new approaches in targeted protein degradation (TPD), which address the challenges faced by the field and to realise the full therapeutic potential of this transformational approach. Founded by Advent Life Sciences, Amphista is a spin-out of TPD expert Professor Alessio Ciulli’s labs at the University of Dundee. The company has raised over $60M to date and is funded by leading life science investors including Forbion, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, Advent Life Sciences, BioMotiv and Eli Lilly & Company.

For more information, please visit: http://www.amphista.com

Sep 15
Love0

Rappta Therapeutics Appoints Sunjeet Sawhney as Chief Executive Officer

By Press Release, Private Companies, Rappta Therapeutics
Press Release.

 

  • Experienced industry leader with successful track-record in oncology to lead Rappta through its next stages of growth
  • Rappta’s industry-leading phosphatase technology platform offers a new paradigm in oncology
  • Lead compounds on track to enter IND/CTA-enabling studies in the first half of 2022

Helsinki, Finland and London, UK, 15 September, 2021: Rappta Therapeutics (“Rappta”), which is focused on developing first-in-class anti-cancer drugs reactivating protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), announces today the appointment of Sunjeet Sawhney as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with immediate effect. Rappta’s Co-founder and Founding CEO Mikko Mannerkoski will move to be Chief Financial Officer (CFO) as planned.

With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Sunjeet joins Rappta from Ipsen where he has most recently been the Global Head of the Oncology Franchise. Prior to this Sunjeet led businesses across a range of geographies both in biotech and major pharmaceutical companies. Sunjeet holds a MSc in Immunology from the University of London and will be based in London, UK.

In October 2020, Rappta raised its first round of financing from blue-chip investors Advent Life Sciences, Novartis Bioventures, Novo Holdings, and a family office. Under the scientific leadership of Dr. Goutham Narla, Rappta’s Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, the Company is developing first-in-class anti-cancer drugs reactivating PP2A – a critical enzyme regulating protein de-phosphorylation and a key tumor suppressor which to date has been very difficult to target pharmaceutically. Rappta’s strengthened leadership team is well-positioned to take its first-in-class program of PP2A-reactivating anti-cancer molecules to IND/CTA-enabling studies in the first half of 2022.

Sunjeet Sawhney, CEO of Rappta Therapeutics, commented:

“I am honored to have been given the opportunity to lead Rappta. The Company’s robust first-in-class program of anti-cancer drugs that reactivate PP2A represents an exciting clinical and commercial opportunity, much like kinase inhibitors did more than two decades ago. I am particularly impressed with the rigorous science and the swift progress that the team has made in moving the program forward from discovery towards development. I look forward to working together with the Rappta team in progressing our lead compounds while continuing to leverage our proprietary tools and unique understanding of PP2A to build a platform of a new class of anti-cancer drugs.”

Mikko Mannerkoski, CFO and Co-Founder of Rappta Therapeutics, commented:

“I look forward to working with Sunjeet, an experienced industry leader, to guide the Company through the next important stages of growth. As an entrepreneur and co-founder, it gives me great pride that Rappta has in a very short period of time built a robust drug development program that is ready to enter IND/CTA-enabling studies and subsequent first-in-human clinical trials, which has the potential to offer real benefit to patients while creating value for our shareholders.”

Goutham Narla, Rappta’s CSO and Co-Founder, commented:

“I am thrilled to work with Sunjeet on this opportunity to build a new platform and a novel class of pharmaceuticals to treat cancer. We have a unique team whose deep understanding of the PP2A biochemistry, structural biology, biogenesis, medicinal chemistry, and drug development represent a great combination of expertise to translate these discoveries into meaningful outcomes for patients. Sunjeet’s vast industry experience will add a new dimension to our competencies and accelerate the growth of the Company.”

ENDS

 

For more information please contact:

Rappta Therapeutics
Sunjeet Sawhney, CEO
+44 74 7244 6005
sunjeet.sawhney@rappta-therapeutics.com

Optimum Strategic Communications
Mary Clark, Manel Mateus, Vici Rabbetts
+44 (0) 20 3922 1906
rappta@optimumcomms.com

About Rappta Therapeutics

Rappta Therapeutics, a private biotech with operations in Finland, UK and the US, is developing first-in-class anti-cancer drugs activating protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). It has developed proprietary tools and a unique understanding of PP2A which allows it to therapeutically reactivate PP2A, a critical enzyme regulating protein de-phosphorylation and tumor growth, with the potential to create a new class of anti-cancer drugs. Rappta has a strong scientific, management and commercial team. Its scientific team, led by CSO and co-founder, Professor Goutham Narla, Division Chief of Genetic Medicine at the University of Michigan, represents world-leading expertise in PP2A. The team is supported by a Scientific Advisory Board led by Dr. William Hahn, Professor of Medicine at the Harvard Medical School and the Chief Operating Officer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a Clinical Advisory Board lead by Dr. Mathew Galsky, Professor of Medicine and Director of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The Company is backed by blue-chip investors Advent Life Sciences, Novartis Bioventures, Novo Holdings and a family office. For more information, go to www.rappta-therapeutics.com.

About PP2A

Reversible phosphorylation is a fundamental mechanism controlling all cell signaling and communication and this process is regulated through the opposing actions of phosphatases (which remove phosphate groups from proteins) and kinases (which add phosphate groups to proteins). Altered cellular signaling as a result of protein hyperphosphorylation, results in the sustained growth of malignant cells and is a hallmark of human cancer development and progression.

Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a serine/threonine phosphatase that functions as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating multiple oncogenic signaling pathways responsible for driving cancer progression. PP2A is made up of three subunits, that form a complete and active enzyme when bound together. The active enzyme is comprised of a scaffolding subunit (A), serving as the structural platform for the assembly of the catalytic (C) subunit and one substrate directing regulatory (B) subunit. In cancer, the tumor-suppressive activity of PP2A is often disrupted as a result of the inability of the three subunits to bind together correctly, rendering the PP2A enzyme inactive. This inactivation of PP2A, leads to increased oncogenic signaling, driving cancer progression and growth. Therefore, the reactivation of PP2A affords a unique therapeutic strategy to restore PP2A activity and cellular homeostasis, that can be used for the treatment of cancer and a broad range of other diseases.

Sep 09
Love0

Eloxx Pharmaceuticals Announces Fast Track Designation for ELX-02 for the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis Patients with Nonsense Mutations

By Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Press Release, Publicly Listed
Press Release.

 

September 9, 2021

WATERTOWN, Mass., Sept. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ELOX), today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for ELX-02, a drug candidate intended to treat cystic fibrosis patients with nonsense mutations. ELX-02 is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in CF patients affected by nonsense mutations in the CFTR (CF transmembrane conductance regulator) gene for whom there are no effective disease modifying therapies. The Phase 2 trials are designed to evaluate the safety of ELX-02 and assess its biological activity, and Eloxx expects to present data from the first four treatment arms in the fourth quarter of 2021.

“We are delighted to receive Fast Track Designation from the FDA for ELX-02 as the need for patients remains significant. The ability to have greater access to the FDA and their guidance on the regulatory pathway for ELX-02 can help provide the ability to work with the urgency needed on behalf of CF patients with nonsense mutations,”

said Sumit Aggarwal, President and CEO of Eloxx.

Fast Track Designation is granted to drugs being developed for the treatment of serious or life-threatening diseases or conditions where there is an unmet medical need. The purpose of the provision is to help facilitate development and expedite the review of drugs to treat serious or life-threatening conditions so that an approved product can reach the market expeditiously. Sponsors of drugs that receive Fast Track Designation have the opportunity for more frequent interactions with the FDA review team throughout the development program.

ELX-02 has previously been granted orphan drug designation by the FDA and orphan medicinal product designation by the European Medicines Agency.

About Eloxx Pharmaceuticals

Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is engaged in the science of ribosome modulation, leveraging both its innovative TURBO-ZM™ chemistry technology platform in an effort to develop novel Ribosome Modulating Agents (RMAs) and its library of Eukaryotic Ribosome Selective Glycosides (ERSGs). Eloxx’s lead investigational product candidate, ELX-02, is a small molecule drug candidate designed to restore production of full-length functional proteins. ELX-02 is in clinical development focusing on cystic fibrosis. ELX-02 is an investigational drug that has not been approved by any global regulatory body. Eloxx also has preclinical programs focused on select rare diseases including inherited diseases, cancer caused by nonsense mutations, kidney diseases, including autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, as well as rare ocular genetic disorders.

For more information, please visit www.eloxxpharma.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of present and historical facts contained in this press release, including without limitation, statements regarding the expected timing of trials and results from clinical studies of our product candidate and the potential of our product candidate to treat nonsense mutations are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the words “aim,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “explore,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “seeks,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words.

Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current plans, estimates, assumptions and projections based on information currently available to us. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and actual results or outcomes may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various important factors, including, but not limited to: our ability to progress any product candidates in preclinical or clinical trials; the uncertainty of clinical trial results and the fact that positive results from preclinical studies are not always indicative of positive clinical results; the scope, rate and progress of our preclinical studies and clinical trials and other research and development activities; the competition for patient enrollment from drug candidates in development; the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic on our clinical trials, operations, vendors, suppliers, and employees; our ability to obtain the capital necessary to fund our operations; the cost of filing, prosecuting, defending and enforcing any patent claims and other intellectual property rights; our ability to obtain financial in the future through product licensing, public or private equity or debt financing or otherwise; general business conditions, regulatory environment, competition and market for our products; and business ability and judgment of personnel, and the availability of qualified personnel and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021, as any such factors may be updated from time to time in our other filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the “Financials & Filings” page of our website at https://investors.eloxxpharma.com/financial-information/sec-filings.

All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and, except as required by applicable law, we have no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.

Contact

Investors
John Woolford
john.woolford@westwicke.com
443.213.0506

Media
Laureen Cassidy
laureen@outcomescg.com

Source: Eloxx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Sep 02
Love0

Orphalan announces FDA acceptance for filing of New Drug Application (NDA) for trientine tetrahydrochloride (TETA 4HCl) for the treatment of Wilson’s Disease

By Orphalan, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

  • NDA supported by positive data from Phase 3 CHELATE clinical trial
  • TETA 4-HCl previously granted Orphan Drug Designation for first-line treatment of Wilson’s Disease

Paris, France – 02 September 2021 – Orphalan SA, a Company that identifies, develops and delivers worldwide therapies for orphan diseases, today announces that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review the Company’s New Drug Application (NDA) for trientine tetrahydrochloride (TETA 4HCl) for the first-line treatment of Wilson’s Disease.

Wilson’s Disease is a rare inherited disorder of copper transport primarily affecting the liver and brain, affecting about 1 in every 30,000 people worldwide. For the last 70 years d- Penicillamine has been the only approved first-line treatment of Wilson’s Disease and to which about a third of patients develop intolerance.

TETA 4HCl is proposed as an alternative copper chelating agent to d-Penicillamine as a first line treatment. The Company’s NDA submission follows its previous Orphan Drug Designation by the FDA. The filing is based upon positive data from the CHELATE Phase 3 clinical trial that met its primary efficacy endpoint by demonstrating that TETA 4HCl was non-inferior to d-Penicillamine as measured by copper speciation evaluation of nonceruloplasmin copper (NCC).

Treatment with TETA 4HCl is supported by Orphalan’s novel NCC assay, for which the Company plans to file for FDA approval as a companion diagnostic. The in vitro NCC assay has the potential to provide an important additional tool to support physicians in identifying patients and monitoring their treatment with TETA 4HCl.

Dr Naseem Amin, Chief Executive Officer at Orphalan, commented:

“The FDA’s acceptance of the NDA brings us one step closer to providing first-line treatment to patients with Wilson’s Disease, who currently do not benefit from alternative methods of treatment, beyond D-Penicillamine”.

Notes to Editors

About the CHELATE Study

CHELATE was a Phase 3, multicentre, randomised, open label, active-controlled, noninferiority study conducted in 9 countries at 15 centres designed to evaluate efficacy and safety of trientine tetrahydrochloride compared to d-Penicillamine in patients with stable Wilson’s Disease. Fifty-three adult Wilson’s Disease patients with clinically stable disease for over one year and who met specific inclusion criteria, including laboratory measures of serum non-ceruloplasmin copper (NCC), 24-hour urinary copper excretion (UCE) and liver function tests, were followed for a baseline period for 12 weeks before being randomised 1:1 to either trientine tetrahydrochloride or d-Penicillamine twice daily. The study’s primary endpoint was serum NCC as measured using Orphalan’s proprietary method using copper speciation at 24-weeks post-randomisation. A secondary composite efficacy endpoint was NCC and 24-hour UCE.

Additional secondary endpoints included were: clinical Global Impression of Change (CGIC) score; serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels; the unified Wilson’s Disease Rating Scale (UWDRS); modified Nazer score; cognitive assessments and standard safety assessments. In addition, an independent adjudication committee blinded to the allocated treatment, and study centres assessed key efficacy and safety parameters to determine clinical stability of the patient. Trientine tetrahydrochloride was well tolerated and during treatment, more patients achieved the pre-specified composite endpoint of NCC and 24-hour Urinary Copper Excretion (UCE) within therapeutic target ranges, compared to patients treated with d- Penicillamine, 50% versus 24%. Data from the trial was presented during an oral presentation at EASL’s The International Liver Congress™ 2021.

About Orphalan

At Orphalan, our mission is clear: we are pioneers in orphan diseases. Orphalan identifies, develops and delivers worldwide innovative therapies for people living with Orphan diseases. Orphalan was founded in 2011 and has launched Cuprior™ across Europe with its own commercial organisation. For more information get in touch or follow us on LinkedIn.

For more information, please contact:

Orphalan
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 49 82 64
Email: info@orphalan.health

Consilium Strategic Communications:
Mary-Jane Elliott, Allison Connolly, Genevieve Wilson
Tel: +44 (0) 203 709 5700
Email: orphalan@consilium-comms.com

Jul 13
Love0

Artax Biopharma Granted MHRA Clinical Trial Authorization for AX-158

By Artax Biopharma, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Authorization Represents Start of Clinical Program for Company’s
Global Platform of T Cell-Mediated Diseases

Phase 1 Clinical Trial Expected to Start in Second Half of this Year

Cambridge, Mass., July 13, 2021 – Artax Biopharma, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on transforming the treatment of T Cell-mediated diseases, today announced that the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted clinical trial authorization to evaluate AX-158 in a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of T Cell-Mediated Diseases.

The MHRA authorization marks the start of Artax’s clinical trial program for its global platform of T Cell-mediated diseases. The AX-158 Phase 1 clinical trial is expected to start in the second half of this year.

Artax’s lead compound AX-158 is a first-in-class, oral small molecule immunomodulating agent for the treatment of T Cell-mediated diseases. AX-158 employs a novel mechanism of action that selectively modulates, or adjusts, T cell responses that play a critical role in immune system function. In preclinical studies, AX-158 decreased key cytokines including INFγ, TNFα and IL-2. Based on this activity, Artax is planning future clinical development in autoimmune diseases, T cell malignancies and other related T cell pathologies.

“This authorization to study the tremendous science behind AX-158 is fantastic news for the immunology field,”

said Dr. Lawrence Steinman, Stanford University Zimmerman Professor of Neurology and Neurosciences, Pediatrics, and Genetics and Artax Scientific Advisory Board member.

“Artax Biopharma’s Nck inhibitor AX-158 has shown impressive experimental biologic and mechanistic impact on T Cell modulation – managing autoimmune disease without inducing the profound immunosuppression associated with current conventional or biological therapies.”

“There is a great need for oral therapeutics that offer efficacy with fewer side effects for the many patients suffering from debilitating and life-threatening T Cell-mediated diseases including autoimmune diseases and T cell malignancies”

Artax Biopharma Chief Executive Officer Joseph Lobacki stated.

“The MHRA approval and opportunity to initiate clinical trials for AX-158 is a significant milestone, and we look forward to bringing this first-in-class treatment option to the clinic.”

About Artax Science and Immunomodulation
A healthy immune system eliminates harmful foreign pathogens, while being tolerant of self-tissues and organs. The T Cell Receptor (TCR) is central to healthy T Cell function and a well-functioning immune system. When TCR signaling becomes dysregulated, T Cells behave abnormally. This behavior results in T Cell-driven conditions including autoimmune diseases, T Cell malignancies (lymphomas), and induced T Cell pathologies in which medical treatments result in immune reactions (such as stem cell transplants resulting in acute graft-versus-host-disease or immune-oncology treatments resulting in immune related-adverse events). Artax believes immunomodulation – during which our medicines assist the immune system to maintain healthy control and eliminate a direct cause of T Cell-mediated diseases while not impacting patients’ ability to properly fight foreign pathogens – holds great potential.

About Artax-158
AX-158 is a first-in-class, oral small molecule immunomodulating agent in development for the treatment of T Cell-mediated diseases. AX-158 employs a novel mechanism of action that selectively modulates, or adjusts, T Cell responses that play a critical role in immune system function. Nck is a protein that naturally amplifies T Cell signaling directly at the TCR, contributing to pathogenic responses. AX-158 is a Nck SH3.1 domain inhibitor which selectively counteracts the role of Nck in T Cells. This process of immunomodulation eliminates a direct factor in T Cell-mediated diseases. Importantly, data suggest AX-158 is not immunosuppressive and does not impact the immune system’s ability to mount a strong response to foreign pathogens and infections.

About Artax Biopharma
Artax Biopharma is a biotechnology company transforming T Cell-mediated disease treatment by developing innovative small molecules that modulate the immune system. Artax science holds broad potential to treat T Cell-mediated diseases such as autoimmune diseases, induced T cell pathologies (such as acute graft versus host disease and immune-oncology treatment-related adverse events) and T Cell malignancies (lymphomas), while simultaneously allowing the body to fight foreign pathogens. For more information, please visit www.artaxbiopharma.com.

Contacts:
Karen LaRochelle
Chief Business Officer
Artax Biopharma
klarochelle@artaxbiopharma.com

Media:
Linda Phelan Dyson
+1 973-986-5873
ldyson@artaxbiopharma.com

Jul 07
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NeRRe Therapeutics raises £20 million in a Series B2 financing round

By NeRRe Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

  • New funds to evaluate orvepitant as a treatment for the disabling chronic cough associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
  • New investor Columbus Venture Partners joins existing investors Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners, OrbiMed, and the UK Government’s Future Fund.

Stevenage, UK, 7 July 2021 – NeRRe Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company developing orvepitant, its wholly-owned neurokinin-1 (NK-1) antagonist, as a first in class treatment for disabling chronic cough caused by reflex hypersensitivity disorders, today announces it has raised an additional £20 million in a Series B2 financing round.

Having demonstrated proof of efficacy in patients with refractory or unexplained chronic cough , NeRRe will now continue the clinical development of orvepitant in chronic cough caused by IPF, a rare type of interstitial lung disease . A dominant symptom of this severe progressive fibrotic pulmonary disease, in a high proportion of these terminally ill patients, is an uncontrolled, persistent, and disabling cough. The chronic cough can markedly reduce quality of life, is often refractory to medical therapy and there are no approved treatments for it . Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is recognised as an orphan disease in both Europe and the US.

The financing round involved a syndicate of leading transatlantic life sciences investors led by new investor Columbus Venture Partners and existing investors Advent Life Sciences, Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion Capital Partners, OrbiMed and the UK Government’s Future Fund. The proceeds from the financing round will primarily be used to fund the Phase 2 clinical development of orvepitant as a treatment for chronic cough associated with IPF. Preparation for the start of the Phase 2 trial is underway.

Dr. Mary Kerr, CEO of NeRRe Therapeutics, said:

“After demonstrating that orvepitant reduces the burden of chronic cough in one population, we are delighted to have received the financial support to further advance this promising asset for patients suffering from chronic cough associated with IPF. I am also pleased to welcome Columbus Venture Partners to the syndicate and would like to thank our existing investors for their continued support of the NeRRe team, and this exciting first in class asset.”

Toby Maher Professor of Medicine and Director of Interstitial Lung Disease at Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles said:

“IPF is a rare, progressive, and fatal form of interstitial lung disease in which cough can be a dominant and distressing feature. A treatment that improves this chronic cough would substantially improve the quality of life of many IPF patients.”

Javier Garcia, General Partner and Founder of Columbus Venture Partners, said:

“We have been impressed by NeRRe’s clear strategy and focus on chronic cough associated with IPF, a condition of high unmet medical need and we look forward to supporting the company as it fully uncovers the multiple benefits that orvepitant can provide to these patients.”

Notes to Editors

About NeRRe Therapeutics (www.nerretherapeutics.com)
NeRRe Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing orvepitant, a neurokinin(NK)-1 receptor antagonist, as a first in class, once daily breakthrough treatment for cough hypersensitivity disorders. Having demonstrated proof of efficacy in patients with refractory or unexplained cough, NeRRe will now continue development in chronic cough caused by the rare and terminal lung disease idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A dominant feature of this severe progressive respiratory disease in a high proportion of patients is an uncontrolled and persistent cough which is disabling for these terminally ill patients. The cough is often refractory to medical therapy and there are no approved treatments for it. IPF has been designated an orphan disease in both Europe and the USA. Preparations for the start of the Phase 2 trial to evaluate orvepitant as a treatment for disabling chronic cough associated with IPF are currently underway.

About Columbus
Columbus Venture Partners is a Spanish independent venture capital that brings a unique approach for investing in outstanding early-stage and high growth opportunities in the life science industry of Spain. Columbus has $275M under management through three funds. Our team includes solid and internationally experienced investment professionals with a deep scientific, medical and business development background combined with a proven experience in building and investing in companies to accelerate their commercialization. The combination of industry possibilities and investment experience will provide Limited Partner investors in the Fund a level of professionality and deep expertise that is essential for success in this field.

For more information, refer to www.columbusvp.com

About Advent Life Sciences
Advent Life Sciences founds and invests in early- and mid-stage life sciences companies that have a first- or best-in-class approach to unmet medical needs. The investing team consists of experienced professionals, each with extensive scientific, medical and operational experience, a long-standing record of entrepreneurial and investment success in the UK, the US and Europe and is particularly focused on supporting entrepreneurs and founders to take innovative new medical entities from concept to approval. The firm invests in a range of sectors within life sciences, principally drug discovery, enabling technologies and med tech, always with an emphasis on innovative, paradigm-changing approaches. Advent Life Sciences has a presence in the UK, US and France.

For more information, refer to: www.adventls.com

About Fountain Healthcare Partners
Fountain Healthcare Partners is a life science focused venture capital fund with EUR 300 million (USD 354 million) under management. Within the life science sector, specific areas of interest to Fountain include specialty pharma, medical devices, biotechnology and diagnostics. The firm deploys the majority of its capital in Europe, with the balance in the United States. Fountain’s main office is in Dublin, Ireland, with a second office in New York. fh-partners.com

About Forbion
Forbion is a dedicated life sciences venture capital firm with offices in The Netherlands, Germany and Singapore. Forbion invests in life sciences companies that are active in the (bio-) pharmaceutical space. Forbion manages well over EUR 1.7 billion across multiple fund strategies that cover all stages of (bio)pharmaceutical drug development. Forbion’s current team consists of 20 life sciences investment professionals that have built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in over 69 companies. The firm is a signatory to the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment. Besides financial objectives, Forbion selects investments that will positively affect the health and well-being of patients. Its investors include the EIF, through its European Recovery Programme (ERP), LfA, Dutch Venture Initiative (DVI), AMUF and EFSI facilities and KfW Capital through the Programme, “ERP – Venture Capital Fonds investments”. Forbion operates a joint venture with BGV, the manager of seed and early-stage funds, especially focused on Benelux and Germany.

For more information, please visit: www.forbion.com

About OrbiMed
OrbiMed is a leading healthcare investment firm, with approximately $19 billion in assets under management. OrbiMed invests globally across the healthcare industry through a range of private equity funds, public equity funds, and royalty/credit funds. OrbiMed’s team of over 100 professionals is based in New York City, San Francisco, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Herzliya and other key global markets.

For more information, please visit: www.OrbiMed.com

About the Future Fund
The Future Fund was established to support the UK’s innovative businesses currently affected by Covid-19. These businesses have been unable to access other government business support programmes, such as CBILS, because they are either pre-revenue or pre-profit and typically rely on equity investment. The Future Fund provided eligible companies with convertible loans, on the condition that private investors at least match the government’s commitment. The convertible loans are designed to convert into equity at the next qualifying funding round. The Future Fund is developed by the government and delivered by the British Business Bank.

For more information, please contact:

Mary Kerr, CEO of NeRRe Therapeutics
Tel:  +44 1438 906960
Email: info@nerretherapeutics.com

Consilium Strategic Communications
Mary-Jane Elliott/ Lindsey Neville/ Carina Jurs
Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700
Nerretherapeutics@conslium-comms.com

Jun 28
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Amphista Therapeutics Expands Research Team by Appointing Martin O’Rourke as Head of Drug Discovery and James Osborne as Director of Chemistry

By Amphista Therapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

Glasgow, Scotland, 28 June 2021 – Amphista Therapeutics, a Targeted Protein Degradation (TPD) biopharmaceutical company creating first-in-class cancer therapeutics that harness the body’s natural processes to remove disease-causing proteins selectively and efficiently, today announced the addition to their world class team of Martin O’Rourke as Head of Drug Discovery and James Osborne as Director of Chemistry.

Amphista’s CSO and TPD pioneer Dr Ian Churcher said,

“I am delighted to welcome Martin and James to the team. They both bring a wealth of expertise in drug discovery that will be invaluable to further strengthen our team as we progress our TPD pipeline to the clinic following our successful $53M Series B financing round. The funding is also helping us open whole new areas for exploration beyond Amphista’s cancer focus into areas largely inaccessible to the TPD field, such as CNS, with our approach that provides the best of both worlds: great drug like properties and a broad target and tissue scope.”

Amphista’s Head of Drug Discovery, Martin O’Rourke, commented on his appointment,

“I’ve always been interested in progressing drug discovery projects in the oncology space. Working at Amphista excites me particularly due to the company’s unique, proprietary approach which builds on the huge promise of TPD while addressing the limitations with current methods. I am looking forward to exploring the opportunities Amphista’s platform provides, working alongside a world class team.”

Most recently, Martin has been a Director in the Oncology Bioscience group at AstraZeneca. As a member of the leadership team there he contributed to oncology strategy, new target selection and project leadership on early-stage projects. Prior to this Martin worked in a global position at Charles River contributing to a wide range of drug discovery projects. Additionally, whilst working in Professor Tracy Robson’s lab at Queen University Belfast, Martin co-invented a peptide therapeutic and, via his role at Almac Discovery, led the biology team to produce data enabling Phase 1 clinical trials. Martin holds a BSc in Applied Biochemical Science and a PhD from the University of Ulster.

James has significant experience in leading projects to delivery of development candidates for both oncology and CNS disorders. In James’s most recent position he led the Discovery function at GW Pharmaceuticals where he was responsible for the delivery of several novel development candidates in the CNS space. James started his career at the Institute of Cancer Research where he was a key contributor to the delivery of the CHK1 clinical candidate SRA737. Since then he has successfully taken project and medicinal chemistry leadership roles at Astex Pharmaceuticals and Charles River Labs, where he worked across several different target classes and therapeutic areas. James holds an MSci in Chemistry and a PhD in organic synthesis, from Nottingham University and completed his postdoctoral studies at the University of Oxford.

Amphista has developed a proprietary broad technology platform with the potential to generate first-in-class small molecules (called ‘Amphistas’) that harness the body’s own protein degradation mechanisms to deliver highly potent pharmacology. Amphista’s unique approach offers the potential to overcome many of the limitations seen with current TPD technologies, providing greater opportunity to treat a wider range of diseases. Amphista is focused on biological targets in oncology and other therapy areas, focusing on the translation of their novel TPD approach for clinical benefit in areas of high unmet need.

Media contacts:

Amphista Therapeutics
CEO Nicola Thompson
+447464974714
nicki@amphista.com

Scius Communications
Katja Stout
+447789435990
katja@sciuscommunications.com

About Amphista Therapeutics

Amphista Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company creating first-in-class therapeutics that harness the body’s natural processes to selectively and efficiently degrade and remove disease-causing proteins. The company’s pipeline of novel targeted protein degradation (TPD)-based medicines is focused on challenging diseases including cancer. Founded by Advent Life Sciences, Amphista is a spin-out of TPD expert Professor Alessio Ciulli’s labs at the University of Dundee. The company has raised approximately £45M to date and is funded by leading life science investors including Forbion, Gilde Healthcare, Novartis Venture Fund, Advent Life Sciences, BioMotiv and Eli Lilly & Company.

For more information, please visit: http://www.amphista.com/

Jun 23
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Aleta Biotherapeutics and Cancer Research UK collaborate to advance blood cancer therapy into the clinic

By Aleta Biotherapeutics, Press Release, Private Companies
Press Release.

 

NATICK, Mass., June 23, 2021 – Aleta Biotherapeutics (‘Aleta’) and Cancer Research UK today announced a collaboration to advance the early phase clinical development of Aleta’s CAR-T cell engager candidate, ALETA-001.

Aleta is a privately held immuno-oncology company focused on transforming cellular therapeutics to allow a broad spectrum of cancer indications to be targeted, and Cancer Research UK is the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives.

Under the terms of the clinical development partnership, Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development will fund, sponsor and conduct the first-in-human Phase 1/2a clinical trial of ALETA-001, which will be led by Dr Amit Patel’s Cellular and CAR-T therapies team at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, UK.

ALETA-001 has been developed to benefit people with B-cell lymphoma and leukemia whose disease has progressed after receiving CD19 CAR-T cell therapy, and it is hoped that ALETA-001 will offer a new therapy for these patients who have limited treatment options.

CAR-T cell therapy works by targeting the T cell response against cancer through the engineering of T cells to recognize CD19 proteins on the surface of lymphoma and leukemia cells*. CAR-T cell therapy is showing promising results in treating people with blood cancers who are no longer responding to current lines of treatment.

However, over half of the patients treated with CD19 CAR-T cell therapy relapse, mostly due to reduction or loss of CD19 expression. Through binding CD20 present on the surface of cancer cells, ALETA-001 reactivates the CD19 CAR-T cells by effectively ‘recoating’ the cancer cell with the target CD19 proteins** and restoring the CAR-T cells ability to recognise and engage the cancer cell.

In the Cancer Research UK-sponsored Phase 1/2a trial, patients with B-cell lymphoma/leukemia who have received CD19 CAR-T cell therapy but did not achieve a complete response or who relapsed from a complete response will be enrolled. After the recommended Phase 2 dose of ALETA-001 has been determined, Aleta will initiate a multi-center, single arm, pivotal Phase 2 trial in the United States focused on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. This clinical trial will be designed to support potential accelerated approval of ALETA-001.

Aleta retain the rights to further develop and commercialize ALETA-001 and will receive a licence to the results of the clinical trial from Cancer Research UK in return for undisclosed success-based milestone and royalty payments.

Paul Rennert, President, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Aleta Biotherapeutics, said:

“We are deeply honored to be partnering with Cancer Research UK to rapidly advance our lead drug candidate, ALETA-001, into the clinic. There is an urgent need to develop new therapies that can help people with B-cell cancers, such as lymphoma and leukemia, whose cancer has progressed after treatment with CD19 CAR-T cell therapy. Our collaboration with Cancer Research UK is a strong endorsement of the potential of our scientific platform to address the critical issues of CAR-T cell persistence, tumour antigen loss leading to patient relapse, and tumour antigen heterogeneity. We look forward to working with Cancer Research UK’s exceptional network of experienced clinical trial investigators and researchers to conduct the trial.”

Nigel Blackburn, Cancer Research UK’s Director of Drug Development, said:

“CAR-T cell therapy has been transformative in treating patients with hard-to-treat blood cancers, but many will see their cancer return and treatment options begin to run out. ALETA-001 uses a simple yet elegant method to redirect a patient’s circulating CD19 CAR-T cells against cancer cells expressing CD20, and we hope this could be a new treatment avenue for blood cancer.  This is a landmark collaboration for Cancer Research UK as it’s the first-in-human trial for a new drug that reboots CAR-T cell therapy, and we look forward to progress its early clinical development with Aleta.”

Notes to editor

* CAR T cell therapy consists of T cells that have been taken from a patient and are reprogrammed in the lab to recognize cancer cells so they can target and kill them more effectively. T cells are taken from a patient and are engineered in the lab to carry a specific CD19 receptor on their surface, which will allow them to target and kill the cancer cells through binding the CD19 antigen present on B cell leukemia and lymphoma cells. The CAR-T cells are then given back to the patient to mount an immune response directed at cancer cells. CAR-T therapy is thus a patient specific personalized anti-cancer treatment.

** In order to replace and increase CD19 antigen expression on the cancer cell surface, ALETA-001 binds to CD20 on the tumour cell leading to the presentation of the CD19 extracellular domain which is recognised and engaged by circulating CD19 CAR-T cells leading to cancer cell killing. CD20 is another type of receptor found expressed on cancer cells, but it appears to be more stable than CD19 and its expression is rarely lost.

About Aleta Biotherapeutics

Aleta Biotherapeutics is an immuno-oncology company focused on transforming cellular therapeutics to allow a broad spectrum of cancer indications to be targeted, including currently intractable solid tumors. The company was founded by Paul Rennert and Roy Lobb, who bring extensive scientific and leadership experience in immunology, oncology, and drug development to this new enterprise. Aleta has created a unique portfolio of multi-antigen targeting solutions for cell therapy, designed to address the critical issues of CAR-T persistence, tumor antigen loss leading to patient relapse, and tumor antigen heterogeneity. http://www.aletabio.com/

About Cancer Research UK’s Centre for Drug Development

Cancer Research UK has an impressive record of developing novel treatments for cancer. The Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development has been pioneering the development of new cancer treatments for 25 years, taking over 140 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in patients. It currently has a portfolio of 21 new anti-cancer agents in preclinical development, Phase I or early Phase II clinical trials. Six of these new agents have made it to market including temozolomide for brain cancer, abiraterone for prostate cancer and rucaparib for ovarian cancer. Two other drugs are in late development Phase III trials. www.cruk.org.uk/cdd

Media Contact:
Nick Chang
MacDougall
781-235-3060
nchang@macbiocom.com