On February 8, 2022 ArgoBio and Oncode Institute reported that they have teamed up with Oncode Investigator Madelon Maurice, researcher and group leader at UMC Utrecht, to launch Laigo Bio, a new company in the emerging field of target protein degradation (Press release, Argobio, FEB 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234607870]). The company has additionally secured funding from Oncode Bridge Fund and ArgoBio to further develop its proprietary pipeline of targeted immunotherapies SureTACsR. The SureTACsR technology platform is a novel approach in membrane protein degradation, applicable to a broad scope of disease applications. The primary focus lies in the area of oncology, but with parallel programs in neuro-inflammation and neuro degenerative diseases. In contrast to other small molecule approaches, this results in an efficient and sustained degradation of target receptors, potentially resulting in superior efficacy in the clinic than modalities currently being employed by other emerging protein degradation technologies.

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Initially driven by Madelon Maurice, who will join as the Principal Investigator, Laigo Bio is gearing up for preclinical lead development in the coming months, generating proprietary biologics for a selection of targets to showcase its potential. Laigo Bio receives strong support from seasoned entrepreneurs Neill Moray Mackenzie at ArgoBio and Emil Pot at Oncode, who will prepare the company for a Series A investment round as it aims to initiate its first clinical studies in 2025. Dr. Neill Moray Mackenzie at ArgoBio is a veteran of the IO field and Mr Emil Pot is an IP & business development expert at Oncode with 25 years of experience in life sciences.

Chris De Jonghe, Valorization Director of Oncode Institute, said: "SureTACsR is building on the innovative ideas that Dr. Maurice has initially validated with the support of Oncode’s Technology Development Fund. With the foundation of Laigo Bio, another exciting step forward is made towards the translation of Dr. Maurice’s innovations into effective, and tailored therapies for cancer patients. We are thrilled to join forces with ArgoBio in this initial seed round and consider it as a token of great confidence in the potential of this platform technology."

Madelon Maurice of the UMC Utrecht, said:"We are extremely happy that ArgoBio is supporting my long-standing research here at the UMC Utrecht on how to interfere with signalling alterations that drive oncogenesis and bringing a team of experienced scientists and entrepreneurs to help with its translation to the clinic."

Dr. Neill Moray Mackenzie of ArgoBio, said: "This is exactly why we put ArgoBio together last year – to fund these early-stage opportunities. I am especially pleased that Madelon Maurice, a renowned KOL in the field, is leading this novel approach to protein degradation which has great potential to open up a completely new biology in the field of cancer therapy."

Shobhit Dhawan of Oncode Bridge Fund, said: "Targeted protein degradation is an exciting space and has gained validation in clinical studies with many players now entering the field. One key differentiator here is sustained degradation of cell membrane bound proteins with a biologic, which is a very novel approach, and we believe holds a lot of promise in oncology and many neurological indications. We look forward to supporting Madelon, Neill and Emil in their journey at Laigo Bio."

On February 8, 2022 MaaT Pharma and Skyepharma reported that they Have Entered a Partnership to Establish the First Exclusive Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies cGMP Manufacturing Facility in France (Press release, MaaT Pharma, FEB 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234607839])

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The partnership will provide MaaT Pharma with a dedicated 1,500 square meter site, with the potential for double if needed, in order to increase its cGMP manufacturing capacities to support clinical and then commercial development of its most advanced assets MaaT013 and MaaT033, as well as to expand R&D manufacturing capacities for its new drug generation (MaaT03x).

MaaT Pharma will deploy a facility entirely dedicated to the production of the Company’s Microbiome Ecosystem Therapy (MET) and will be the first resident biotechnology company of the Skyepharma SkyeHub Bioproduction.
This first plant, dedicated to complete ecosystems, could enable France to strengthen its national biomanufacturing capacity by acquiring a new bioproduction site in France integrating breakthrough technologies.
Lyon and Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, France, February, 8 2022 – 6:00pm CET – MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT – the "Company"), a French clinical-stage biotech (Phase 3) and a pioneer in the development of microbiome-based ecosystem therapies dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer and Skyepharma, a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) specialized in formulating and manufacturing complex and controlled release drugs, reported they have entered a partnership agreement to build, to date, France’s largest specialized cGMP manufacturing facility for ecosystem microbiome-based therapeutics. The facility, located near Lyon (Saint-Quentin-Fallavier) will boast an initial area of 1,500 square meters, that could be increased to 3,000 square meters depending on MaaT Pharma’s manufacturing needs. The plant will allow MaaT Pharma to increase its manufacturing capacities ten-fold in order to support clinical and commercial development by 2030. The facility will aim to annually produce several thousand enemas of the Company’s lead candidate (MaaT013) dedicated to Graft-versus-Host disease and several hundreds of thousands capsules of its second drug candidate (MaaT033) designed to improve survival in patients receiving allogeneic stem cell transplantation. A designated area will be dedicated to R&D and clinical manufacturing of the MaaT03X range by 2030, using MaaT Pharma’s innovative ecosystem co-fermentation technology to increase response rate in immunotherapy treatments.

"As we enter Phase 3 with our lead product MaaT013, the agreement with Skyepharma will allow us to scale up manufacturing to meet product demands, including commercial launch. We can look forward to expanding our product portfolio for cancer patients with serenity," commented Hervé Affagard, Co-founder and CEO of MaaT Pharma. "This partnership is fully in line with France’s ambition, as stated in the 2030 innovation plan for health, to become a nation at the forefront of biotherapies and ensure health independence in biomanufacturing. The emerging microbiome industry could open up an opportunity to position France as a leader."

David Lescuyer, Managing Director of Skyepharma added, "SkyeHub will increase cGMP production capacity for microbiome-based drugs in France. Our partnership acts as a value booster as each company brings its know-how and expertise."

Under the terms of the agreement, which follows a bilateral letter of intent signed in September 2021 and whose financial conditions remain confidential, MaaT Pharma will have a dedicated facility within SkyeHub Bioproduction and construction will be financed by Skyepharma. It is planned that the production site, expected to be operational in 2023, will host MaaT Pharma’s team and proprietary equipment. In this context, the Lyon-based biotech will retain controlling oversight of the R&D as well as clinical and commercial production of its diverse portfolio of enema and capsule drug candidates. In addition to providing the cGMP building, Skyepharma will also provide its extensive expertise in product quality standards, regulatory affairs, certification, and large-scale production.

This new plant will also allow MaaT Pharma to accelerate the development of MaaT03X, its new generation of drug candidates, using its unique proprietary microbiome ecosystem co-fermentation technology, for which the Company was recently awarded two public grants (Plan France Relance and the 4th Programme d’Investissements d’Avenir (PIA4)). This new oral class of MET products includes hundreds of species and is tailor-made based on clinical data.

On February 8, 2022 Beyond Air, Inc. (NASDAQ: XAIR), a clinical-stage medical device and biopharmaceutical company focused on developing inhaled nitric oxide (NO) for the treatment of patients with respiratory conditions, including serious lung infections and pulmonary hypertension, and, through its affiliate Beyond Cancer, ultra-high concentration nitric oxide (UNO) for the treatment of solid tumors, reported that Steve Lisi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Beyond Air, is scheduled to participate in two upcoming investor conferences in March 2022 (Press release, Beyond Air, FEB 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234607855]).

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Details for Upcoming Conference Presentations:

Event: 34th Annual Roth Conference
Date and Time: March 13-15, 2022
Location: Dana Point, California

Event: Oppenheimer 32nd Annual Healthcare Conference
Date and Time: March 15-16, 2022
Location: Virtual presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, March 16th at 10:00 AM ET
Please contact your representative at either Roth or Oppenheimer to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Beyond Air during the respective conference.

On February 8, 2022 Tempus, a leader in artificial intelligence and precision medicine, reported the acquisition of Highline Sciences, a ​​specialized, full-service clinical contract research organization (CRO) focused on oncology (Press release, Tempus, FEB 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234607871]).

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Highline Sciences manages and executes on early and late-stage clinical trials, applying a customized approach to each study. Highline’s capabilities and expertise will help support and grow new and established business lines within Tempus, allowing the company to vertically integrate more clinical trial services when appropriate to complement its existing CRO partnerships.

"We are committed to improving the current clinical trial model and are always seeking new ways to advance how studies are designed and executed so that we can bring clinical trials to the patients that need them most," said Eric Lefkofsky, Founder and CEO of Tempus. "Highline’s approach to putting patients first aligns with our own, and we look forward to seeing what we can achieve together."

"We are thrilled to join a mission-driven organization that is aligned with our values and our focus on making a positive difference in the lives of patients," said Collin Williams, Founder and CEO of Highline Sciences. "Joining forces with Tempus creates a unique offering for customers and new, innovative approaches to improving clinical research services and accelerating the development of promising therapies."

On February 8, 2022 VerImmune Inc. (VerImmune), a biotechnology company developing a new therapeutic modality that redirects the body’s pre-existing immunity toward cancer, reported that the company has entered into a Research Collaboration with Janssen Research & Development, LLC ("Janssen"), one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Press release, VerImmune, FEB 8, 2022, View Source [SID1234607840]). The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.

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Verimmune is also a resident of JLABS @ Washington, DC., part of Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s global network of life science incubators and plans to set up its research and development laboratories in this new cutting edge site located at the heart of the BioHealth Capital Region (BHCR) cluster which consists of Maryland, Washington D.C and Virginia.

VerImmune’s technology platform is a novel and highly configurable Virus-inspired Platform (ViP). Using this ViP, VerImmune has developed a first-in-class novel therapeutic approach called "Anti-tumor Immune Redirection". This approach uses the ViP platform (now termed AIR-ViP) to redirect natural pre-existing immunity from past viral infections or childhood vaccinations to target cancer. This is a broadly applicable treatment paradigm, based on a single therapy, that can act against multiple human cancers due to the ubiquitous nature of pre-existing responses to childhood vaccines and/or past infections

"We are excited to enter into this collaboration with Janssen and employ VerImmune’s AIR-ViP platform to advance the development of our new therapeutic modality. Our fundamental goal is to change treatment paradigms and deliver patients with more innovative yet safe and efficacious therapies" said Joshua Wang, Ph.D., VerImmune’s Founding CEO and President.

Under the terms of the collaboration, VerImmune will collaborate with Janssen immuno-oncology scientists to conduct feasibility studies to evaluate VerImmune’s proprietary Anti-tumor Immune Redirection Virus-inspired Particle (AIR-ViP) technology platform.