INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, DIAGNOSTICS
businesswire | March 23, 2023
AbCellera and RQ Bio announced today that they have entered into a strategic collaboration to identify optimal clinical candidates for up to three infectious disease targets selected by RQ Bio, including influenza and cytomegalovirus (CMV). The partnership aims to provide long-lasting infectious diseases medicines to high-risk patients by bringing together RQ Bio’s expertise in infectious diseases and viral evolution with AbCellera’s discovery engine for finding rare, highly potent antibodies.
“We believe antibody therapies have an important role to play in protecting the most clinically at-risk populations from infectious diseases,” said Carl Hansen, Ph.D., founder and CEO of AbCellera. “AbCellera’s discovery engine complements RQ Bio’s capabilities and provides a technology advantage that we believe will help bring new medicines for infectious disease to patients faster.”
“Both RQ Bio and AbCellera have proven track records in developing infectious disease medicines that have a rapid impact on vulnerable patients,” said Hugo Fry, CEO of RQ Bio. “We look forward to working with AbCellera to quickly advance our pipeline of infectious disease medicines for people who are at risk of severe disease or death from viral infections.”
Under the terms of the agreement, RQ Bio has the right to develop and commercialize therapeutic antibodies resulting from the collaboration. AbCellera will receive research payments and is eligible to receive downstream clinical and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on net sales of products.
About AbCellera Biologics Inc.
AbCellera is breaking the barriers of conventional antibody drug discovery to bring better medicines to patients, sooner. AbCellera’s engine integrates expert teams, technology, and facilities with the data science and automation needed to propel antibody-based medicines from target to clinic in nearly every therapeutic area with precision and speed. AbCellera provides innovative biotechs and leading pharmaceutical companies with a competitive advantage that empowers them to move quickly, reduce cost, and tackle the toughest problems in drug development.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
SOPHiA GENETICS and QIAGEN | March 06, 2023
SOPHiA GENETICS, a healthcare cloud-based software company, announced a new partnership with QIAGEN N.V. that will pair QIAseq reagent technology with the SOPHiA DDM™ platform to improve tumor analysis via next-generation sequencing (NGS).
Customers can utilize QIAseq panels with SOPHiA DDM™, a cloud-based data analysis platform to enable new research perspectives. The partnership will support the detection of somatic variants using QIAseq targeted DNA pro panels for homologous recombination repair. HRR is a biomarker test that helps identify tumors with specific mutations that may be sensitive to PARP inhibitors in oncology.
SOPHiA GENETICS's Set-Up Program, which aims to establish and demonstrate any test's analytical performance before it is carried out, will be integrated with QIAGEN's kits to support a range of applications. This partnership will allow customers to improve the design of new workflows using QIAseq technologies, while SOPHiA DDM™ will offer extensive applications for QIAGEN kits.
QIAGEN intends to expand its partnership with SOPHiA GENETICS to other analysis areas, such as utilizing custom solutions and QIAseq panels. This partnership is the first one in QIAGEN's QIAseq Platform Partnership.
Next-generation sequencing (NGS) can transform the detection and management of rare diseases and cancers. However, it also generates large, intricate, and messy datasets that are challenging to analyze. Identifying causal variants and getting valuable insights from NGS data requires specialized expertise, time, and numerous resources. The SOPHiA DDM™ Platform is a machine learning-based analytical tool that can efficiently call, annotate, and pre-classify variants from raw NGS data. In addition, it features user-friendly capabilities to facilitate prioritization, interpretation and reporting.
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN is a global provider of sample and assay technologies for academic and pharmaceutical research, molecular diagnostics, and applied tests. In addition, the firm offers a wide range of products and solutions for the isolation, purification, and analysis of DNA, RNA, and proteins, as well as automation and bioinformatics services. With over 35 countries and over 5,000 employees, QIAGEN serves customers in various fields such as human healthcare, animal health, and environmental testing. The company is headquartered in Venlo, Netherlands, and has offices and facilities across the globe.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | February 01, 2023
On January 31, 2023, INOVIO, a leading biotechnology firm focused on the development and commercialization of DNA medicines to protect and treat people from cancer, HPV-associated diseases, and infectious diseases, announced a strategic reorganization to meet operational efficiency commitments and better position the company to deliver DNA medicines to patients.
Following the previously announced end of clinical development projects in late 2022, the restructuring is estimated to result in yearly savings of roughly $4.3 million and an 11% reduction in full-time personnel. These and other strategic initiatives divert resources needed to progress critical programs, such as INOVIO's product candidate INO-3107 for the treatment of Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis (RRP).
INOVIO anticipates a $1.1 million one-time restructuring charge in the first quarter of 2023. Its 2022 fourth-quarter and year-end financial results announcement, scheduled for March 2023, will provide more precise financial guidance.
INOVIO's lead initiatives include therapies for HPV-related disorders, such as INO-3107 for RRP and VGX-3100 for cervical high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL). In the first quarter of 2023, INOVIO is anticipated to release the results of its Phase 3 REVEAL2 study for VGX-3100 and the second cohort of its Phase 1/2 trial for INO-3107.
About INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, PA, INOVIO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a biotechnology firm dedicated to bringing precisely designed DNA therapeutics to market in order to treat, cure, and protect individuals from infectious diseases, cancer, and HPV-related diseases. INOVIO's in-development DNA medications are delivered utilizing its investigational proprietary smart device, CELLECTRA®, to elicit immune responses against targeted pathogens and malignancies. Its DNA medicines platform and the proprietary smart device can target almost any DNA sequence. With 15 clinical studies in development, the company has the potential to save and protect lives throughout the world and fuel a new decade of DNA medicines.
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