(Filing, 10-Q, Generex, JAN 17, 2017, View Source [SID1234517456])

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On January 18, 2017 Takara Bio USA Holdings, Inc. ("TBUSH") reported that it has completed the acquisition of Rubicon Genomics, Inc. ("Rubicon"), Rubicon has become a wholly-owned subsidiary of TBUSH as of January 17, 2017 (US local time) (Press release, Takara Bio, JAN 17, 2017, View Source [SID1234517461]).

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Under the merger agreement executed with Rubicon, TBUSH paid 75 million US dollars to acquire 100% of the equity in Rubicon. TBUSH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Takara Bio Inc. ("Takara Bio"), a leading global biotechnology and life science company headquartered in Shiga, Japan. Takara Bio USA, Inc. ("TBUSA", formerly known as Clontech Laboratories, Inc.) is a wholly owned subsidiary of TBUSH, and both TBUSA and TBUSH are part of the global Takara Bio Group. The impact of the acquisition on Takara Bio Inc.’s financial results in 2017 will be immaterial.

The Takara Bio Group provides a wide range of life science products and services under the Takara, Clontech, and Cellartis brands that assist discovery, translational, and clinical scientists in the advancement of their work. The Rubicon acquisition will allow the Takara Bio Group to augment and expand its worldwide commercial offerings in next generation sequencing (NGS) sample preparation and expand into new markets.

"We are pleased to announce the completion of this transaction and officially welcome Rubicon to the Takara Bio Group," said Carol Lou, President, TBUSA. "We are excited about the synergy between Rubicon’s technologies and products and our own longstanding expertise and SMART-based portfolio of cDNA synthesis, low-input, and single cell RNA-seq products. We now have an expanded NGS and genetic analysis capabilities that strengthen our product portfolio and allow us to better serve the life science research market, as well as creating new opportunities for us to serve customers in IVF and other clinical markets. We are excited to move forward as one organization positioned for growth."

As previously communicated, Rubicon’s technology is also complementary with the WaferGen Bio-systems, Inc. instrument platforms and technologies. TBUSH announced plans to acquire WaferGen in 2016, and anticipates that the merger will close in March 2017. The combined acquisitions are synergistic and will allow the Takara Bio Group to provide the exciting benefits of the combined portfolios to the life science community.

On January 17, 2017 ERYTECH Pharma (Euronext Paris – ERYP), the French biopharmaceutical company that develops innovative ‘tumor starvation’ treatments for acute leukemia and other oncology indications with unmet medical needs (the "Company"), reported new data supporting the second Company’s product candidate ERY-MET will be presented at the 2017 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) (ASCO GI), being held January 19 – 21, 2017 in San Francisco, California (Press release, ERYtech Pharma, JAN 17, 2017, View Source [SID1234517431]).

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The research will be presented during the poster session of the symposium by the first author of the abstract, Dr. Vanessa Bourgeaux, the Company’s R&D Project Leader. The abstract will be available online starting on January 20, 2017 on ERYTECH’s website via View Source

The findings from the preclinical studies demonstrate that ERY-MET, which is methionine gamma-lyaseencapsulated in red blood cells (RBC) developed using the Company’s proprietary ERYCAPS encapsulation platform technology, can inhibit tumor growth in a murine model of human gastric adenocarcinoma. This effect can be regulated by Vitamin B6 supplementation.

Abstract #78: Methionine gamma-lyase-encapsulated into red blood cells (ERY-MET) shows profound antitumor activity in gastric carcinoma
Author: Vanessa Bourgeaux
Date: Thursday, January 19, 2017
Time: 12:30 – 2:00 p.m. PST 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. PST
Location: Board G12, Moscone West Building Poster
Session: A: Cancers of the Esophagus and Stomach

Methionine is an essential amino acid, which all cells need to grow and multiply. More particularly, fastgrowing tumor cells exhibit very high requirements of methionine to proliferate. The enzyme methionine gamma-lyase (MGL) mediates tumor starvation via systemic lowering of methionine levels. MGL is an enzyme with a short half-life and is dependent on a co-factor, a Vitamin B6 derivative, to function. Encapsulating MGL in RBCs extends the half-life significantly and the conversion of Vitamin B6 to the co-factor happens naturally inside the RBC.

The Company’s research team determined the plasma methionine level reduction as a pharmacodynamics biomarker and analyzed the anti-tumor activity of weekly ERY-MET injections in mice. The study found that ERY-MET, in combination with daily Vitamin B6 supplementation, increased active MGL half-life in vivo, from less than 24 hours to 8-9 days. The combined ERY-MET and Vitamin B6 treatment exhibited anti-tumor activity in 100% of treated mice, with tumor growth inhibitions varying from 91% to 100% by the end of the study.

Dr. Bourgeaux stated, "We had already identified the potential of ERY-MET as a tumor starvation agent in a mouse model of glioblastoma. This work, demonstrating that ERY-MET can also induce tumor growth inhibition in mice with human gastric adenocarcinoma and achieving an almost complete regression, strengthens the Company’s current strategy to develop product candidates based upon its proprietary ERYCAPS platform as potential treatments for various oncology indications in addition to blood cancers. We believe ERY-MET shows significant promise as a new anti-tumor drug to treat gastric and other recalcitrant cancers."

On January 17, 2017 Celyad (Euronext Brussels and Paris, and NASDAQ: CYAD), a leader in the discovery and development of engineered cell-based therapies, reported that the first patient of the Therapeutic Immunotherapy with NKR-2 (THINK) trial started cell processing in Belgium (Press release, Celyad, JAN 17, 2017, View Source [SID1234517421]). Blood was collected from this patient and first CAR-T NKR-2 dose level infusion (3×108 cells) is expected in January 2017.

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"We are pleased to announce that the first patient has been registered in our Belgian Phase Ib trial of CAR-T NKR-2. After witnessing evidence of activity in our initial safety studies, we are enthusiastic about reporting data from this trial in 2017,"said Christian Homsy, CEO of Celyad. "We look forward to expanding the trial to U.S.-based institutions and I would like to thank our clinical partners, and the Celyad team for enabling this milestone."

Dr. Frédéric Lehmann, VP Clinical Development & Medical Affairs at Celyad: "This is an important moment for Celyad. The THINK trial is aimed to demonstrate that CAR-T NKR-2 cells can deeply transform the way we treat cancer patients. The team keeps on showing its awe-inspiring ability to deliver in Research and Development, and the Company has now reached a cardinal inflection point to emerge as a key player in the CAR-T space."

About the THINK trial
THINK (THerapeutic Immunotherapy with NKR-2) is a multinational (EU/US) open-label Phase Ib study to assess the safety and clinical activity of multiple administrations of autologous CAR-T NKR-2 cells in seven refractory cancers, including five solid tumors (colorectal, ovarian, bladder, triple-negative breast and pancreatic cancers) and two hematological tumors (acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma).
The trial will test three dose levels adjusted to body weight: up to 3×108, 1×109 and 3×109 CAR-T NKR-2 cells. At each dose, the patients will receive three successive administrations, two weeks apart, of CAR-T NKR-2 cells. The dose escalation part of the study will enroll up to 24 patients while the extension phase would enroll 86 additional patients.