Bluebird bio Inc, which is developing gene therapies for cancer and rare diseases, is partnering with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc to discover, develop and commercialise new therapies for cancer. The deal includes a $100 million investment by Regeneron in bluebird stock.
UK-based ReViral Ltd has raised $55 million in a Series B financing round to advance a small molecule drug against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection into a Phase 2a trial in children. The drug, RV521, has been successfully tested in a Phase2a challenge trial in healthy adults.
RSV is a pathogen that infects the human respiratory tract, potentially leading to bronchiolitis and pneumonia. While healthy adults usually recover from infection, the virus poses a risk to premature infants, the elderly and individuals with certain pulmonary conditions.
The recently created Spanish healthcare company ADL Bionatur Solutions SA has raised €12 million in a share placement with institutional investors to support the development of products for human and animal health.
The company is the result of a reverse acquisition of Bionaturis, a biotech company, by ADL Biopharma, a contract manufacturer, and is listed on the Mercado Alternativo Bursátil, the junior market of the Spanish securities market.
Sangamo Therapeutics Inc has announced plans to acquire TxCell SA in a deal that will give it ownership of the French company’s regulatory T cell technology for the development of therapies against autoimmune diseases.
A new company has been launched in the UK to develop a peptide-based nanoparticle for the delivery of DNA and RNA into cells for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The company, NanoGenics Ltd, aspires to replace the live vectors that are currently used to deliver gene therapies with a peptide-based nanoparticle which mimics natural viruses but with qualities enabling repeat dosing.
Kite Pharma, a unit of Gilead Sciences Inc, has entered into a strategic collaboration with Gadeta BV, a privately-held Dutch company, to discover and develop gamma delta T cell receptor (TRC) therapies for cancer. Kite’s first product, a chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for lymphoma. The company’s collaboration with Gadeta is focused on the treatment of solid tumours.
Novartis has negotiated an exclusive global licencing deal with MorphoSys AG and Galapagos NV for rights to their jointly developed monoclonal antibody for atopic dermatitis, MOR106. The antibody originated in MorphoSys’ laboratories and targets interleukin-17C, a cytokine that has been shown to play an important role in inflammatory skin disorders.
Genmab A/S has deepened its commitment to bispecific antibody technology under a licencing deal with Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH which involves research on multiple new cancer targets. Genmab earns royalties from a marketed monoclonal antibody product for cancer, but in recent years it has been turning to new modalities, such as bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates, to fill its pipeline.
Germany’s BioNTech AG has reached an agreement with Genevant Sciences Ltd, a new therapeutics company, to develop five products for the treatment of rare diseases using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology. The partnership will draw on BioNTech’s expertise in personalised medicine, including RNA therapeutics, with Genevant’s lipid nanoparticle delivery technology.
Abzena Plc, the UK service provider, is to manufacture antibodies for two prospective radiopharmaceuticals being developed by Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd of Australia for the treatment of prostate cancer, one of the four most common cancers in the world.