FDA Accepts IND of NK Cell Therapy for HER2 Positive Solid Tumors
Acepodia’s off-the-shelf cell therapy uses an antibody-cell conjugate to target human HER2-expressing solid tumors.
Startup Aligos Grabs $125 Million for Drugs to Combat Hepatitis B
Aligos Therapeutics Inc., a startup headed by entrepreneurs who led venture-backed Alios BioPharma Inc. to a $1.75 billion merger with Johnson & Johnson in 2014, has raised $125 million to develop treatments for hepatitis B and other liver diseases.
Immunotherapy takes aim at exhausted T cells
Startups attempt to revive exhausted T cells to fight solid tumors, but must strike a balance to avoid triggering adverse events.
Small Biotech Often Better Suited to Develop Rare Disease Therapies
Gaurav Shah, MD, Chief Executive Officer & President of Rocket Pharmaceuticals explains the advantages that smaller biotech companies have in developing treatments for rare diseases. Rocket Pharmaceuticals is currently developing gene therapies for a number of rare conditions, including Fanconi anemia, Danon disease, leukocyte adhesion deficiency-I, pyruvate kinase deficiency, and infantile malignant osteopetrosis.
Harnessing the Body’s Own Protein Waste Removal System to Drug the ‘Undruggable’
How do you catch just one kind of fish in a sea of similar fish? That’s the question being answered by researchers at Nurix, except they aren’t catching fish – they are ‘catching’ proteins in your body. Nurix is developing drugs that can specifically target one protein within the hundreds or thousands of extremely similar proteins in the body, ultimately enabling them to regulate hard-to-drug or ‘undruggable’ proteins.
Check-Cap’s Swallowable X-Ray Pill Allows For Prep-Free Colon Cancer Screenings
It’s no secret that preparation for a colonoscopy is an uncomfortable experience. At times, the preparation can be so off-putting, that some chose to forgo the procedure altogether. For this reason, Check-Cap has created an indigestible capsule for prep-free colon cancer screening to ensure that no patient gets left behind in cancer precaution. The device is already approved in Israel and Europe, and tests for U.S. approval are currently underway.
Takeda taps brain-focused Cerevance in quest for new GI targets
Three years after Takeda chipped into Cerevance’s series A, the Big Pharma has come back for more. The duo is inking a research deal focused on identifying new protein targets in the central nervous system to develop new treatments for gastrointestinal disorders. The companies kept details close to the vest but said Cerevance could net more than $170 million in milestones per target.
5 More Private Medtech Companies to Keep Tabs On
Earlier this year, FDA granted a breakthrough device designation for Orchestra BioMed’s Virtue sirolimus-eluting balloon (SEB) in the treatment of below-the-knee peripheral artery disease. The designation came just a few months after the New Hope, PA-based company announced its partnership with Terumo. The agreement included a $30 million up-front payment to Orchestra plus an equity commitment of $5 million.
