Kelonia Therapeutics Doses First Patient in Phase 1 inMMyCAR Study Evaluating in vivo CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

On August 19, 2025 Kelonia Therapeutics, Inc., a biotech company revolutionizing in vivo gene delivery, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the inMMyCAR study, a Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating KLN-1010, a novel in vivo gene therapy that generates anti-BCMA CAR-T cells, in patients with relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (Press release, Kelonia Therapeutics, AUG 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234655389]).

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"KLN-1010 offers hope to multiple myeloma patients who can’t access today’s CAR-T cell therapies," said Kevin Friedman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Kelonia. "This first-in-human dosing marks a major milestone toward a future where CAR-T benefits can be delivered without preparative chemotherapy or bespoke manufacturing delays, and at virtually any hospital around the world. Beginning our Phase 1 inMMyCAR study is not only pivotal for patients, but for the entire field. It’s the starting point for transforming CAR-T cell therapies with our in vivo Gene Placement System (iGPS) technology."

Professor Simon Harrison, MBBS, MRCP(UK), FRCPath(UK), FRACP, Ph.D., Director of the Centre of Excellence in Cellular Immunotherapy at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia and inMMyCAR Lead Investigator, added, "Multiple myeloma can be a challenging disease to treat as most patients experience relapse after initial treatment, and many become resistant to currently available therapies. In vivo CAR-T cell therapies would be transformative for these patients, providing rapid access to potentially life-saving treatments. We’re at a pivotal moment, in which we’re taking important steps to make such therapies a reality in Australia through highly novel clinical trials, and I’m proud to play a role in ushering in these innovative therapies."

inMMyCAR is a multi-center Phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial designed to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of a single dose of KLN-1010. The first patient was dosed at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, Australia, by inMMyCAR Investigator, Professor Joy Ho, MB.BS. (Hons), D.Phil (Oxon), FRACP, FRCPA, FFSc (RCPA).

"Dosing the first patient in the inMMyCAR Phase 1 study is a tremendous milestone and marks significant advancement towards bringing KLN-1010 to patients who need it most," said Professor Ho. "I and my team are proud to have achieved this proficiently. As an in vivo CAR-T cell therapeutic candidate, KLN-1010 has the potential to deliver the full promise of CAR-T cell therapies without the complex manufacturing requirements, lengthy production timelines and toxic lymphodepleting chemotherapy that ex vivo CAR-T cell therapies require. We believe it has the potential to revolutionize CAR-T therapy in myeloma."

About inMMyCAR

inMMyCAR is a Phase 1, open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial designed to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacology and preliminary efficacy of a single dose of KLN-1010 in up to 40 patients. The primary endpoints are incidence and severity of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), including dose limiting toxicities (DLTs), and to establish the recommended Phase 2 dose of KLN-1010. KLN-1010 has been granted Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approval and Clinical Trial Notification (CTN) clearance by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This Phase 1 clinical trial marks the first time KLN‑1010 will be evaluated in humans. Additional information and study site information may be found on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT07075185).

About Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the proliferation of plasma cells in the bone marrow, leading to bone destruction, anemia, renal dysfunction, and immunosuppression. It is driven by complex genetic and epigenetic alterations that promote malignant cell survival and resistance to apoptosis. Relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma is characterized by clonal evolution, drug resistance, and increased disease heterogeneity, heightening the need for accessible, personalized therapeutic strategies.

About KLN-1010

KLN‑1010 is an investigational in vivo gene therapy that generates anti-BCMA CAR-T cells, targeting a protein expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells. Unlike traditional CAR‑T treatments, KLN‑1010 is administered to patients via direct transfusion and is designed to generate durable CAR‑T cells inside the body after a single dose, potentially eliminating the need for long wait times to receive treatment. This may overcome several limitations faced by current CAR-T approaches, including limited access to treatment and preconditioning chemotherapy.

Agenus to Unveil BOT/BAL Strategic Advancements, Key Milestones, and Future Outlook in Virtual Stakeholder Briefing on August 27, 2025

On August 19, 2025 Agenus Inc. ("Agenus") (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology, reported that the Company will host a virtual Stakeholder Briefing on August 27, 2025 at 4:00 p.m. ET (Press release, Agenus, AUG 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234655375]). The event will feature presentations from senior management and industry thought leaders, offering insights into transformative developments that could shape the future of cancer treatment. The agenda includes a strategic and financial overview, achievements tied to the Zydus partnership closing, patient needs fueling interest in colorectal cancer (CRC) studies, recent data from the botensilimab (BOT) and balstilimab (BAL) program, and an overview of the Phase 3 BATTMAN study in metastatic CRC—plus highlights of upcoming milestones and potential breakthroughs in immuno-oncology. The session will conclude with a live Q&A.

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Speakers to Include:

Garo H. Armen, PhD
Founder, Chairman, CEO of Agenus

Jennifer Buell, PhD
CEO of MiNK Therapeutics/ Chair of Executive Committee of Agenus

Richard M. Goldberg, MD
Chief Development Officer of Agenus (joined May 2025)
GI oncology expert with 40+ years in CRC research

Nicholas C. DeVito, MD
Assistant Professor of Medical Oncology at Duke University
Primarily treats patients with CRC and gastroesophageal cancers
Research focused on tumor immune evasion and immunotherapy

Chris O’Callaghan, DVM, MSc, PhD, & Jonathan Loree, MD, MS, FRCPC (CCTG):
Senior Investigators at Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG)

Stakeholder Briefing Details:

Webcast Link | View Source

Audience Conference Call Registration Link | View Source

Conference ID: 73242

CorriXR Therapeutics Secures $1M Investment from State of Delaware

On August 19, 2025 CorriXR Therapeutics, Inc., a pioneering oncology-focused biotherapeutics company, reported a significant milestone with a $1M investment from the State of Delaware (Press release, CorriXR Therapeutics, AUG 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234655390]). This funding will be instrumental in advancing CorriXR’s lead program aimed at developing next-generation treatments for solid tumors, with particular focus on head and neck, and lung cancers. This investment not only underscores the potential of CorriXR’s cutting-edge therapies but also highlights Delaware’s commitment to supporting innovative early-stage companies.

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"We’re excited to have the State of Delaware participate in our Series A financing round as we advance toward our first-in-human clinical trial," said Eric Kmiec, Ph.D., founder & CEO of CorriXR. "This investment will be critical as we complete preclinical studies, scale-up manufacturing, and prepare our investigational new drug (IND) submission."

The State of Delaware’s investment in CorriXR is the first $1M investment from the Delaware Accelerator & Seed Capital Program (DASCP), one of four programs awarded under the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) federal program from the U.S. Treasury Department. The Division of Small Business is administering Delaware’s $60.9 million SSBCI award aimed at providing access to capital for start-up and early-stage businesses.

"Our first $1 million investment is proof that Delaware’s path to becoming the Mid-Atlantic hub for Innovation is well underway," said Delaware Division of Small Business Director CJ Bell. "Supporting companies like CorriXR to scale isn’t just good business – it’s the blueprint for turning that vision into reality."

"This is how Delaware wins the future, with CorriXR demonstrating the power of turning research into real solutions," said Delaware Governor Matt Meyer. "By working closely with experts at the Gene Editing Institute, CorriXR is making promising CRISPR therapies a reality for patients faster than ever. This is exactly why the SSBCI program exists—because supporting innovation today means better treatments, stronger businesses, and a brighter future for Delaware."

XtalPi Signs MOU with Dong-A ST for Joint Research and Development of Immunology and Inflammation Therapies

On August 19, 2025 XtalPi reported that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Korea’s leading pharmaceutical company Dong-A ST, to jointly develop therapeutics for immunological and inflammatory diseases (Press release, XtalPi, AUG 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234655376]).

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This collaboration will be based on XtalPi’s intelligent and automated drug discovery platform, which integrates artificial intelligence (AI), quantum physics, and large-scale automated robotic experiments. The two companies plan to co-identify targets and discover first-in-class or best-in-class drug candidates using XtalPi’s proprietary AI-driven drug discovery platform. The XtalPi platform combines the speed and generative power of AI with the accuracy of its robotic lab-in-the-loop to accelerate drug discovery and vastly expand the explorable chemical space. This integrated workflow spans deep-learning-based molecule design, quantum physics and molecular dynamics simulations for predicting drug-target interactions, automated chemical synthesis, and experimental validation of candidate compounds’ key pharmaceutical properties.

Leveraging its expertise in immunology and inflammation as well as its experience in small molecule drug development, Dong-A ST will actively participate throughout the entire R&D process—including candidate validation, efficacy and safety testing, and the formulation of preclinical and clinical development strategies. The company also plans to explore strategies for pipeline expansion and assess commercialization potential.

Through this partnership, Dong-A ST aims to strengthen its pipeline in the immunology and inflammation space and expand its R&D scope beyond small molecule therapeutics into areas such as targeted protein degradation (TPD), biologics, antibody-drug conjugates (ADC), and gene therapies.

John Wang, Senior Vice President of Drug Discovery at XtalPi, stated: "The combination of Dong-A ST’s extensive expertise and XtalPi’s proven AI-robotics platform is well-positioned to translate scientific innovation into competitive precision medicines. Together, we aim to rapidly discover and rigorously validate novel drug candidates across multiple modalities to unlock unique market opportunities, and deliver transformative therapies for global patients."

Jae-Hong Park, Head of R&D at Dong-A ST, remarked, "This collaboration marks a pivotal step in expanding Dong-A ST’s R&D capabilities," adding, "By leveraging synergies with XtalPi’s AI platform, we expect to accelerate the development of next-generation treatments for immune and inflammatory diseases."

Meanwhile, both Dong-A ST and XtalPi operate open innovation offices in Boston, USA. This geographic proximity will facilitate closer and more efficient collaboration throughout the drug discovery process.

2025 Full Year Results

On August 19, 2025 CSL reported quarterly results presentation for the full year ended 30 June 2025 (Presentation, CSL, AUG 19, 2025, View Source [SID1234656860]).

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