Rgenta Therapeutics

NEWEST PARTNER - June 2023

Cambridge, MA - Rgenta Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of oral, small-molecule RNA-targeting medicines with an initial focus on oncology and neurological disorders. Rgenta has a proprietary platform to mine the massive genomics data to identify targetable RNA processing events and to design small-molecule glues to modulate the interactions among the spliceosome, regulatory proteins, and RNAs. 

Rgenta is working closely with LLS TAP to further develop RNA-targeting molecules by supporting preclinical studies with the goal of moving towards clinical development in hematological malignancies. 

Dimericon

NEWEST PARTNER - May 2023

Zurich, Switzerland - Dimericon is a private biotech company focused on exploring crosslinked helix dimers (Dimericons) as therapeutics and templates for small molecule development. Dimericon’s technology targets hard-to-drug intracellular protein-protein interactions using rationally designed mimetics of helix dimers. The Seed round of financing will support preclinical studies to further develop the current cFLIP inhibitor lead compound, DMRX1004, to be an IND ready clinical candidate in hematological malignancies.

Abintus Bio

San Diego, CA - Abintus Bio is developing cutting-edge in vivo CAR therapies that allow for powerful CAR T cells to be generated directly in a patient’s body, eliminating the need for time-consuming and costly collection, engineering and re-infusion of patient T cells. 

Products are in preclinical development with a goal to explore in blood cancers and solid tumors using this novel technology platform being developed by Abintus.

Affimed

Heidelberg, Germany - Affimed is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer by actualizing the untapped potential of the innate immune system using the proprietary ROCK® platform to enable a tumor-targeted approach to recognize and kill a range of hematologic and solid tumors.

AFM13 is bispecific tetravalent engager targeting CD30 on tumor cells and CD16A on NK cells and macrophages. AFM13 in combination with AB-101 (off the shelf cord-blood derived natural killer cells) has received IND clearance by the FDA and will soon begin a Phase 2 clinical trial in relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma and CD30-positive PTCL.

BioInvent International

Lund, Sweden - BioInvent International AB is a clinical-stage biotech company that discovers and develops novel and first-in-class immuno-modulatory antibodies for cancer therapy. The Company's validated, proprietary F.I.R.S.T™ technology platform identifies both targets and the antibodies that bind to them, generating many promising new drug candidates to fuel the Company's own clinical development pipeline and providing licensing and partnering opportunities.

BI-1206 is a novel anti-FcyRIIB antibody currently being studied in two Phase 1/2 trials, in combination with rituximab in NHL (NCT03571568) and in combination with pembrolizumab in solid tumors.

BI-1808 is an anti-TNFR2 antibody being evaluated in a Phase 1/2a trial, as a single agent and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (NCT04752826).

Caribou Biosciences

Berkeley, CA - Caribou is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, co-founded by CRISPR pioneer and Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D., using next-generation CRISPR genome-editing technology to develop “off-the-shelf” (allogeneic) CAR therapies for hard-to-treat blood cancers.

CB-010, an allogeneic CD19 CAR-T cell therapy in which PD-1 was genetically disrupted in the CAR-T genome, leading to more durable anti-tumor activity in preclinical studies, is being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial expansion cohort for second-line patients with large B cell lymphoma (NCT04637763).

CB-011, an allogeneic BCMA CAR-T cell therapy that is immunologically cloaked for enhanced persistence, is being evaluated in a Phase 1 clinical trial for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (NCT05722418).

CB-012, an allogeneic CD371 CAR-T cell therapy, is in preclinical development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia with a projected IND filing in the second half of 2023.

Carisma Therapeutics

Philadelphia, PA - Carisma is a biopharmaceutical company developing a differentiated and proprietary cell therapy platform focused on engineered macrophages. Carisma is looking at an innovative way to harness yet another part of the human immune system.

Carisma will further develop its proprietary engineered-macrophage platform to support the development of one or more CAR macrophage cell therapy programs for hematological malignancies.

Constellation Pharmaceuticals

Munich, Germany - Constellation Pharmaceuticals was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics that selectively modulate gene expression to address serious unmet medical needs in patients with cancer. MorphoSys acquired Constellation in July 2021 and continues to enroll patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms in multiple clinical studies.

Pelabresib (CPI-0610) is a small molecule inhibitor of bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) proteins. Pelabresib in combination with ruxolitinib is in a Phase 3 clinical trial (NCT04603495) for myelofibrosis patients that have not been previously treated with Janus kinase inhibitors. In November 2018, the FDA granted pelabresib Fast Track Designation for treatment of myelofibrosis.

Dren Bio

Foster City, CA - Dren Bio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune and other serious diseases. Dren Bio’s pipeline encompasses two distinct programs, the first focusing on the engineering of antibodies with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (“ADCC”) capabilities and the second revolving around its proprietary Targeted Myeloid Engager and Phagocytosis Platform.

DR-01 is a novel antibody targeting CD94 which is known to be upregulated on LGLL cells. DR-01 functions through depletion of target cells via ADCC by means of fratricide, a method in which the same cell type induces ADCC on each other. A phase I/II trial has been initiated to assess the safety and efficacy of DR-01 in previously treated LGLL patients (NCT05475925).

Faron Pharmaceuticals

Turku, Finland - Faron Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel treatments for medical conditions with significant unmet needs caused by dysfunction of our immune system. The Company currently has a pipeline based on the receptors involved in regulation of immune response in oncology, organ damage and bone marrow regeneration. 

Bexmarilimab, a novel anti-Clever-1 humanized antibody, is its investigative precision immunotherapy with the potential to provide permanent immune stimulation for difficult-to-treat cancers through targeting myeloid function. The Phase I/II BEXMAB study (NCT05428969) investigates bexmarilimab in combination with azacitidine in relapsed/refractory (r/r) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or in combination with azacitidine/venetoclax for newly diagnosed AML that do not tolerate chemotherapy. 

Forty Seven

Foster City, CA - Forty Seven was a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company that was developing therapies targeting cancer immune evasion pathways and specific cell targeting approaches based on technology licensed from Stanford University. Forty Seven’s lead program was magrolimab, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody against the CD47 receptor, a “don’t eat me” signal that cancer cells commandeer to avoid being ingested by macrophages.

Gilead Sciences acquired Forty Seven in April 2020 and continues to develop magrolimab spanning ten potential indications including ongoing trials in solid tumors and two pivotal trials: ENHANCE-2 study in AML with TP53 mutations (NCT04778397) and ENHANCE-3 in first-line, unfit AML (NCT05079230).

ImCheck Therapeutics

Marseille, France - ImCheck Therapeutics is designing and developing a new generation of immunotherapeutic antibodies targeting butyrophilins, a novel super-family of immunomodulators.

ICT01 is a humanized, anti-BTN3A (also known as CD277) monoclonal antibody that selectively activates γ9δ2 T cells, which are part of the innate immune system that is responsible for immunosurveillance of malignancy and infections. A clinical trial (EVICTION) is currently enrolling a cohort expansion of ICT01 in combination with azacitidine and venetoclax in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (NCT04243499).

Immune-Onc Therapeutics

Palo Alto, CA - Immune-Onc is a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors for cancer patients.

IO-202 is a first-in-class monoclonal antibody that antagonizes LILRB4. IO-202 is in a Phase 1 expansion clinical trial in combination with azacitidine/venetoclax for the treatment of advanced monocytic AML and CMML (NCT0437243). In June 2023, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to IO-202 for the treatment of R/R CMML, which follows the R/R AML Fast Track designation received in February 2022.

Immunitas Therapeutics

Waltham, MA - Immunitas is committed to discovering and developing novel, differentiated therapeutics for patients with cancer using a discovery engine that combines deep expertise in single-cell genomics with customized machine learning approaches to elucidate immune cell populations that are key actors in immuno-oncology.

IMT-009 is a first-in-class NK and T cell modulator targeting CD161 that is being developed for the treatment of solid tumors and lymphomas and is in a Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT05565417).

Kura Oncology

San Diego, CA - Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer with a pipeline that consists of small molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways.

Ziftomenib (KO-539) is selective small molecule inhibitor of menin. Ziftomenib is currently in a Phase 2 registration-directed clinical trial in patients with NPM1-mutant relapsed or refractory AML (NCT04067336). 

Kymera Therapeutics

Watertown, MA - Kymera Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded with the mission to discover, develop, and commercialize transformative therapies while leading the evolution of targeted protein degradation, a transformative new approach to address previously intractable disease targets.

KT-333 is STAT3 protein degrader. KT-333 is in a Phase 1 clinical trial currently enrolling NHL patients (NCT05225584).

KT-413 is a dual protein degrader of IRAK4 and IMiD substrates. KT-413 is in a Phase 1 clinical trial currently enrolling DLBCL patients (NCT05233033).

Ryvu Therapeutics

Krakow, Poland - Ryvu Therapeutics is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focusing on novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology using a proprietary discovery engine platform.

RVU120 is a highly selective first-in-class CDK8/CDK19 small molecule inhibitor. RVU120 is currently in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with acute myeloid leukemia or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (NCT04021368), enrolling in the US and Poland.