INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, MEDICAL
SOPHiA GENETICS | January 13, 2023
SOPHiA GENETICSTM, a leading cloud-native software firm in the healthcare industry, recently announced that it has partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) to provide physicians and researchers with new testing and analytic capabilities.
The collaboration includes the incorporation of proprietary Comprehensive Genomic Panel (CGP) sequencing tests, such as MSK-ACCESS®, which SOPHiA GENETICS will market as the first comprehensive ctDNA liquid biopsy test powered by the SOPHiA DDMTM platform.
By integrating predictive algorithms, the power of the global SOPHiA GENETICS network, and the clinical knowledge of MSK in cancer genomics, specialists hope to broaden their access to capabilities for precision cancer analysis.
SOPHiA GENETICS and MSK will work together to further develop MSK-ACCESS®, ensuring that the solution leverages the advanced analytics of the SOPHiA DDMTM platform. The enhanced assay will be designed to align with the latest guidelines and clinical trial data reflecting major actionable biomarkers.
As part of this agreement, SOPHiA GENETICS plans to develop a new clinical-genomic, cloud-native analytics platform that enhances the impact of MSK’s extensive precision oncology data. This involves the application of sophisticated machine learning algorithms to examine vast amounts of multimodal data points to get new insights. The new SOPHiA CarePathTM module's goal, in conjunction with MSK's CGP sequencing assays, aims to improve cancer care worldwide.
About SOPHiA GENETICS
SOPHiA GENETICS is a cloud-native software company committed to establishing data-driven medicine as the standard of care and for life sciences research. It offers the SOPHiA DDM™ as a cloud-based SaaS platform that enables healthcare organizations to obtain quick and accurate insights from their data. The platform is currently being used by a broad network of hospitals, laboratories, and biopharma institutions globally. By applying its technology to diseases such as cancer and hereditary disorders, it facilitates the integration of genomic and phenotypic data, which is crucial for supporting discoveries, treatment decisions, and drug development activities. In addition, SOPHiA GENETICS supports its mission of bringing data analytics solutions to market through the global adoption of SOPHiA AI, built using techniques such as statistical inference, pattern recognition, and machine learning.
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CELL AND GENE THERAPY, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
ImmunoGen, Inc. | March 02, 2023
On March 1, 2023, ImmunoGen, Inc., a leading firm specializing in antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), announced a global, multi-target license and option agreement with Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The deal provides Vertex with the rights to use ImmunoGen's ADC technology to research and discover targeted conditioning agents to be used in gene editing.
After each research period, Vertex will have the option to obtain an exclusive worldwide license to research, develop, and commercialize conditioning agents using ImmunoGen's technology for that target. ImmunoGen will hol full rights to the ADC technology for any targets not covered by the Vertex license.
Vertex will pay an upfront payment of $15 million as part of the agreement. In addition, ImmunoGen is eligible to receive up to $337 million in option exercise fees, development, and commercial milestone payments for each target. ImmunoGen will also receive tiered royalties as a percentage of worldwide commercial sales of licensed targeted conditioning agents by Vertex. Vertex will be responsible for all research, development, and commercialization costs.
ImmunoGen's Executive Vice President, Research, Development, and Medical Affairs, Michael Vasconcelles, MD, commented, "Given Vertex's extensive experience discovering and developing transformative medicines for patients with serious diseases, we are thrilled they have chosen to explore ImmunoGen's technology to develop ADCs for transplant conditioning in connection with gene editing." He further emphasized, "This agreement reflects our continued innovation in the ADC space and demonstrates the value of our technology platform and related intellectual property."
(Source – Business Wire)
About ImmunoGen, Inc.
ImmunoGen is dedicated to improving the lives of people with cancer by developing precise, targeted cancer therapies. Its lead product candidate is a first-in-class ADC called mirvetuximab soravtansine, which targets folate receptor alpha (FRα) and is being studied in multiple ovarian cancer trials. The company's second program, IMGN632, is a CD123-targeting ADC being studied for the treatment of BPDCN and AML. ImmunoGen is also developing two earlier-stage assets: IMGC936, an ADAM9-targeting ADC co-developed with MacroGenics, and IMGN151, a next-generation anti-folate receptor alpha ADC. The company aims to keep cancer from disrupting people's lives and get them back to living today, tomorrow, and beyond.
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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT
Bio-Techne | February 15, 2023
On February 14, 2023, Bio-Techne Corporation and Cell Signaling Technology (CST) announced that CST antibodies now have Simple Western™ validation. This will make it easier for researchers from numerous disciplines to study essential molecular signaling pathways on a reliable and validated platform.
Accurate data must be obtained quickly and efficiently in order to advance drug discovery and development. This continued collaboration will provide a broader menu of Simple Western validated antibodies for a variety of targets across several disciplines.
Simple Western systems from ProteinSimple, a brand of Bio-Techne, are the only completely automated western blotting solutions for protein identification and characterization, with results available in as little as 3 hours. Cell Signaling Technology (CST) is a leading developer of antibodies and other related reagents for elucidating cell signaling pathways that govern cellular behavior and have an impact on human health.
CST has finished assay validation and optimization for a variety of its antibodies on the Simple Western platform, making it easier than ever to develop new reliable and robust immunoassays for the quantification and detection of phospho and total proteins. When using CST primary antibodies with Simple Western validation, researchers can simply dilute the antibody to the appropriate dilution range found on the data sheet and product page. In addition, CST antibodies are Simple Western protocol compliant, which allows users to include these thoroughly validated antibodies into their existing workflows seamlessly.
About Bio-Techne
Founded in 1981, Bio-Techne Corporation is a pioneer in the development and manufacturing of high-quality purified proteins and reagent solutions, particularly antibodies, cytokines and growth factors, immunoassays, tissue culture reagents, biologically active small molecule compounds, and cell and gene therapy workflow solutions, including T-Cell activation technologies. It also develops and produces diagnostic products for OEM and clinical clients, such as FDA-regulated calibrators, controls, blood gas and clinical chemistry controls, and other reagents. The company’s products are essential components of scientific investigation into molecular diagnostics and biological processes, which disclose the diagnosis, nature, genesis, and course of certain diseases.
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