On July 31, 2019 Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXEL) reported that it has entered into an exclusive collaboration, option and license agreement with Aurigene Discovery Technologies Limited (Aurigene), the India-based discovery biotechnology company focused on oncology and inflammatory disorders (Press release, Exelixis, JUL 31, 2019, View Source [SID1234537958]). The agreement gives Exelixis the opportunity to in-license as many as six programs from Aurigene, which has developed a focused approach to drug discovery that targets differentiated first-in-class and best-in-class opportunities with unique mechanisms of action. The deal is part of Exelixis’ ongoing strategy to build an innovative pipeline behind the company’s internally discovered, commercially available therapies, including its flagship product, CABOMETYX (cabozantinib).

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"Exelixis’ demonstrated success in bringing oncology therapies to market, as well as its own legacy of drug discovery expertise, make it a natural partner for Aurigene. We look forward to combining these complementary skills to drive potential new therapies for the patients that need them."

Under the terms of the agreement, Exelixis will make an upfront payment of $10 million for exclusive options to license three preexisting programs from Aurigene. In addition, Exelixis and Aurigene will initiate three Aurigene-led drug discovery programs on mutually agreed upon targets, in exchange for additional option payments of $2.5 million per program. Exelixis will also contribute research funding to Aurigene to facilitate discovery and preclinical development work on all six programs. As the programs mature, Exelixis will have the opportunity to exercise an exclusive option for each program up until the time of Investigational New Drug (IND) acceptance. If Exelixis decides to exercise an option, it will make an option exercise payment to Aurigene and assume responsibility for that program’s future clinical development and commercialization including global manufacturing. Aurigene will be eligible for clinical development, regulatory, and sales milestones, as well as royalties on sales. Under the terms of the agreement, Aurigene retains limited development and commercial rights for India and Russia.

"Aurigene has a proven track record in discovery collaborations with 14 partnered programs currently in clinical trials, including 10 trials in the United States," said Peter Lamb, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Scientific Strategy and Chief Scientific Officer of Exelixis. "Our collaboration has the potential to enhance Exelixis’ early-stage pipeline with promising therapeutic candidates while mitigating financial risk for Exelixis through a success-based payment structure. Aurigene’s small molecule discovery expertise complements our internal discovery capabilities and gives us access to an expanded range of targets and mechanisms, including covalent inhibition and induced protein degradation. We’re excited to start working with Aurigene and are hopeful that our partnership will result in multiple clinical-stage compounds and, eventually, therapies that may benefit patients with cancer."

"Aurigene has deep expertise exploring novel mechanisms of action for discovering new, effective treatments for patients with cancer," said Murali Ramachandra, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Aurigene. "Exelixis’ demonstrated success in bringing oncology therapies to market, as well as its own legacy of drug discovery expertise, make it a natural partner for Aurigene. We look forward to combining these complementary skills to drive potential new therapies for the patients that need them."

On July 31, 2019 Quanterix Corporation (NASDAQ:QTRX), a company digitizing biomarker analysis with the goal of advancing the science of precision health, reported that Kevin Hrusovsky, Chief Executive Officer, President and Chairman of Quanterix, will present at the Canaccord Genuity 39th Annual Growth Conference, on Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019 at 9:30 a.m., EDT at the InterContinental Boston (Press release, Quanterix, JUL 31, 2019, View Source [SID1234537957]). Hrusovsky, who will also share remarks at an investor dinner the prior evening hosted by Canaccord Genuity to discuss company momentum in advancing Alzheimer’s treatments and diagnoses, will also be available for one-on-one meetings during the conference.

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"Our mission to disrupt the field of precision health has been fueled by recent product launches incorporating new technological innovations, expansion of our assay menu, greater scale and capabilities in our CLIA-certified Accelerator Service Lab, and most recently the strategic acquisition of UmanDiagnostics, which further accelerates our ability to expand the availability of Nf-L as a transformative biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases," said Hrusovsky. "These achievements demonstrate the impact of our disruptive innovation in the field of precision health, and we are excited to return to Canaccord Genuity this year to share greater insight into our growth trajectory, mission to revolutionize today’s healthcare system, and broad opportunity horizon for future value creation."

In addition to acquiring UmanDiagnostics AB and consolidating its operations in Billerica, Mass., Quanterix further solidified its position as a market leader through several recent critical milestones, including:

The expansion of Quanterix’ executive leadership team with top-tier commercial talent;
Unveiling of the Simoa HD-X Analyzer, which has already been placed with several early access customers;
Hosting of major Alzheimer’s Disease KOL dinner event at the 2019 Alzheimer’s Association International Convention;
Hrusovsky’s recognition as a 2019 Entrepreneur Of The Year in New England, one of the region’s highest business honors; and,
Completion of a nearly $50 million capital raise.
Hrusovsky will elaborate on these advances and share details regarding the Company’s unique growth strategy inside its product portfolio and commercial channel footprint.

To access the live webcast of Quanterix’ presentation, please visit the News & Events page within the investor relations section of the Quanterix website at www.quanterix.com. Replays of the webcast will be available for 90 days following the conference.

On July 31, 2019 Exicure, Inc. (OTCQB: XCUR), a pioneer in gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic drugs utilizing spherical nucleic acid (SNA) constructs, reported that its common stock will begin trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol "XCUR" at the opening of trading on July 31, 2019, following its previously announced approval to list its common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Press release, Exicure, JUL 31, 2019, View Source [SID1234537956]).

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Exicure also announced today the pricing of the previously announced underwritten public offering of 27,500,000 shares of its common stock at a price to the public of $2.00 per share. Exicure has also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 4,125,000 shares of common stock to cover overallotments, if any. The offering is expected to close on or about August 2, 2019 subject to customary closing conditions.

Exicure expects to receive gross proceeds of $55 million from the sale of common stock in the offering, prior to deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by it. Exicure intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to advance AST-008 through a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial; to develop an SNA therapeutic candidate for a neurology condition and advance it into Phase 1 clinical trials; and for general corporate purposes.

Guggenheim Securities is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering. Chardan is acting as lead manager for the offering. H.C. Wainwright & Co. and Ladenburg Thalmann are acting as co-managers for the offering.

The securities described above are being offered by Exicure pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-230175) that was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on July 24, 2019. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering were filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC’s website located at www.sec.gov. A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus describing the terms of the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may also be obtained, when available, from: Guggenheim Securities, LLC Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 330 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10017 or by telephone at (212) 518-5548, or by email at [email protected].

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of that state or jurisdiction.

On July 31, 2019 BioTime, Inc. (NYSE American and TASE: BTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel cell therapies for unmet medical needs, reported it is launching a new corporate brand, including a change of its corporate name to Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc., effective August 12, 2019 (Press release, BioTime, JUL 31, 2019, View Source [SID1234537955]). In connection with the launch, the Company’s NYSE American ticker symbol will change to "LCTX" and will be effective at the open of the market on August 12, 2019. The Company’s former ticker symbol "BTX" will remain effective through market close as of August 9, 2019. The new website for Lineage Cell Therapeutics will be www.lineagecell.com. The Company’s new identity reflects its commitment to becoming an innovative, leading cell therapy company and highlights its extensive cell therapy platform.

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"BioTime has been a pioneering company in the field of cell therapy, but its assortment of programs and affiliates sometimes detracted from its core business and made it difficult for key audiences to fully appreciate its story. During the past three quarters, a new management team has taken aggressive steps to streamline the corporate structure, selectively convert diverse equity holdings into cash, and focus priorities on our three clinical-stage assets. With a clearer structure and clinical focus now in place, this was the right time to update our name and invite stakeholders to rediscover this exciting business," stated Brian M. Culley, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. "Our new brand defines us within our field: we control the lineage of pluripotent cells and transplant those differentiated cell types into patients as therapeutics. The descriptive and unique logo is expressive of our core technology and refined focus. We look forward to launching our new brand on August 12th and continuing to build momentum and awareness of the Company’s mission among the investment, medical and patient communities."

The Company also will be relocating its corporate headquarters to Carlsbad, California, effective August 12, 2019. The move to San Diego County will provide the Company with proximity to world-leading academic centers, public and private cell therapy peers, and is expected to offer more centralized decision-making, cost-savings, and access to an extensive network of experienced staff.

On July 31, 2019 Sesen Bio (Nasdaq: SESN), a late-stage clinical company developing targeted fusion protein therapeutics for the treatment of patients with cancer, reported it will be featured as a presenting company at the Canaccord Genuity 39th Annual Growth Conference on Wednesday, August 7, 2019 in Boston, MA (Press release, Eleven Biotherapeutics, JUL 31, 2019, View Source [SID1234537938]).

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Event: Canaccord Genuity 39th Annual Growth Conference
Date: August 7, 2019
Time: 10 a.m. EDT
Location: San Francisco room, The InterContinental Boston Hotel in Boston

A live webcast of the company’s presentation will be accessible from the Investors & Media section of Sesen Bio’s website, www.sesenbio.com. An archived replay of the webcast will be available on the company’s website for 90 days after the conference.