CELL AND GENE THERAPY, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. | February 23, 2023
On February 22, 2023, Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology firm focused on the development of allogeneic cell therapies to restore and replace specific cell types of the human body, announced that it has entered into an exclusive option and license agreement with Eterna Therapeutics Inc. (Eterna) for the development of innovative beta 2 microglobulin (B2M)-deficient induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines that Lineage will assess for the creation of unique, differentiated cell transplant therapies.
These new cell lines to be developed by Eterna are expected to help Lineage generate more product candidates for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) conditions and other neurology indications. Eterna holds the exclusive license for the crucial intellectual property associated with this partnership, which it obtained from its discovery partner Factor Bioscience.
Following the agreement, Eterna intends to perform specific gene-editing activities and furnish materials to Lineage for assessment. In addition, the agreement grants Lineage the option to obtain an exclusive license to use and sublicense the new gene-edited cell lines for clinical, preclinical, and commercial purposes in the field of CNS diseases. A distinctive feature of the starting cell line is the targeted elimination of the B2M gene, which is aimed at minimizing the immunogenicity of product candidates generated from the cell lines by inhibiting rejection by CD8+ T cells.
Lineage anticipates that this attribute will enhance the overall usefulness of the edited cell lines, including non-immune privileged or non-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matched indications. Other proposed gene modifications may additionally differentiate the cell line from those currently utilized by competitors. No details of the financial agreement were disclosed.
About Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc.
Founded in 1990, Lineage Cell Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel cell therapies to address unmet medical needs. The company's programs are based on its proprietary cell-based therapy platform and related development and manufacturing capabilities. By using this platform, it specializes in the development and manufacture of specialized, terminally-differentiated human cells from its progenitor and pluripotent cell starting materials. These differentiated cells are intended to either support or replace cells that are dysfunctional or absent due to degenerative disease or traumatic injury and can also be administered to help the body mount an effective immune response to cancer.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
SOPHiA GENETICS | March 01, 2023
On February 28, 2023, SOPHiA GENETICS, a leading cloud-native software solutions provider in the healthcare space, announced that Synergy Oncology, a part of Synergy Laboratories based in Mobile, Alabama, will utilize SOPHiA DDM™ to develop a new cancer profiling solution. Synergy Oncology is a specialist in innovative platforms that improve patient care.
The use of SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers Solution in Synergy Oncology's state-of-the-art laboratory technologies will lead to the launch of Totality, a comprehensive end-to-end solution for tumor profiling that will assist clinical studies, cancer research and patient care.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is commonly used to detect biomarkers for hereditary cancers, but the resulting datasets are vast and complex, requiring sophisticated analysis. The SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers Solution leverages machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) with patented technologies to evaluate raw NGS data, simplifying interpretation and expediting reporting. As Synergy Laboratories seeks to expand into other oncology offerings, the SOPHiA DDM™ platform could serve as a one-stop solution.
Synergy's new product, Totality, examines genes from solid tumor tissue and, by using SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers, provides physicians with a consolidated report that matches detected molecular alterations with clinical trials and FDA-approved therapies. By combining SOPHiA DDM™ for Hereditary Cancers with Synergy Oncology's technology, experts will be able to analyze and interpret findings from NGS data confidently, transforming high-quality data into valuable insights for researchers and care providers.
Synergy Oncology provides the most comprehensive NGS kit of its kind, including hereditary testing, liquid biopsy testing, and myeloid malignancies. The combination of Synergy Oncology and SOPHiA GENETICS technology will expand Synergy's oncology portfolio while helping to further the U.S. oncology market.
About SOPHiA GENETICS
SOPHiA GENETICS is a leading cloud-native software solutions provider in the healthcare space. It aims to establish data-driven medicine as the standard of care for life sciences research. The company combines expertise in life sciences, data computing and medical disciplines to bring data analytics solutions to market. SOPHiA GENETICS achieve its mission through the global adoption of SOPHiA AI, which uses pattern recognition, statistical inference and machine learning to provide equal benefits to all users. SOPHiA AI also encourages expert knowledge sharing for a sustainable impact on future patients. The company believes digital technologies are the key to unlocking the era of Data-Driven Medicine, where secure data pooling and knowledge sharing will be precious for patients. The company also focuses on combining the first two pillars of Data-Driven Medicine, Radiomics and Genomics, to ensure that the data used to help patients today will also benefit tomorrow's patients.
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AI, DIAGNOSTICS
Genomic Vision | March 08, 2023
On March 7, 2023, Genomic Vision, a leading biotech company that develops products and services for the analysis and control of genome changes, launched FiberSmart®, an AI-based technology for automating the quantification and detection of fluorescent signals on combed DNA molecules.
Initially available for the analysis of Replication Combing Assays (RCA), Genomic Vision's proprietary method for directly visualizing DNA replication kinetics at the single molecule level. FiberSmart uses advanced AI methods to detect, visualize, and analyze DNA replication kinetics up to 3x more accurately and up to 10x faster than Genomic Vision's existing software solutions.
The technology offers a simple and user-friendly interface, facilitating quick analysis of DNA replication signals to deduce essential parameters describing replication kinetics.
It is compatible with Genomic Vision's FiberVision® and FiberVision-S® scanners for the RCA assay of the company's proprietary DNA combing technology with various potential applications, including in gene and cell therapy quality control.
FiberSmart has been successfully tested and validated by AstraZeneca and the Fritz Lipmann Institute in Germany.
Genomic Vision's CEO Aaron Bensimon said, "The launch of FiberSmart® is an important milestone for Genomic Vision as we bring the benefits of powerful AI technology to our users, who can now perform faster and more accurate genomic analysis seamlessly. Our proprietary DNA combing technique has multiple potential applications, particularly in the cell and gene therapy space, where highly accurate genomic analysis is paramount to ensure robust quality standards are met. With the launch of this software we are making it easier for users to exploit the full potential of our proprietary advanced genomic analysis technique."
(Source – Business Wire)
About Genomic Vision
GENOMIC VISION is a leading biotechnology company specializing in the analysis of genome modifications, with a focus on ensuring their quality and safety in genome editing technologies and biomanufacturing processes. It utilizes advanced nanotechnology for DNA analysis to develop cutting-edge diagnostic and drug discovery solutions for cancer and acute diseases at the intersection of genome dynamics and human diseases. The company's approach employs Molecular Combing Technology, a powerful technique that directly visualizes single DNA molecules to detect and quantify changes in the genome landscape and their contribution to pathology.
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