On November 5, 2024 Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, and ProBioGen, a leading CDMO in biologics, vaccines and viral vectors, reported that the companies have entered into a license agreement for ProBioGen’s AGE1.CR.pIX suspension cell line (Press release, Transgene, NOV 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234647673]). This partnership aims to add value by combining ProBioGen’s specific production technology with the manufacturing capabilities of Transgene’s individualized cancer vaccine program and its myvac platform.

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ProBioGen’s AGE1.CR.pIX suspension cell line showcases innovation and reliability in bioprocessing with a proven track record and is currently in use for multiple late-stage clinical trials. Renowned for its high yield and scalability, this platform enables efficient industrial manufacturing processes, translating into cost-effectiveness and increased productivity in manufacturing. Additionally, the AGE1.CR.pIX cell line offers robust growth and excellent genetic stability to ensure consistent and reliable production.

"We are delighted to embark on this collaborative journey with ProBioGen," said Dr. Alessandro Riva, CEO of Transgene. "The AGE1.CR.pIX suspension cell line represents a significant addition to further expand the manufacturing processes for our individualized cancer vaccines while we work towards providing patients with tailored patient-specific therapies against cancer on a larger scale."

The partnership between Transgene and ProBioGen underscores a shared commitment to advancing the field of individualized medicine and to support manufacturing scalability and optimization.

"We are thrilled to partner with Transgene in advancing the frontier of personalized cancer vaccines," said Dr. Volker Sandig, CSO of ProBioGen. "Our collaboration holds immense potential to impact the personalized vaccine space and to offer new treatments and hope to cancer patients."

On November 4, 2024 Ring Therapeutics, a life sciences company founded by Flagship Pioneering to revolutionize gene therapy with its commensal virome platform, reported new strategic partnerships with the Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore’s lead public sector R&D agency; and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) to advance innovative R&D efforts and support the continued development of the biomedical science ecosystem in the region (Press release, Ring Therapeutics, NOV 4, 2024, View Source [SID1234656557]).

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"The strategic benefits for the company are profound and span the entirety of the platform, from early discovery work where we plan to characterize novel anellovirus genomes to enable ophthalmology and oncology applications, to indication portfolio expansion via the testing of novel payloads across multiple therapeutic areas, to enhancing process performance for our next-generation manufacturing platform," said Tuyen Ong, MD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer at Ring Therapeutics and CEO-Partner at Flagship Pioneering. "Through engaging a global ecosystem of R&D experts, these partnerships will further expand the potential of our Anellogy platform and aim to accelerate the clinical translation of our AnelloVector therapeutics."

The A*STAR and SERI partnership will accelerate the creation of new potential treatments for eye diseases (ophthalmology) and cancer (oncology), while also improving the methods and technologies needed to produce these treatments. The collaboration will bring together synergistic expertise in scale-up manufacturing and capabilities for continued advancements of scientific breakthroughs and technological development in the region.

Professor Tan Sze Wee, Assistant Chief Executive, Biomedical Research Council, A*STAR, added, "We are excited to partner with Ring Therapeutics, whose pioneering platform technology complements our mission to advance innovative medicines. By bringing together our technologies and premier research capabilities, this collaboration holds great promise for translating groundbreaking discoveries into impactful therapeutic solutions for patients. We believe this strategic fit will foster continued scientific collaboration and inspire advanced R&D development within the Singapore biotech ecosystem, ultimately bringing impact and benefiting those in need."

Professor Jodhbir Mehta, Executive Director, SERI, added, "Gene therapy presents an exciting opportunity to treat ophthalmic diseases that previously had no effective treatments. This partnership will allow SERI to further develop Ring’s novel class of viral vector that has higher tropism and is potentially redosable. We look forward to making significant strides in developing groundbreaking therapies that will reduce vision impairment."

On November 4, 2024 Caszyme, a pioneer in the development and application of CRISPR gene editing technology, and Integra Therapeutics, a company leading the way in creating advanced therapies based on next-generation gene-writing tools, reported a licensing agreement for the use of Caszyme’s novel Cas12l nucleases to develop safer and more efficient gene and cell therapies (Press release, Integra Therapeutics, NOV 4, 2024, View Source [SID1234654539]).

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The agreement was unveiled at this year’s BIO Europe, which is the largest partnering event for the biomedical industry in Europe, taking place this week in Stockholm. Over 2,800 companies attended from 60 countries, with more than 5,000 biopharma professionals in attendance.

Under the agreement, Integra Therapeutics will incorporate the genome editor Cas12l into its FiCAT 2.0 (Find and Cut-And-Transfer) gene-writing platform, following successful in vivo and ex vivo studies, which yielded highly positive results in terms of safety and functionality in human cells. Caszyme will receive milestone payments up to 40 million. euros in addition to royalties on sales.

Cas12l is a unique CRISPR nuclease family with an effector size of approximately 850 amino acids that stands out for its small size and versatility. As the demand for efficient and safe gene-editing tools in therapeutic contexts continues to grow, these small nucleases represent a promising solution, combining efficacy with the practical advantages of reduced size. Caszyme-developed Cas12l shows great activity in human cells across multiple targets.

Compared to other nucleases, Caszyme’s Cas12l offers additional delivery possibilities, especially when combined with other effector domains. Moreover, smaller nucleases from non-pathogenic bacteria may be less immunogenic compared to their larger counterparts, further highlighting their therapeutic potential. The nucleases discovered by Caszyme exhibit different characteristics from Cas9 nucleases, which formed the foundation of the find module in FiCAT 1.0, expanding their potential applications in advanced therapies.

"Caszyme’s goal is to enable therapeutic companies to develop novel, efficient and affordable gene editing modalities. This collaboration with Integra Therapeutics is a perfect alignment between two highly innovative European companies, and when successful, will help bring advanced gene editing based therapies to the market." said Dr Monika Paulė, CEO and Co-Founder of Caszyme.

Adding, Dr Giedrius Gasiunas, CSO and Co-Founder of Caszyme, said "the partnership will further Caszyme’s core scientific aims – which are to develop novel, safer and smaller Cas12l nucleases that are more compatible with diverse delivery technologies, such as AAVs, mRNA and LNPs."

Dr Avencia Sánchez-Mejías, CEO and Co-Founder of Integra Therapeutics, added, "This agreement with Caszyme reaffirms our commitment with the excellence in technology development to delivery therapeutic solutions for patients with our gene-writing technology in the preclinical regulatory phase and highlights the success of the transnational project funded by the European Commission, which we launched in 2022 through Eurostars, in support of Europe’s most innovative SMEs."

"The integration of Caszyme nucleases into our FiCAT 2.0 platform strengthens Integra Therapeutics’ mission to develop the highest-quality gene and cell therapy products for the treatment of a wide range of genetic and oncological diseases. FiCAT 2.0 will set itself apart in the market by offering enhanced precision and efficiency," explained Dr Marc Güell, CSO and Co-Founder of Integra Therapeutics.

On November 4, 2024 Cellectis, a clinical-stage biotechnology company using its pioneering gene editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies, reported business updates and reported financial results for the nine-month period ending September 30, 2024 (Press release, Cellectis, NOV 4, 2024, View Source [SID1234649626]).

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"This quarter, we were thrilled to welcome Dr. Kilcoyne to Cellectis as Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Kilcoyne joins us at a pivotal time for the Company, bringing extensive experience in drug development as we are progressing in our clinical programs. We expect to present Phase 1 dataset and late-stage development strategy in 2025 for UCART22 in ALL and UCART20x22 for NHL" said André Choulika, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Cellectis.

"Additionally, we are excited to announce that research and development activities have started for three programs under our collaboration and research agreement with AstraZeneca: one allogeneic CAR T for hematological malignancies, one allogeneic CAR T for solid tumors, and one in vivo gene therapy for a genetic disorder.

On November 4, 2024 BioNTech reported third quarter 2024 financial results and corporate update (Presentation, BioNTech, NOV 4, 2024, View Source [SID1234648706]).

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