Sinovent Completes Pre-IPO Financing of at least $30 Million

On January 19, 2021 Suzhou Sinovent reported that it completed a pre-IPO financing of at least $30 million in a round led by Oceanpine Healthcare Fund (Press release, Sinovent, JAN 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234574119]). Founded in 2016, Sinovent is a global biopharma that has 12 biologic products in development, five in clinical trials and another three molecules preparing to file INDs in China. Its lead program is a Wnt pathway porcupine inhibitor aimed at cancers of the digestive system, including colon cancer, esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. In August of last year, Sinovent completed a $145 million C round.

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Turret Capital announces a global in-licensing agreement with Genexine

On January 19, 2021 Turret Capital Management, a global investment and venture building firm focused on the healthcare industry, reported that it has signed a Definitive License Agreement with Genexine, inc.(KOSDAQ 095700), a South Korea-based Biotechnology company (Press release, Genexine, JAN 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234574118]). Under the terms of the agreement, Turret Capital has obtained global rights for selective indications to GX-P1. GX-P1 is a Phase I ready novel immunosuppressant agent that reduces the immune response by binding to PD-1 on activated T cells and thus inhibiting T cell activation; a mechanism that is opposite to that of an anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor typically used to treat cancer.

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The compound will be housed and developed within Egret Therapeutics, a subsidiary of Turret Capital, and will target clinical areas of unmet need in the area of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage. Daniel Chai, M.D., Executive Chairman of Egret Therapeutics and Managing Partner of Turret Capital, stated, "Our firm strives to develop and market the most compelling and innovative technologies to address large market opportunities in healthcare. We are excited to partner with Genexine on this Phase I ready asset and leverage our scientific and clinical expertise in Neurological diseases to better help patients that suffer from the debilitative and life-threatening conditions of stroke."

Sung Yung-Chul, Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Genexine stated, "We are excited about working with the team at Egret Therapeutics and leadership at Turret Capital. Through our partnership, we believe we can achieve maximal value for innovative products that have been developed within Genexine."

Under the terms of the agreement, Genexine will receive 5% of underlying Egret Therapeutics outstanding shares and be eligible to receive development and commercial milestones payments of up to $200 million USD.

Gracell Biotechnologies Receives IND Approval from China NMPA for GC019F, a FasTCAR-Enabled CAR-T Therapy for the Treatment of Relapsed or Refractory Adult B-ALL

On January 19, 2021 Gracell Biotechnologies Inc. (NASDAQ: GRCL) ("Gracell"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing highly efficacious and affordable cell therapies for the treatment of cancer, reported that the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) in China has approved an investigational new drug (IND) application to study GC019F, a FasTCAR-enabled chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) (Press release, Gracell Biotechnologies, JAN 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234574116]).

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GC019F is an autologous CAR-T therapy currently in development for adult B-ALL patients who are relapsed from or refractory to prior therapies. With the therapy, a patient’s own T cells are genetically modified to express CD19-specific CAR. GC019F is manufactured on Gracell’s FasTCAR technology platform, which significantly reduces manufacturing time from an industry norm of two to six weeks down to 22 to 36 hours.

"This marks the first IND approval for a product candidate manufactured on Gracell ‘s FasTCAR platform and sets an important milestone for furthering therapies manufactured on this platform. We are excited to bring this new therapy to adult B-ALL patients, who – once relapsed from or refractory to therapy – remain a high unmet medical need with limited treatment options in China," commented Dr. Martina Sersch, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Gracell.

[1] View Source

[2] View Source

About GC019F

GC019F is an autologous investigational CD19-targeted CAR-T cell therapy, directed to eradicate CD19 positive leukemia cells.

About FasTCAR

FasTCAR-manufactured CAR-T cells appear younger, less exhausted and show enhanced proliferation, persistence, bone marrow migration and tumor cell clearance activities as demonstrated in preclinical studies. With next-day manufacturing (22 to 36 hours), FasTCAR is able to significantly improve cell production efficiency which may result in meaningful cost savings, increasing the accessibility of cell therapies for cancer patients.

About B-ALL

B-ALL, a major form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), is one of the most common forms of cancer in children between the ages of two and five and adults over the age of 50.[1] In 2015, ALL affected around 837,000 people globally and resulted in 110,000 deaths worldwide.[2] It is also the most common cause of cancer and death from cancer among children.

OncoHost Secures $8 Million Series B Funding Round to Advance its AI-Powered Precision Oncology Platform

On January 19, 2021 OncoHost, global leader in host response profiling for improved personalized cancer therapy, reported the completion of a $8 million Series B funding round (Press release, OncoHost, JAN 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234574115]). The funding will help finance OncoHost’s ongoing clinical trials, open a US-based affiliate and prepare for the upcoming launch of PROphet, the company’s machine learning-based Host Response Profiling platform that combines proteomic analysis with AI to predict patient response to immunotherapy, providing clinicians with potential combination strategies to overcome treatment resistance.

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The funding round was led by OurCrowd, an investment platform built for accredited investors and institutions to invest in start-ups, early-stage companies and venture funds. They were joined by a group of family offices and private investors.

"As the renowned entrepreneur Marc Andreesen said, ‘Software will the eat world,’ and OncoHost is proving that software will help eat cancer," said OurCrowd CEO, Jon Medved. "We are excited about leading this important funding round for such a transformational company. OncoHost is demonstrating that smart software can take an already promising technology such as immunotherapy and make it so much smarter."

OncoHost is a clinical stage precision oncology start-up, combining life-science research and advanced machine learning technology to develop personalized strategies for cancer patients. Clinical trials are currently focused on melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and will soon expand to other indications. OncoHost’s platform, PROphet, analyzes proteomic changes in patient blood samples to detect signs of resistance to cancer therapies in real-time, enabling biomarker-guided treatment planning for physicians, target discovery for drug development and, ultimately, improved outcomes for patients.

PROphet will first be made available to healthcare providers who can use it to help assess how a specific patient may respond to a given treatment. This will aid the oncologist and patient in making informed decisions regarding treatment options, lines of therapy, potential combination treatments, and participation in clinical trials.

"This investment round supports our mission to better predict response to immunotherapy and identify personalized treatment options for cancer patients, as we continue to expand our collaboration with pharma on clinical trials and drug development," said Ofer Sharon, MD, CEO of OncoHost. "Proteomic analysis is allowing us to make great advances in personalized cancer care, and we are grateful to our investors for their support in the midst of this particularly challenging time of a global pandemic. The future of personalized cancer care is no longer a distant reality, but within our reach. We look forward to what 2021 holds for OncoHost."

Regeneron to Report Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Financial and Operating Results and Host Conference Call and Webcast on February 5, 2021

On January 19, 2021 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) reported that it will report its fourth quarter and full year 2020 financial and operating results on Friday, February 5, 2021, before the U.S. financial markets open (Press release, Regeneron, JAN 19, 2021, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/regeneron-to-report-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-2020-financial-and-operating-results-and-host-conference-call-and-webcast-on-february-5-2021-301211100.html [SID1234574114]). The Company will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast at 8:30 AM Eastern Time that day.

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Conference Call Information
To access this call, dial (888) 660-6127 (U.S.) or (973) 890-8355 (International), conference ID 1580376. A link to the webcast may be accessed from the ‘Investors and Media’ page of Regeneron’s website at View Source A replay of the conference call and webcast will be archived on the Company’s website for at least 30 days.