BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
KSQ Therapeutics | January 30, 2023
KSQ Therapeutics, a leading clinical-stage biotechnology company developing therapies to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases, recently announced that Ono Pharmaceutical (ONO) has acquired multiple research-stage DNA damage response (DDR) programs. The programs were identified using KSQ's CRISPRomics platform technology. All of the programs are new and have the potential to be first-in-class therapies.
ONO's Discovery & Research Executive Director/ Senior Executive Officer Toichi Takino commented, "ONO appreciates the ability of KSQ's CRISPRomics platform technology to discover novel therapeutic targets with high selectivity for cancer cells." He added, "Through this acquisition agreement, we expect that the programs acquired from KSQ will lead to the creation of innovative medicines that will help treat cancer patients."
(Source – Business Wire)
KSQ's Chief Executive Officer Qasim Rizvi commented, "This acquisition of multiple research-stage oncology programs by ONO is further validation of the power of our platform to identify novel oncology targets and develop potential first-in-class programs." He added, "This is an important transaction for KSQ, enabling us to focus on our other programs. We look forward to watching ONO's progress as they advance these programs toward clinical studies."
(Source – Business Wire)
As per the terms of the agreement, ONO will pay KSQ a double-digit million upfront payment, prospective near-term milestone payments with potential long-term value in the triple-digit millions, and net sales-based royalties.
About KSQ Therapeutics
Founded in 2015, KSQ Therapeutics is a clinical-stage firm using its CRISPRomics® discovery platform to systematically decode the genome and identify optimal gene targets for oncology and autoimmune disease. It utilizes the platform for innovative drug development across diverse therapeutic domains and is actively creating a proprietary pipeline of tumor- and immune-focused drug candidates. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, KSQ was formed by functional genomics thought leaders and CRISPR screening technology pioneers.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
Certara | January 05, 2023
Certara, Inc. announced the acquisition of Vyasa Analytics, LLC, which offers scalable deep-learning software that enables life sciences enterprises to make predictions and answer complicated queries across structured and unstructured bio-medical data. The acquisition will improve Certara's software by giving its end-to-end platform cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) features.
Certara said it was excited to announce that it had bought Vyasa, a cutting-edge company that would improve its software platforms and give it more options across many product lines. It went on to say that by introducing AI into its product line, the company is establishing capabilities that will allow it to maintain its leadership in biosimulation use cases in drug research and development.
Established in 2017, Vyasa software offers businesses a revolutionary artificial intelligence-powered platform that allows them to integrate and analyze material across their company data landscape. LAYAR is a flexible, modular data fabric that can be used to analyze numbers, words, and pictures. It is Vyasa's most important product. It uses artificial intelligence to help people make better decisions during all stages of drug development.
About Certara
Certara, a pharmaceutical manufacturing firm with headquarters in Princeton, is focused on accelerating the creation of medications by transforming the traditional drug discovery and development process utilizing its biosimulation software, technology, and services. There are around 2,000 biopharmaceutical businesses, academic institutions, and regulatory bodies from 62 countries among its clientele.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals | February 28, 2023
On February 27, 2023, EyePoint Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading pharmaceutical firm committed to the development and commercialization of therapeutics to help improve the lives of patients with severe eye disorders and Rallybio Corporation, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to identifying and accelerating the development of life-transforming therapeutics for patients with severe and rare diseases, announced a research collaboration to explore the sustained delivery of Rallybio's complement component 5 (C5) inhibitor for the treatment of geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration that can cause irreversible vision loss. The research will use EyePoint's proprietary Durasert® technology, which is designed for sustained intraocular drug delivery.
Approximately one million individuals in the United States suffer from geographic atrophy, which is characterized by atrophic lesions in the central region of the macula. Geographic atrophy can cause irreversible vision loss and can lead to legal blindness. Currently, geographic atrophy treatments are limited in choice and duration of action, leaving a significant unmet need for safe and effective treatment options.
Under the terms of the research partnership, EyePoint and Rallybio will assess and explore the viability of utilizing Rallybio's C5 inhibitor in EyePoint's Durasert technology, with the intention to increase the collaboration upon mutual agreement following the evaluation.
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals' M.D., President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Duker commented, "We are excited to begin this research collaboration to explore the combination of Rallybio's C5 inhibitor with our bioerodible Durasert sustained release drug delivery technology to develop a potential long-acting treatment for geographic atrophy," He further emphasized, "Geographic atrophy associated with dry macular degeneration is a devastating eye disease, and the inhibition of complement is a proven treatment pathway. We hope to leverage our Durasert technology in this collaboration to create a potential best-in-class, long-acting intravitreal insert, which we believe could provide a more desirable option for patients given that the existing approved therapy is injected every one to two months."
(Source – Business Wire)
About EyePoint Pharmaceuticals
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals is a leading pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes therapeutic products to help patients suffering from serious eye disorders. Headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, it is committed to using its innovative drug delivery platform to improve patients' quality of life. The company's pipeline utilizes its proprietary Durasert technology, which enables sustained intraocular drug delivery. Its current pipeline includes EYP-1901, a potential six-month intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment aimed at treating wet age-related macular degeneration. Durasert technology has been successfully used across four FDA-approved products, including YUTIQ®, which treats chronic non-infectious uveitis affecting the posterior segment of the eye.
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