Skin cancer can spread in mice by hijacking the immune system

MEDICAL

Suono Bio | January 06, 2022

Suono Bio, Inc., the company revolutionizing the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, announced its latest publication in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences demonstrating the capability to deliver unformulated RNA therapeutics against relevant disease targets in the gastrointestinal tract. This latest publication adds to the validation of Suono Bio’s therapeutic delivery platform leveraging low-frequency ultrasound for formulation-agnostic delivery. This technology was originally developed in the laboratory of Institute Professor Robert Langer at MIT to facilitate rapid, local administration of therapeutics to treat serious diseases. “Therapeutic translation of oligos has been hampered by delivery and bioavailability issues with a complicated landscape for chemical-based formulations. This further demonstrates our capability to deliver RNAs and siRNAs to knockdown relevant gene targets without the need for any formulation.” Dr. Carl Schoellhammer, corresponding author, and Suono Bio co-founder In addition to previously demonstrating the preclinical use of siRNAs for treating inflammatory conditions, this latest publication demonstrates the ability to knockdown endogenous genes, including Ctnnb1, the gene encoding for beta-catenin, which plays a role in tumorigenesis in colorectal cancers, for example. ABOUT SUONO BIO Suono Bio was founded by Robert Langer and Giovanni Traverso, a gastroenterologist and biomedical engineer from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Carl Schoellhammer. The company is developing therapeutic products for inflammatory-mediated diseases leveraging their ultra-rapid and formulation independent delivery technology. Suono Bio’s platform enables rapid, localized delivery of small molecules, biologics, and nucleic acids and gene therapies without the need for encapsulation of the therapeutic.

Read More

Felix Biotechnology, Inc. | November 06, 2020

TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: TFFP), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative drug products based on its patented Thin Film Freezing (TFF) technology platform, and Felix Biotechnology, Inc., a clinical stage, biotherapeutic-based antibiotic development company, today jointly announce that both companies have entered into a letter of intent (LOI) which reflects the parties’ non-binding agreement in principle to negotiate and enter into a Collaboration, Development and License Agreement (CDLA). Under this proposed CDLA agreement, Felix Biotechnology would obtain a worldwide license to TFF Pharmaceuticals’ Thin Film Freezing technology to develop and manufacture dry powder formulations of a novel, bacteriophage-based biotherapeutics for inhalation delivery directly to the lungs of patients. Under the terms of the proposed CDLA and in exchange for the license to the TFF technology, Felix would agree to pay TFF Pharmaceuticals an upfront payment, development milestones, commercial milestones and royalties on net sales of the Felix biotherapeutics. A definitive CDLA is subject to the mutual agreement of the parties and a number of conditions, including Felix Biotechnology’s successful completion of a Series A financing.

Read More

MEDICAL

Merck | December 28, 2020

Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today declared it has gone into a agreement with the United States Government to help the turn of events, assembling and introductory dispersion of an investigational biological therapeutic (CD24Fc, to be named MK-7110) upon endorsement or Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Merck acquired MK-7110 through the securing of OncoImmune, a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical organization. “Building upon the promising clinical findings to date for MK-7110, Merck is pleased to be collaborating with the U.S. Government to advance the manufacture and distribution of this candidate for patients with serious COVID-19 disease,” said Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter, president, Merck Research Laboratories. Under the arrangement, Merck will get up to around $356 million for assembling and supply of roughly 60,000-100,000 dosages of MK-7110 to the U.S. Government through June 30, 2021 to meet the public authority's Operation Warp Speed objectives. This methodology is proposed to assist conveyance of MK-7110 to the American individuals as fast as could be expected under the circumstances, following potential EUA or FDA endorsement. Merck is manufacturing contributing to extend its assembling ability to expand supply of MK-7110.

Read More