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Arbutus Biopharma, X-Chem and Proteros biostructures Enter into a Pan-Coronavirus Discovery Research and License Agreement

On April 1, 2021 Arbutus Biopharma Corporation (NASDAQ: ABUS), X-Chem, Inc. (X-Chem) and Proteros biostructures GmbH (Proteros) reported that they have entered into a discovery research and license agreement focused on the discovery of novel inhibitors targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nsp5 main protease (Mpro) (Press release, X-Chem, APR 1, 2021, View Source [SID1234577492]). The agreement is designed to accelerate the development of pan-coronavirus agents to treat COVID-19 and potential future coronavirus outbreaks.

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This collaboration brings together Arbutus’ expertise in the discovery and development of antiviral agents with X-Chem’s industry leading DNA-encoded library (DEL) technology and Proteros’ protein sciences, biophysics and structural biology capabilities and provides important synergies to potentially identify safe and effective therapies against coronaviruses including SARS-CoV-2. The collaboration will allow for the rapid screening of one of the largest small molecule libraries against Mpro (an essential protein required for the virus to replicate itself) and the use of state-of-the-art structure guided methods to rapidly optimize Mpro inhibitors, which Arbutus could potentially progress to clinical candidates. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"It is well accepted that in addition to the availability of vaccines, effective and safe therapies are needed to successfully combat the COVID-19 pandemic and any future coronavirus outbreaks," stated Dr. Michael Sofia, Arbutus’s Chief Scientific Officer. "Arbutus, X-Chem and Proteros have complementary and valuable expertise that makes this collaboration particularly well-suited for small molecule drug discovery targeting coronaviruses. Our goal is to identify unique and differentiated pan-coronavirus assets targeting the main coronavirus protease which, when combined with assets arising from our internal nucleoside program targeting the SARS-CoV-2 nsp12 viral polymerase, could deliver a much-needed all-oral antiviral treatment for SARS-CoV-2 and any potential future coronavirus outbreaks."

"We are delighted of this joint discovery research collaboration with Arbutus and X-Chem, which has the potential to identify unique small molecule treatment options for COVID-19 and other possible coronavirus related respiratory diseases" said Dr. Torsten Neuefeind, Proteros’ CEO. "The complementary strengths of all parties gives us a strong position to potentially inhibit a key enzyme with a central role in the viral life cycle in a specific and effective manner."

"The discovery and development of novel drugs to combat infections caused by coronavirus is an incredibly important and challenging task", added Matt Clark, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of X-Chem. "We are exhilarated to join forces with industry leaders Arbutus and Proteros in this effort and bring our drug discovery expertise to this important area of antiviral research."

Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, accelerates development of radioactive pharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment

On March 31, 2021 Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital and a bio venture company founded by the hospital’s medical staff are joining hands to accelerate the development of radioactive pharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital recently signed an MOU with CNCure Co., Ltd (Press release, Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, MAR 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234649031]).

Through this business agreement, the two organizations promised to cooperate and exchange information on the development of radiopharmaceuticals and the progress of clinical trials, cooperate in the use of in-house GMP facilities for the production of radiopharmaceuticals for clinical trials, and share medical and pharmaceutical academic knowledge and information necessary for conducting clinical studies.

C&Cure Co., Ltd. is a bio venture company established in 2019 by the medical staff of Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital and researchers from Chonnam National University College of Medicine.

The main business is the development of cancer-targeting bacteria-based anticancer treatment, and the development of radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. As of now, 8.8 billion won in private investment and 1 billion won in government-local government research projects have been secured. Clinical trials of two types of radiopharmaceuticals for the diagnosis of cancer and infectious diseases are scheduled to begin this year.

Professor Min Jeong-jun, the CEO, is also the president of the Korean Society of Nuclear Medicine and is a world authority in the field of theranostics, which performs imaging diagnosis and treatment simultaneously.

He has developed the world’s first drug-releasing Salmonella and E. coli, opening a new horizon in cancer treatment technology. He has also developed radioactive medicines that can precisely attack malignant melanoma, lung cancer, and colon cancer. While leading the Molecular Imaging Theranostics Research Institute, he has published over 200 papers domestically and internationally, and holds dozens of patents in related fields.

CEO Min said, "I am reassured that we have been able to collaborate on research and development with Hwasun Chonnam National University Hospital, which is leading the next-generation medical care and conquering cancer," and added, "We will join forces to accelerate the development of radioactive pharmaceuticals as well as personalized precision cancer treatment for patients."

President Shin Myeong-geun responded, "Like ‘Vaccell Bio,’ which was founded in 2010 by some of our medical staff and is making a name for itself in the development of anticancer immune cell therapy, the establishment of a venture company can be a catalyst for strengthening our clinical treatment capabilities and medical competitiveness." He added, "We will do our best to enable more efficient cancer diagnosis and treatment through strong industry-hospital cooperation."

PharmCADD Raised $16M in Series B Funding

On March 31, 2021 PharmCADD , a quantum mechanics-based artificial intelligence (AI) new drug development company, announced on the 31st that it succeeded in attracting ‘Series B’ investment worth 17.3 billion won (Press release, PharmCADD, MAR 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234644207]).

Existing investors KTB Network and Daily Partners, as well as DSC Investment, KB Securities, Korea Development Bank Capital, and Maple Investment Partners participated in this investment. Huons Samyang Holdings SD Biosensor came in as a strategic investor. As a result, PalmCAD achieved a cumulative investment of 25 billion won in just two years since its establishment.

Kwon Tae-hyung, CEO of FarmCAD, said, "Through the advancement of the phamulator, we will announce experimental verification data and some non-clinical results obtained through collaboration with Huons Institute of Atomic Energy Medicine and Kainogen Igene within the year." He added, "Through the AI new drug development platform, we will announce various "We will achieve verification in the research field, conduct technology evaluation in the second half of this year, and achieve a successful initial public offering (IPO) in the first half of next year," he said.

FarmCAD’s AI new drug development platform, Pamulator, consists of five modules: protein structure prediction, molecular dynamics simulation (MD), quantum calculation, toxicity prediction, and ‘AI drug generation’. It is explained that it is possible to conduct initial research in various fields such as discovery of new drug candidates with minimal toxicity and ProTAC, messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and drug delivery system (DDS).

Recently, we conducted research on an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine using Pamulator, taking into account stability and mutant viruses, with Igene. This substance demonstrated the formation of neutralizing antibodies beyond the Moderna vaccine.

Woo Sang-wook, CEO of FarmCAD, said, "Using the quantum calculation module, we can check very fine physical and chemical properties of compounds that cannot be known through actual experiments, and more precisely predict the intermolecular interactions between target proteins and drugs." He emphasized, "The quantum data that has been calculated and learned with AI from the immediate aftermath until now is at a level that domestic and foreign AI new drug developers cannot easily match."

FarmCAD currently has about 50 employees. Among the 34 research personnel, 17 are PhDs, and there are experts in the fields of artificial intelligence, molecular dynamics, quantum computing, and biotechnology.

Curve Therapeutics Announces Grant of US Patent

On March 31, 2021 Curve Therapeutics (Curve) a private biotechnology company pioneering a potentially game-changing, functional drug discovery platform, reported the grant of US Patent 10,962,549 describing novel Microcycles that inhibit both HIF-1 and HIF-2 (Press release, Curve Therapeutics, MAR 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234640610]).

Curve originated from world-leading Microcycle research conducted by Professor Tavassoli’s group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Southampton, UK. The company is pioneering a game-changing, functional, drug discovery engine to generate higher quality functional hits and leads with the aim of discovering first-in-class therapeutics against challenging therapeutic targets.

Creating next generation smart cell therapies: Outpace Bio receives $30 million in Series A funding led by ARTIS Ventures and Lyell Immunopharma Inc

On March 31, 2021 Outpace Bio, a biotechnology company building a platform to create next-generation smart cell therapies, reported the closing of a $30 million Series A financing round (Press release, Outpace Bio, MAR 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234637769]). The oversubscribed financing was led by ARTIS Ventures and Lyell Immunopharma, Inc., with additional participation from Abstract Ventures, Civilization Ventures, Mubadala Capital (the asset management arm of Mubadala Investment Company), Playground Global, Sahsen Ventures, and WRF Capital. Funding will be used to demonstrate proof of principle for Outpace’s platform. In addition to closing the financing round, Outpace has entered into a collaboration with Lyell Immunopharma for joint research and subsequent development and commercialization by Lyell of a potential immune cell therapy for the treatment of cancer.

Creating next-generation smart cell therapies

Certain diseases have remained incurable despite decades of effort because they are too complex for any single molecule to solve. Outpace is building a platform to improve the safety and efficacy of cell and gene-based therapies.

"Diseases like cancer and autoimmunity happen when cells default to the wrong decisions. A biological activity that is beneficial in one context can drive dysfunction or toxicity in another. Outpace is working to overcome this by reprogramming cells to make the right decisions in the right context," said Marc Lajoie, CEO and co-founder of Outpace. "We believe that cures will require the full power of cells to intervene in complex biology in ways that small molecule drugs and biologics cannot."

Just as custom-designed software and hardware have enabled modern smartphones to revolutionize how people interact with information, Outpace custom-designs biological software and hardware to revolutionize how cells interact with disease. Outpace’s built-for-purpose proteins unlock biological functions that off-the-shelf parts cannot. Initial proof points are focused on creating highly functional, ultra-specific T cell therapies that will be effective against solid tumors, while also laying the groundwork to solve similar problems across the cell and gene therapy field.

"Outpace creates a unique opportunity to drive efficacy in cell and gene therapies without compromising on safety. The way to do that is by engineering new biology that can’t be achieved by repurposing nature – custom-designed proteins provide a unique opportunity to address specific therapeutic needs," said Vasudev Bailey, PhD, senior partner at ARTIS Ventures. "We believe the Outpace team has the knowledge and passion to revolutionize this field in close collaboration with other pharma and biotech leaders."

Outpace and Lyell to supercharge anticancer T cell therapies

Under the collaboration agreement, Outpace and Lyell will use Outpace’s technologies in an effort to unlock the biology of a cytokine that the companies believe has the potential to dramatically improve efficacy in treating patients with cancer, but would require careful control to avoid systemic toxicity.

"Outpace’s technology holds promise to enable the efficacy of this cytokine without the toxicity," said Rick Klausner, founder and executive chairman of Lyell. "Outpace’s approach is unique in its ability to directly modulate this biology, and we look forward to working with them."

The collaboration enables Outpace to combine its mechanism-driven approach to reprogramming biological function with Lyell’s translation expertise and deep mechanistic understanding of biology. Outpace plans to forge additional partnerships with other industry leaders to bring cell and gene therapies to the clinic, leveraging its platform to accelerate the development of new cures.