INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, MEDICAL
Inscripta, Inc. | January 24, 2023
Inscripta®, a leading global life science technology firm, recently announced the acquisition of two synthetic biology pioneers, Infinome Biosciences and Sestina Bio, which will advance Inscripta's strategy of developing and commercializing biomanufactured products for a wide expanse of industrial and consumer markets.
The acquisitions show Inscripta's belief in the bioeconomy's commercial potential and the power of genome engineering to expedite biomanufacturing innovation. Inscripta's CEO, Sri Kosaraju, commented, "Tackling the unprecedented opportunity to improve global health and sustainability through biomanufacturing requires a strong combination of talent, experience, technology, and commercial assets." He added, "Infinome and Sestina Bio allow us to advance our strategy and complement our technological innovation and capabilities needed for creating the next generation of biobased manufacturing products and processes."
(Source- PR Newswire)
Before the acquisition, Infinome was closely associated with Inscripta. By utilizing Inscripta's genome engineering technology, it created the GenoScaler™, a proprietary strain engineering platform designed to optimize microorganisms for biomanufacturing rapidly.
Sestina Bio brings an innovative, data-driven approach to developing and identifying strains that survive the rigors of commercial scale-up.
Inscripta is building on its tradition of technological innovation with the inclusion of Infinome and Sestina Bio and has already begun applying its cutting-edge technology to develop products for a diverse set of industrial and consumer markets. In addition, Inscripta has a number of collaborative and proprietary products in various phases of development. One such example of an announced partnership to develop and commercialize multiple bio-manufactured goods is Kalsec® Inc., a food and beverage ingredient solutions firm. Separately, Inscripta is engaging in commercial discussions about its previously announced development of a ready-to-scale microbial strain that produces Bakuchiol, a natural retinol alternative.
About Inscripta, Inc.
Founded in 2015, Inscripta is a life science technology firm dedicated to using biomanufacturing to create a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable world. It enables scientists to strengthen and expand domestic biomanufacturing and encourages the development of novel, safe, and secure biotechnology technologies. Its automated OnyxTM platform, which includes an instrument, consumables, tests, and software, makes CRISPR-based genome engineering accessible to any research lab. Inscripta supports customers globally through its facilities in Boulder (Colorado), San Diego and Pleasanton (California) and Copenhagen (Denmark)
Read More
CELL AND GENE THERAPY, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Evaxion Biotech A/S | January 23, 2023
Evaxion Biotech A/S, a leading clinical-stage biotechnology firm focused on the development of AI-driven immunotherapies, recently announced that FDA has granted fast-track designation for the Company's customized cancer therapy, EVX-01, in conjunction with KEYTRUDA®.
In December 2022, Evaxion gained FDA clearance to proceed with its phase 2b clinical test, where patients with metastatic melanoma are given EVX-01 in combination with KEYTRUDA®. In addition, Evaxion obtained fast-track designation for the vaccine candidate on January 17, 2023. The fast track is developed to expedite FDA's assessment of innovative, novel medications with the potential to meet an unfulfilled medical need.
EVX-01, a peptide-based immunotherapy for cancer, is Evaxion's most advanced clinical asset. The program generates a unique medicine for each patient based on gene analysis of their malignancies and matching with their immune system. The Company's proprietary AI platform, PIONEER, helps facilitate this process.
Per Norlén, CEO at Evaxion, commented," We are extremely pleased that our cancer vaccine candidate EVX-01 has received the FDA fast track designation, as it enables a potentially faster approval of the vaccine. This is first and foremost to the benefit of the patients. And it is a great validation of our AI platform, PIONEER, and our drug development candidate."
(Source – Globe Newswire)
The ongoing Phase 2b clinical trial is being done at sites in Europe, the United States, and Australia. It is conducted in partnership with Merck, which supplies its PD-1 inhibitor KEYTRUDA®. The trial was launched in Australia when the first patient was enrolled in September 2022.
About Evaxion Biotech A/S
Evaxion is a clinical-stage AI-immunology™ platform company using AI, engineering expertise and drug development knowledge to identify and develop novel immunotherapies for the treatment of various cancers, bacterial diseases and viral infections. It has utilized artificial intelligence to build a diverse pipeline of candidate immunotherapies that target two of the most critical unmet medical needs in the world, cancer and infectious diseases. Its three proprietary AI platforms include PIONEER, EDEN and RAVEN.
Read More
CELL AND GENE THERAPY, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Center for Breakthrough Medicines | February 27, 2023
Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM), a leading contract development and manufacturing organization dedicated to addressing the challenges of commercializing cell and gene therapies, and Virion Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotech firm focused on developing accessible and adaptable CD8+ T cell-based technologies for cancer and infectious diseases, have recently announced a strategic collaboration agreement.
CBM will partner and manufacture with Virion Therapeutics on their checkpoint modifier clinical development programs, including the First-in-Human VRON-0200 immunotherapy, designed to treat chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection.
The collaboration aims to develop VRON-0200, a pan-genotypic, global therapeutic immunotherapy that targets chronic HBV infection, which affects over 295 million people worldwide. HBV impairs CD8+ T cells, which results in the loss of viral control. VRON-0200 induces a broad CD8+ T cell response, which includes responses to the core and pol regions not generally induced by the infection. Therefore, VRON-0200 is designed to stimulate a highly functional immune response to help clear the virus.
CBM's Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Audrey Greenberg commented, "Virion is working to revolutionize the immunotherapy treatment landscape, and we are honored to partner with them on this bold mission as we share a common goal – to create a future free of cancer and chronic infectious diseases." She further emphasized, "We have assembled best-in-field technical teams, supported by industry-leading product and process development, manufacturing, and testing capabilities, all located within a single, world-class manufacturing facility. We look forward to working with Virion to bring their life-saving therapies to the patients who need them most, as quickly as possible."
(Source – PR Newswire)
About Center for Breakthrough Medicines
The Center for Breakthrough Medicines is a pioneering contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) situated in the center of "Cellicon Valley," with a focus on cell and gene therapies. It offers an all-in-one solution to expedite the speed of delivering advanced treatments to the market. Its customer-oriented approach, combined with a culture that prioritizes the needs of patients, guarantees dependable and high-quality process and analytical development, GMP testing, viral vector manufacturing, plasmid production, cell therapy bioprocessing and cell banking services throughout the entire life cycle of a product.
Read More