On June 25, 2024 Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL) and the Gates Institute at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus reported a lentiviral vector contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) agreement (Press release, Charles River Laboratories, JUN 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234644543]). Gates Institute will leverage Charles River’s premier cell and gene therapy CDMO expertise to develop Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-grade lentiviral vectors (LVVs) for use in novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for hematological cancers.

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The Gates Institute mission at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is to develop and deliver advanced therapies in cell and gene therapy. The Institute brings together researchers, clinicians, and a GMP biomanufacturing facility for first-in-human clinical trials. Through this strategic collaboration, Gates Institute will have access to Charles River’s established manufacturing platforms and dedicated viral vector CDMO center of excellence, utilizing a range of services including process development evaluation of Gates Institute’s LVV backbone, phase-appropriate research grade and High –Quality (HQ) plasmid DNA production, and GMP LVV manufacturing. Materials produced within the collaboration will support an upcoming Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Phase I clinical trials.

Plasmid DNA and Viral Vector Manufacturing Services

With over 20 years of plasmid DNA and viral vector CDMO expertise and validated platform processes including eXpDNA and Lentivation with a proven track record, Charles River has standardized protocols and high-yield, optimized methods to accelerate speed to clinical and commercial manufacturing by reducing process development time and costs while ensuring premium quality production.

In recent years, Charles River has significantly broadened its cell and gene therapy portfolio with several acquisition integrations and expansions to simplify complex supply chains and meet the growing demand for plasmid DNA, viral vector, and cell therapy services. Combined with the company’s legacy testing capabilities, Charles River offers a premier "concept to cure" advanced therapies solution.

To learn more about LVV design, manufacturing, and regulation, join Charles River for a roundtable webinar to examine key trends, address manufacturing challenges, and overcome quality control and regulatory hurdles: https://bit.ly/3Ttijzz

Approved Quotes

"The cell therapy ecosystem that Gates Institute has created is exciting and we look forward to helping them advance the development of CAR-T therapies for hematological cancers. Our complementary strengths and concept to cure capabilities are well positioned to help move the science forward into the clinic and beyond for oncology patients." – Kerstin Dolph, Corporate Senior Vice President, Biologics Solutions, Charles River
"We value this new partnership with Charles River, an industry leader in biopharmaceutical services. In the near term, this collaboration will accelerate the Gates Institute CAR-T programs with their plasmid and lentiviral vector production. Looking ahead to our long-term collaboration, we remain committed to advancing patient impact more broadly." – Terry Fry, MD, Executive Director, Gates Institute

On June 25, 2024 CDR-Life Inc. reported an expansion of its pipeline of novel T cell engagers (TCE) with the addition of CDR813 and CDR505 (Press release, CDR-Life, JUN 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234644542]).

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CDR813 is a highly potent and selective TCE candidate targeting tumors expressing PRAME (preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma) in HLA-A*02:01 patients. PRAME is a clinically validated pan-cancer target expressed in a broad set of tumors including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), endometrial cancer, melanoma and ovarian cancer, but not in normal tissue. A bi-valent and bi-specific antibody-based TCE, CDR813 targets a PRAME peptide presented on tumor cells by the HLA-A*02 complex and the CD3 receptor on T-cells with unparalleled potency and specificity.

CDR505 is a TCE targeting KK-LC-1, a novel HLA-A*01 target relevant in common cancer populations not yet addressed by other T cell receptor (TCR) therapeutics. While most TCE programs target the HLA-A02 haplotype, CDR505 targets KK-LC-1/HLA-A*01, expanding the potential of TCEs to benefit a large patient population with high unmet need. Preclinical data on CDR505 was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in April 2024.

"With our continued investment in building a broad pipeline of unique, potent and highly cancer-targeted therapies, we are expanding the promise of our differentiated T cell engager platform to treat a range of solid tumors," said Christian Leisner, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at CDR-Life. "Importantly, the CDR813 and CDR505 programs are geared toward populations with significant unmet medical need, increasing our reach to benefit more patients."

On June 25, 2024 Exsilio Therapeutics ("Exsilio"), a biotechnology company developing genomic medicines for a broad range of diseases, reported its emergence from stealth with $82 million in Series A financing (Press release, Exsilio Therapeutics, JUN 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234644541]). The funding was co-led by Novartis Venture Fund and Delos Capital, with participation from OrbiMed, Insight Partners, J.P. Morgan Life Sciences Private Capital, CRISPR Therapeutics, Innovation Endeavors, Invus, Arc Ventures, and Deep Insight. Exsilio was seed-funded by OrbiMed.

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Exsilio will use proceeds from the financing to advance its genomic medicines based on naturally occurring, programmable genetic elements that can precisely insert new genes into a cell through mRNA intermediates. Exsilio’s interdisciplinary team has built a platform that combines predictive in silico modeling and wet lab-based experimentation to discover and engineer such elements for integration of therapeutic genes into safe harbor sites. Because Exsilio’s medicines are encoded in mRNA, they can be delivered using existing lipid nanoparticle (LNP) platforms that are safe, efficient, scalable, and cost-effective, and can be redosed and titrated with curative intent.

"mRNA-based medicines allow for a software-like approach to creating new medicines," said Tal Zaks, M.D., Ph.D., who serves as Exsilio’s Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer. "Exsilio’s approach leverages the advantages of mRNA and goes a step further by encoding genes that integrate permanently, offering the possibility of curative rather than transient effects. The ability to insert whole genes with a repeatable and titratable approach should allow us to treat genetic diseases irrespective of the patient’s individual mutation. This financing will help us advance our genomic medicines and select promising lead candidates so that we can bring much-needed new options to patients."

"We were captivated by Exsilio’s genomic medicines approach that stands to enable large-gene integration in a safe and redosable manner," said Aaron Nelson, Managing Director at Novartis Venture Fund and Exsilio Board Member. "Through this significant investment, Exsilio will be able to select and advance promising candidates for difficult-to-treat diseases."

"We believe that the vision of safely and durably integrating therapeutic genes into a patient’s genome requires using RNA-based payloads that can leverage clinically validated non-viral gene delivery technologies," said Henry Chen, Managing Partner of Delos Capital and Exsilio Board Member. "Exsilio is bringing together a singular group of people to help establish this new pillar of genomic medicine."

On June 25, 2024 Carisma Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CARM) ("Carisma" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, reported that Steven Kelly, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat at the Stifel 2024 Cell Therapy Forum on Tuesday, July 9th at 9:10 am ET (Press release, Carisma Therapeutics, JUN 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234644540]).

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An audio webcast of the event will be available on the Company’s Investor Events section of the Investor Relations webpage and will be archived for a limited time following the event.

On June 25, 2024 Carisma Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: CARM) ("Carisma" or the "Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation for CT-0525, an ex vivo gene-modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor-monocyte (CAR-Monocyte) cellular therapy intended to treat solid tumors that overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) (Press release, Carisma Therapeutics, JUN 25, 2024, View Source [SID1234644539]).

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The FDA’s Fast Track program is aimed to facilitate the development, and expedite the review, of novel potential therapies that are designed to treat serious conditions and have the potential to address significant unmet medical need.

"Receiving Fast Track designation for CT-0525 from the FDA marks a significant milestone for Carisma, highlighting the FDA’s recognition of the serious and life-threatening nature of these malignancies and the potential of CT-0525 to meet this critical medical need," said Eugene P. Kennedy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Carisma. "We are committed to working closely with the FDA to accelerate the development of CT-0525. Currently, we are enrolling patients in the Phase 1 clinical trial and remain on track to report initial clinical data by the end of 2024."

The Phase 1 clinical trial for CT-0525 is an open-label study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and manufacturing feasibility of CT-0525. This trial will enroll participants with locally advanced (unresectable) or metastatic solid tumors overexpressing HER2 whose disease has progressed on standard approved therapies. The initial study design will consist of two dose escalation cohorts. Further details of the trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov under NCT identifier: NCT06254807.

About CT-0525

CT-0525 is a first-in-class, ex vivo gene-modified autologous chimeric antigen receptor-monocyte (CAR-Monocyte) cellular therapy intended to treat solid tumors that overexpress human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). It is being studied in a multi-center, open label, Phase 1 clinical trial for patients with advanced/metastatic HER2-overexpressing solid tumors that have progressed on available therapies. The CAR-Monocyte approach has the potential to address some of the challenges of treating solid tumors with cell therapies, including tumor infiltration, immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, and antigen heterogeneity. CT-0525 has the potential to enable significant dose escalation, enhance tumor infiltration, increase persistence, and reduce manufacturing time compared to macrophage therapy.