Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. inked deals with Shattuck Labs Inc. and Numab Therapeutics AG aimed at bolstering its pipeline in oncology and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Ono struck a drug discovery collaboration and option agreement with Shattuck Labs to generate bifunctional fusion proteins for pathways involved in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. It also signed a global research, development and commercialization deal with Numab for its NM-49, a multispecific antibody designed to activate tumor-associated macrophage phagocytosis for treating cancers.
Raising $94 million in a series A round, South San Francisco-based Firefly Bio Inc. has emerged from stealth to advance its Firelink linker platform technology to develop degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs) to treat cancer. A combination of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and targeted protein degradation therapies, DACs are a new class of medicines that have recently gained attention for their ability to replace toxic ADC payloads and to eliminate cancer-driven proteins.
If Freenome Holdings Inc.’s $254 million funding round is a sign, the capital markets for med-tech may finally be thawing. The cancer diagnostics company’s latest cash infusion brings its total funds raised to date to more than $1.3 billion. Freenome co-founder and Chief Product Officer Riley Ennis told BioWorld the company’s success in raising cash in a challenging market was attributable to the “perfect storm of huge unmet need and the opportunity that we have, given the treatment advancements.”
Tropomyosin receptor kinases (TRKs), encoded by neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NTRK) genes, are involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis, and are validated therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.
Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has entered into an option and collaboration agreement with Numab Therapeutics AG to develop and commercialize a novel multispecific macrophage engager, NM-49, in oncology.
Researchers at Oncopia Therapeutics Inc. (Proteovant Therapeutics Inc.) and University of Michigan have divulged conjugates comprising a cereblon (CRBN) E3 ubiquitin ligase-binding moiety coupled to an estrogen receptor (ER) or zinc finger protein Helios (IKZF2) and/or zinc finger protein Aiolos (IKZF3) moiety through a linker.