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Jnana Therapeutics Launches With $50 Million Series A Financing To Target The Cell’s Metabolic Gates

On December 14, 2017 Jnana Therapeutics Inc. reported a $50 million Series A financing (Press release, Jnana Therapeutics, DEC 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234529783]). The company is building the first drug discovery platform dedicated to targeting the solute carrier (SLC) family of transporters, the cell’s metabolic gates. Jnana’s proprietary small molecule platform allows the company to address therapeutic targets rapidly and comprehensively across the SLC transporter family.

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"SLC transporters provide cells with knowledge about their environment. These proteins are amongst the oldest in biology, and afford avenues to address virtually all major diseases. After 50 years of drug development, only a handful of SLCs have been harnessed to treat disease, leaving over 400 members unstudied. Our proprietary chemistry and biology platform allows us to systematically advance medicines based on the biology of these ancient information gathering systems," said Amir Nashat, Ph.D., Managing Partner with Polaris Partners and Chief Executive at Jnana. "We are targeting a broad range of medical conditions with significant unmet need, and we are fortunate to have the support of leaders in medicine and biotechnology."

Jnana is focusing on immunometabolism, lysosomal function and mucosal defense, important disease pathways where SLC transporters provide novel targets for immuno-oncology, inflammatory disorders and neurological diseases.

Seed funders Polaris Partners and Avalon Ventures were joined in the Series A syndicate by Versant Ventures, AbbVie Ventures, and Pfizer R&D Innovate.

Jnana’s founding team includes recognized leaders at the forefront of chemistry, drug discovery and development, translational medicine and company building. The company’s founders are:

Stuart Schreiber, Ph.D., Morris Loeb Professor at Harvard University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Cofounder of Broad Institute and biotech companies including Vertex, Ariad and H3 Biomedicine.
Ramnik Xavier, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of Gastroenterology at Massachusetts General Hospital, Professor at Harvard Medical School and Institute Member at Broad Institute.
Joanne Kotz, Ph.D., President at Jnana, previously Director at Broad Institute.
Joel Barrish, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Jnana and former VP and Head of Discovery Chemistry at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Dr. Nashat of Polaris Partners will be joined on Jnana’s board of directors by Kevin Kinsella, founder of Avalon Ventures, and Carlo Rizzuto, Ph.D. Partner at Versant.

10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

Generex has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission .

10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

PharmaCyte Biotech has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, PharmaCyte Biotech, 2017, DEC 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522648]).

10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)]

Generex has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, Generex, 2017, DEC 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234522647]).

Scancell and Cancer Research UK collaborate to advance novel cancer immunotherapy into clinical trials

On December 14, 2017 Scancell Holdings PLC, a developer of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, and Cancer Research UK, the world’s leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research, reported that they have entered into a Clinical Development Partnership to develop Scancell’s ImmunoBody vaccine, SCIB2, for the treatment of patients with solid tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, DEC 14, 2017, View Source [SID1234523154]).

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Scancell’s ImmunoBody immunotherapy platform activates the body’s immune system by enhancing the uptake and presentation of cancer antigens to help target and eliminate cancer cells. SCIB2, Scancell’s second ImmunoBody therapy, targets an antigen called NY-ESO-1, which is expressed on a range of solid tumours, including NSCLC and oesophageal, ovarian, bladder and prostate cancers, as well as neuroblastoma, melanoma and sarcoma.

Under the terms of the Clinical Development Partnership, Cancer Research UK will fund and sponsor a UK-based Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SCIB2 in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in patients with solid tumours, focusing on NSCLC in the first instance. The charity’s Centre for Drug Development (CDD) will be responsible for manufacturing the clinical trial supplies of SCIB2, conducting pre-clinical testing, sponsoring and managing the clinical trial, including the clinical trial timelines.

Following completion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial, Scancell will have the option to acquire the rights to the data to support further development of SCIB2 itself. If Scancell elects not to exercise the option, Cancer Research UK will retain the right to take the SCIB2 programme forward in all indications.

Professor Lindy Durrant, Chief Scientific Officer of Scancell, commented: "We are delighted to announce this partnership with Cancer Research UK, which is a significant endorsement for our ImmunoBody technology. The charity’s world-renowned expertise will no doubt be invaluable as we progress SCIB2 through the clinic. In pre-clinical studies, we have shown that a combination of SCIB2 and checkpoint inhibition produces enhanced tumour destruction and significantly longer survival times than when either treatment was used alone. We believe SCIB2 has the potential to provide a much needed treatment option for patients suffering from a range of common solid tumours."

Dr Nigel Blackburn, Cancer Research UK’s director of drug development, said: "We’re excited to be giving our extensive expertise and experience in drug development to move this immunotherapy treatment into the clinic.

"This collaboration will ensure that this innovative vaccine reaches patients sooner and could bring about urgently needed improvements for some cancers which can be hard to treat, including lung cancer – a disease where survival rates remain stubbornly low."