On August 19, 2021 Coeptis Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC PINK: COEP), a pharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative technologies designed to disrupt conventional treatment paradigms and improve patient outcomes, reported it has exercised its option to acquire ownership in two technology assets that target CD38 cancers from VyGen-Bio, Inc., a majority-owned subsidiary of Vycellix, Inc (Press release, Coeptis Pharmaceuticals, AUG 19, 2021, View Source [SID1234586749]). These two technology assets will now be co-developed by Coeptis and VyGen-Bio. The technologies, CD38-GEAR-NK, a cell therapy product being developed to protect CD38+ natural killer (NK) cells from destruction by anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), and CD38-Diagnostic, an in vitro diagnostic tool being developed to help identify cancer patients who may be appropriate candidates for anti-CD38 mAb therapy were both discovered by scientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden.
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This transaction follows Coeptis’ initial entry into two separate exclusive option agreements with VyGen-Bio, Inc. as announced on May 18, 2021. Per the option agreements and subsequent amendments, Coeptis paid VyGen-Bio a combination of cash and promissory notes to acquire the rights to the co-development assets.
"Securing the ownership in the co-development assets for CD38-GEAR-NK and CD38 Diagnostic from VyGen-Bio is a critical step in the growth of Coeptis Therapeutics and in the development of these potentially groundbreaking technologies targeting CD38-related cancers," said Dave Mehalick, President and CEO, Coeptis Therapeutics. "Our vision is to co-develop CD38-GEAR-NK and CD38 Diagnostic to provide safer and more targeted administration of anti-CD38 mAbs in the treatment of cancers that are known to be associated with CD38, including multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia. We view this agreement as a significant value driver for the company and plan to soon initiate development programs that leverage these technologies, with the first indication expected to be multiple myeloma."
"By partnering with Coeptis, we are accelerating the development of a new class of natural killer cells, which we envision to be capable of enabling optimized combination therapy with monoclonal antibodies to maximize patient response rates, as well as advancing first-in-class companion diagnostic approaches to ensure optimal patient selection," said Arnika Wagner, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Gene and Cell Therapy Group, Karolinska Institutet (KI), and Chief Scientific Officer for VyGen-Bio. "We are also privileged to be collaborating on these projects with distinguished faculty at KI via partnership with NextGenNK, an international Competence Center for the development of next-generation NK cells coordinated by KI and funded by Sweden’s Innovations Agency, Vinnova." For more information about NextGenNK, please visit: View Source
CD38-GEAR-NK is a NK cell-based investigational therapeutic engineered to enable combination therapy with anti-CD38 mAbs, potentially minimizing the risks and side effects from CD38-positive NK cell fratricide. The first indication is expected to be multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of plasma cells.
CD38-Diagnostic is an investigational in vitro screening tool to potentially pre-determine which cancer patients are most likely to benefit from targeted anti-CD38 mAb therapies, either as monotherapy or in combination with CD38-GEAR-NK.