RESEARCH, PHARMA TECH
Biocytogen | March 09, 2023
On March 8, 2023, Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (Biocytogen) announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc., one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). The deal was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC.
Under the agreement, Janssen and its affiliates have been granted a global, non-exclusive license to utilize Biocytogen's RenLite® platform and its underlying intellectual property to research, discover, develop, manufacture and commercialize fully human antibody therapeutics, as well as other biological therapeutics, for unlimited drug targets and indications.
RenLite® is a part of Biocytogen's RenMiceTM family of completely human antibodies. RenLite® mice can produce fully human antibody candidates with high affinity, specificity, variety, and druggability, as well as a common light chain for further assembly of multispecific and bispecific antibodies with minimal mismatch and high success rate. In addition, the multispecific and bispecific antibodies assembled following the discovery of RenLite® feature a conventional antibody structure and good physiochemical characteristics that are beneficial for downstream CMC development.
About Biocytogen
Biocytogen is a leading biotech company that offers comprehensive solutions to the global biomedical community for developing next-generation antibody drugs. It has created a streamlined platform for efficient antibody drug discovery and validation using advanced gene editing technology and modern animal facilities. This includes animal model creation, therapeutic antibody discovery through their RenMab™ mice, and preclinical validation studies in vivo and in vitro. Biocytogen partners with over 70% of the leading biotech and pharmaceutical companies worldwide to develop innovative medicines for a healthier world. The company is a leading figure in the field of biomedical research, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this critical area of study.
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RESEARCH, PHARMA TECH
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) | March 01, 2023
Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio), a subsidiary of Bayer AG, recently announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted orphan drug designation to AB-1003 (also known as LION-101) for the treatment of limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). AB-1003 is an investigational recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) based gene therapy that is being developed as a one-time intravenous infusion for patients with LGMD type 2I/R9.
The disease affects 4.5 people per million worldwide, with more than 5,000 people affected in the EU and the US. The EC decision was received through AskBio's EU-based subsidiary BrainVectis, following a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products (COMP)
AB-1003 is currently being investigated in a Phase 1/2 multicenter study in the US to evaluate its tolerability, safety, and efficacy in adult subjects with genotypically confirmed LGMD2I/R9.
The EC for medicinal products grants orphan drug designation developed to treat a life-threatening disease that affects no more than five people in 10,000 in the EU, provided there is no other adequate treatment option or the medicine can bring significant value to those affected by a specific condition. This designation will provide special incentives in the EU, including eligibility for protocol assistance and possible reductions or exemptions in certain regulatory fees. Additionally, if the medicine is approved for marketing, this designation will provide ten years of marketing exclusivity.
Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) is a group of diseases that cause progressive weakening and wasting of the muscles in the arms and legs. The severity, features of LGMD and age of onset vary among the many subtypes of the condition and are often inconsistent, even within the same family. Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy Type 2I/R9 (LGMD2I/R9) is a form of LGMD caused by mutations in the FKRP gene. Signs and symptoms of LGMD2I/R9 often appear in late childhood and may include difficulty walking and running. The symptoms intensify with time, eventually leading to considerable disability, and afflicted persons typically require a wheelchair for movement roughly 23-26 years after beginning. Unfortunately, there is presently no treatment that slows the advancement of the disease, and management is based on the indications and symptoms that each individual exhibits.
About Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio)
AskBio is a leading, fully integrated gene therapy company dedicated to developing innovative gene therapeutics and life-saving medicines. With operations worldwide, its pipeline includes gene therapy candidates for various diseases, including the central nervous system, neuromuscular, metabolic, and cardiovascular diseases. AskBio's global headquarters are located in RTP, NC, with European headquarters in Edinburgh. In addition, the company operates AAV research centers in Philadelphia, PA; Columbus, OH; and Paris, and modern clinical and commercial facilities in San Sebastian, Spain.
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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMACY MARKET
Cellworks Group | January 13, 2023
Cellworks Group Inc., a pioneer in personalized therapy biosimulation, announced the introduction of its precision drug development business units.
These units will use predictive biosimulation to shorten drug development time-to-market and revive previously researched but disapproved pharmaceutical assets.
The two new business units will use Cellworks' computational biology model (CBM) and biosimulation platform to predict responses to pharmaceutical interventions in silico, streamlining the clinical trial by identifying suitable patients more quickly, thereby reducing the time and cost of developing successful pharmaceutical agents.
Cellworks precision drug development: Pre-clinical stage
Companion molecule development: The Cellworks platform can augment a drug's usability by finding companion molecules that improve performance when combined with the investigational agent.
Biomarker development: Cellworks utilizes cell lines and historical patient data to uncover novel biomarkers for investigational agents. This may increase drug success rates by proactively identifying individuals who will respond to an agent.
Indication expansion: By utilizing the Cellworks patient database of 100,000+ omics patient profiles and 1,800 oncology cell lines to examine the agent's effectiveness in different indications, the Cellworks platform can identify additional indications where an experimental treatment may be successful.
Cellworks precision drug development: Clinical stage
Drug revival and repurposing: The platform seeks to anticipate whether certain drugs cause a response, which may be used to identify whether shelved assets can be resurrected via suitable patient selection or the discovery of non-obvious reasons.
Clinical trial biosimulation: Through biosimulation clinical trials, the Cellworks platform may anticipate humans' clinical response to pharmaceutical agents in weeks, yielding critical insight years ahead of a traditional clinical practice.
Cellworks Platform and Computational Biology Model (CBM)
The Cellworks platform biosimulates the impact of specific pharmacological molecules on a given patient or class of patients using the patient's genetic profile. To generate a customized or cohort-specific disease model, multi-omic data from a cohort or patient is fed into the Cellworks computational biology model (CBM).
About Cellworks Group
Cellworks is one of the leaders in precision medicine. The organization assists physicians and payers in navigating the most efficacious, cost-effective therapies for patients. Its primary therapeutic areas are oncology, immunology, dermatology, and infectious diseases. Its one-of-a-kind biosimulation platform is a unified representation of biological information gathered from disparate databases and used to find cures. The company has the world's strongest trans-disciplinary team of molecular biologists, cellular pathway modelers, and internet software technologists working towards a common goal, i.e., taking on significant diseases to improve patients' lives.
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