Tagged News
HCW Biologics Secures $5 Million in Follow-On Financing to Advance Immunotherapy Pipeline
• HCW Biologics has successfully raised $5 million in a follow-on offering to fund clinical development of its novel immunotherapies targeting inflammation-related diseases, particularly its Phase 1 trial of HCW9302 for autoimmune disorders.
• The company is advancing over 50 proprietary compounds developed through its TOBI and TRBC platforms, with plans to commercialize HCW9206, a promising reagent that could revolutionize CAR-T manufacturing by improving cell persistence and reducing costs.
• Despite financial challenges, HCW Biologics is implementing a multi-step financing strategy while pursuing business development opportunities, including a potential $7 million licensing deal with WY Biotech for its HCW11-006 compound.
CAR-T Cell Therapy Funding Surges to $141.2 Billion as Industry Expands Globally
• The CAR-T cell therapy industry has raised over $141.2 billion through various financing mechanisms, with estimates suggesting total industry funding could reach $281.7 billion when including undisclosed deals.
• More than 170 companies worldwide are developing CAR-T products with 1,944 therapies in development, while 13 CAR-T cell therapies have received regulatory approval globally since 2017.
• Despite a slowdown in IPOs and M&A activity in 2024, venture capital funding remains strong with 89 CAR-T companies securing $7.7 billion since 2014, supporting advancement in both blood cancer and solid tumor applications.
AstraZeneca Acquires EsoBiotec for $1 Billion: Revolutionary In Vivo CAR-T Technology to Transform Cancer Treatment
• Belgian biotech EsoBiotec, founded by Congolese-born scientist Jean-Pierre Latere, has been acquired by AstraZeneca for $1 billion, including $425 million upfront and $575 million in milestone payments.
• EsoBiotec's groundbreaking Engineered NanoBody Lentiviral (ENaBL) platform enables in vivo CAR-T cell therapy, turning patients into their own cell therapy factories and potentially eliminating complex ex vivo manufacturing processes.
• The acquisition represents a remarkable success story for a capital-constrained startup that operated on just €22 million, compared to competitors who raised hundreds of millions for similar technology development.
Long-Term Follow-Up of TRANSFORM Trial Shows Sustained Benefits of Liso-Cel CAR T-Cell Therapy in Relapsed LBCL
• Three-year follow-up data from the phase 3 TRANSFORM trial demonstrates lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) significantly improved event-free survival with a median of 29.5 months versus 2.4 months with standard of care in relapsed large B-cell lymphoma.
• Liso-cel showed impressive efficacy with an 87% overall response rate and 74% complete response rate, while maintaining a favorable safety profile with lower rates of cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity compared to axicabtagene ciloleucel.
• The study revealed that patients who received liso-cel as second-line therapy had substantially better outcomes than those who crossed over after standard chemotherapy, emphasizing the importance of early CAR T-cell intervention.
Related Clinical Trials:
Kite, A Gilead Company
Posted 1/25/2018
The Lymphoma Academic Research Organisation
Posted 3/10/2021
Juno Therapeutics, a Subsidiary of Celgene
Posted 7/27/2018
Chimeric Therapeutics Raises $6.6 Million to Advance Novel CAR-T and NK Cell Cancer Therapies
• Chimeric Therapeutics has secured $6.6 million through a two-tranche placement from institutional and professional investors to accelerate its clinical trial pipeline.
• The funding will primarily support the advancement of CHM CDH17 CAR-T therapy, the first anti-CDH17-directed CAR-T treatment, and CORE-NK cell therapy programs for various cancer types.
• Patient recruitment and dosing are progressing at major U.S. cancer centers, with the University of Chicago Medicine joining as a new trial site for the pioneering CDH17 CAR-T therapy.
Related Clinical Trials:
Chimeric Therapeutics
Posted 5/15/2024
Porton Advanced Accelerates Development of Innovative Cell Therapies for Solid Tumors with Key Partnerships
• Porton Advanced's CDMO services have enabled Tasly Pharmaceutical's dual-targeting CAR-T therapy for recurrent glioblastoma to receive IND approval from China's NMPA, demonstrating the effectiveness of their end-to-end manufacturing platform.
• The company has established a new partnership with Hualong Biological to accelerate the development of Multi-Activated T Cell (MATC) therapy for solid tumors, leveraging Porton's regulatory expertise and manufacturing capabilities.
• With 18 global IND approvals and specialized platforms for plasmids, viral vectors, and cell therapies, Porton Advanced is positioning itself as a leading CDMO in the advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) sector.
Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapy Advances in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Comprehensive Review
• Targeted therapies for NSCLC have revolutionized treatment for patients with specific genetic alterations, with EGFR, ALK, and ROS1 inhibitors showing significant improvements in progression-free survival compared to traditional chemotherapy.
• Immunotherapy, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4, has become a cornerstone in NSCLC treatment, with newer targets like LAG-3, TIM-3, and TIGIT showing promise in ongoing clinical trials.
• Advanced cellular therapies including adoptive cell transfer, CAR-T cells, and cancer vaccines represent the next frontier in NSCLC treatment, particularly for patients with "cold tumors" who don't respond to standard immunotherapies.
Related Clinical Trials:
Vaxon Biotech
Posted 8/1/2012
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Posted 11/23/2015
Cancer Research UK
Posted 12/8/2021
Safety, Immunogenicity and Preliminary Clinical Activity Study of PDC*lung01 Cancer Vaccine in NSCLC
PDC*line Pharma SAS
Posted 9/10/2019
EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc.
Posted 10/29/2015
Incyte Corporation
Posted 9/24/2018
MacroGenics
Posted 7/1/2015
Boehringer Ingelheim
Posted 4/19/2010
AstraZeneca
Posted 9/1/2010
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Posted 3/6/2018
Sanofi
Posted 7/23/2014
Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University
Posted 9/1/2019
Ariad Pharmaceuticals
Posted 5/26/2016
Herlev Hospital
Posted 12/17/2018
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Posted 3/4/2011
IO Biotech
Posted 8/22/2018
Hoffmann-La Roche
Posted 8/19/2014
AstraZeneca
Posted 12/3/2014
Turnstone Biologics, Corp.
Posted 3/8/2017
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Posted 5/4/2012
Southwest Hospital, China
Posted 12/1/2014
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Posted 10/16/2012
CureVac
Posted 4/1/2013
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Posted 4/11/2018
Chongqing Precision Biotech Co., Ltd
Posted 2/20/2020
Pfizer
Posted 1/8/2014
MacroGenics
Posted 11/21/2018
Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC
Posted 12/13/2016
PersonGen BioTherapeutics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.
Posted 10/1/2015
Spanish Lung Cancer Group
Posted 2/15/2007
Genentech, Inc.
Posted 8/10/2018
Hoffmann-La Roche
Posted 4/12/2012
Boehringer Ingelheim
Posted 8/14/2009
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Posted 2/17/2021
Hoffmann-La Roche
Posted 10/15/2018
First Affiliated Hospital Bengbu Medical College
Posted 3/10/2022
AstraZeneca
Posted 9/28/2021
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins
Posted 5/28/2020
GlaxoSmithKline
Posted 12/31/2018
MacroGenics
Posted 3/26/2015
CureVac
Posted 5/1/2009
AstraZeneca
Posted 5/7/2014
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Posted 5/1/2015
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Posted 8/5/2011
Hoffmann-La Roche
Posted 11/11/2019
Pfizer
Posted 5/9/2013
CStone Pharmaceuticals
Posted 12/13/2018
Duke University
Posted 2/1/1997
MacroGenics
Posted 8/18/2017
The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
Posted 2/1/2018
Shanghai Cell Therapy Research Institute
Posted 6/7/2017
Pfizer
Posted 4/19/2006
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Posted 3/16/2016
Poseida Therapeutics, Inc.
Posted 2/15/2022
PeproMene Bio Secures $11 Million Investment to Advance BAFF-R CAR T-Cell Therapy for Follicular Lymphoma
• PeproMene Bio has received an $11 million investment from the Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation to develop PMB-CT01, a novel BAFF-R CAR T-cell therapy for relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma.
• Early clinical results show promising efficacy with a 100% complete response rate in six non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients and minimal side effects, including in patients who relapsed after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy.
• PMB-CT01 targets the BAFF-R receptor, which is crucial for B-cell survival, potentially making it difficult for tumor cells to escape therapy through antigen loss, a common limitation of current CD19-targeted therapies.
Related Clinical Trials:
PeproMene Bio, Inc.
Posted 5/18/2021
PeproMene Bio, Inc.
Posted 6/13/2022
India's Indigenous CAR T-Cell Therapy Revolutionizes Cancer Treatment at One-Tenth Global Cost
• India has successfully developed NexCAR19, its first indigenous CAR T-cell therapy for blood cancers, priced at approximately Rs 40 lakh ($50,000) compared to $400,000 in the United States.
• Clinical trials involving 64 patients with advanced lymphoma or leukemia showed promising results, with 67% experiencing significant cancer reduction and about half achieving complete remission.
• Unlike U.S. approved therapies that use mouse-derived antibody fragments, India's "humanized" CAR T-cells caused fewer severe side effects, with no reported neurologic complications and only 5% experiencing severe cytokine release syndrome.
CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Promise in Reversing Age-Related Metabolic Dysfunction
• Researchers have successfully reprogrammed CAR T cells to target and eliminate senescent cells that accumulate with age, demonstrating potential to reverse age-related metabolic decline.
• The novel senolytic therapy targets urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR)-positive cells, requiring only a single administration compared to traditional small-molecule approaches that need repeated dosing.
• In aged mice, the CAR T-cell treatment improved glucose homeostasis and metabolic fitness without observable toxicity, suggesting promising therapeutic applications for age-related conditions.