The Business of Biotech caught up with Dr. McArthur at PepGen’s Cambridge headquarters to learn more.

Andrew Hall is the CEO of IMV Inc, which has developed a platform based on a lipid-in-oil technology that encapsulates the therapeutic. When injected subcutaneously, the drug remains in a specific location to reinvigorate the immune system to overcome the tumor surveillance that allows cancer to grow.

Portage Biotech is helmed by CEO Ian Walters and CSO Robert Kramer, and backed by three biotech entrepreneurs — UK investor Jim Mellon, ex-Biohaven board member Declan Doogan and early Medivation backer Greg Bailey — who have whipped up a whole slate of different ventures aimed at drug development.

OTX-2002 is our lead Omega Epigenomic Controller™ (OEC) candidate designed to downregulate the expression of c-Myc (MYC), a key gene involved in cellular growth commonly overexpressed in cancer cells. OECs are programmable mRNA medicines that encode a two-part protein: a DNA binding domain that specifies the target location on the DNA, which we call EpiZips™, and an effector domain that makes precise and durable epigenetic marks to alter gene expression. OECs are translated into proteins by the cell’s ribosomal machinery, then travel to the nucleus to lay epigenetic marks at the programmed specific genomic address.

Matthew explains, “At Immunome, we believe that the antibodies that these B cells are making have an ability to see the different types of tumor antigens, or the specific epitopes on infectious disease. Our platform allows us to see that disease through the lens of the human B cell. We can interrogate what those antibodies are binding to, and we can use that information to help other patients.”

TFF Pharmaceuticals has leased a plant in Austin, Texas to expand development of its thin film freezing technology, which it says could increase the bioavailability of large molecule drugs.

Recce Pharmaceuticals is developing a new class of synthetic anti-infectives that it says can overcome the hyper-cellular mutation of bacteria and viruses. 

Dr. Judy Chou is the President and CEO of AltruBio which is developing novel immunomodulators to treat immunological diseases such as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Their first-in-class agnostic antibody has a unique mechanism to regulate T cell homeostasis. Currently, there is a clinical trial for SR-aGVHD, steroid-refractory acute graft-host disease and an investigation is underway into using their second-generation molecule to treat ulcerative colitis.