Weekly in Asia（0421-0427 ）

Bioatla and Beigene Collaborates to Develop and Commercialize Novel Conditionally Active Biologics

BioAtla, LLC and BeiGene have entered into a global co-development and collaboration agreement for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of BioAtla’s Conditionally Active Biologics (CABs) cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) antibody (BA3071). Under the terms of collaboration, BioAtla will co-develop the CAB-CTLA-4 antibody to defined early clinical objectives, BeiGene will be responsible for global regulatory filings and commercialization. BioAtla will receive an upfront payment of $20M and a milestone payment of up to $249M upon reaching defined early clinical objectives. Beigene will hold a co-exclusive license with Bioalta to develop and manufacture product candidate globally.

BA3071 is a CTLA-4 inhibitor that is conditionally activated in the tumor microenvironment, designed to reduce systemic toxicity and potentially enable safer combinations with checkpoint inhibitors. The application of BioAtla’s CAB technology to CTLA-4 inhibition may offer greater potency and safety, improving cancer therapy and expanding its potential applications.

About BioAtla, LLC
BioAtla is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company with operations in San Diego, California, and Beijing, China. BioAtla develops novel monoclonal antibody and other protein therapeutic product candidates designed to have more selective targeting, greater efficacy, and more cost-efficient and predictable manufacturing than traditional antibodies.

About BeiGene
BeiGene is a global, commercial-stage, research-based biotechnology company focused on molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology cancer therapeutics. With over 2,200 employees in China, the United States, Australia and Europe, BeiGene is advancing a pipeline consisting of novel oral small molecules and monoclonal antibodies for cancer.

WuXi Biologics and I-Mab Biopharma Expands Partnership for Clinical and Commercial Programs

I-Mab, a China-based biotechnology company focusing on biologics for immuno-oncology and auto-immune diseases through its R&D capabilities, will use WuXi’s chemistry, manufacturing, and control (CMC) development platform of at least five programs and commercial manufacturing for its proprietary monoclonal antibody, bispecific antibody and fusion protein pipelines. The agreement is a significant expansion of their current collaboration for biologics process development as well as clinical and commercial manufacturing to accelerate drug development in China and abroad.

The two companies first partnered in 2017 when WuXi agreed to provide I-Mab preclinical research, process transfer, optimization and large-scale production services for multiple undisclosed antibodies. Their partnership expanded in 2018 after WuXi launched its WuXiBody platform, granting I-Mab rights to use the platform to research, develop and commercialize three undisclosed bispecific antibodies.

About I-Mab
I-Mab is a dynamic and fast-growing China-based biopharmaceutical company exclusively focused on developing first-in-class and/or best-in-class biologics in the areas of immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases through internal R&D capabilities and global partnerships.

About WuXi Biologics
WuXi Biologics, based in Shanghai, China, is a leading global open-access biologics technology platform offering end-to-end solutions to empower organizations to discover, develop and manufacture biologics from concept to commercial manufacturing.

The 2019 International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Annual Meeting Kicks Off in Japan

https://www.isev.org/

The 2019 International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) Annual Meeting was held on 24-28 April, with Kyoto, Japan serving as the host city. Established in 2011, ISEV is the premier international conference of extracellular vesicle (EV) research, covering the latest in exosomes, microvesicles and more. ISEV hosts an annual meeting and educational event as well as numerous workshops on EV-related topics, providing opportunities for talks from students and early career researchers. ISEV and the Metastasis Research Society (MRS) will host a joint meeting focused on extracellular vesicles in cancer, August 2-4 2019, Vanderbilt Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. The ISEV2020 Annual Meeting will be held on May 20, 2020, at Philadelphia, U.S.A.

Click link to see live messages from Dr. Andrew Hill & Hidetoshi Tahara

About Extracellular vesicles
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are phospholipid bilayer-enclosed vesicles that have once been considered as cell debris lacking biological functions. However, they have recently gained considerable interest in the scientific community due to their role in intercellular communication, immunity, tissue regeneration as well as in the onset, and progression of various pathologic conditions. EVs may be broadly classified into exosomes, microvesicles and apoptotic bodies according to their cellular origin.

Realbio Raises Nearly $15M Series A+ Round for Genome and Microbiome Screening

Listed as one of the major world players in microbiome sequencing services by Industrial Forecast on Microbiome Sequencing Services Market, Chinese genomic screening company Realbio Technology has raised $15 million in a Series A+ funding, led by Chinese venture capital firm Shandong Luxin High-Tech Industry, Wuxi Capital and Marathon. Proceeds of this round will be used for the construction of its regional centers, expansion of domestic and overseas markets, and researches and clinical trials of new products in the field of intestinal health. Founded in 2014, Realbio Technology specializes in the enrichment and analysis of genes and microbiomes in fecal specimens. The company leverages high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to conduct microbiome studies and examine clinical samples.

Realbio Technology owns three brands: REALGENE, REALMED and REALAGR. REALGENE provides scientific research services for universities, institutes, hospitals and individuals, which cover microbial genome sequencing, 16S/ITS amplicon sequencing, metagenomic sequencing, transcriptome sequencing and computer clusters construction. REALMED provides customers with early detection of disease and integrated health management service. REALAGR focuses on cutting-edge technologies, products, and incubating the related products and services about animal genomics and disease control. Realbio Technology has set up branches in Hangzhou, Qindao, Guiyang and other places.

ACT Genomics Establishes NGS Laboratory in Japan

ACTmed, a cooperative enterprise between Canon Medical Systems Corporation, and ACT Genomics, is a biotechnology company that offers gene analysis contract services. The company recently established Shonan iPark Laboratory, an analysis laboratory, in Shonan Health Innovation Park, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. With the newly-built laboratory, ACTmed will facilitate precision medicine service for biomarker-driven clinical trials in oncology and treatment identification for cancer patients in Japan, making it possible to provide comprehensive services to quickly address requests from clients and promptly respond to their inquiries. ACT Genomics will provide medical informatics solution through its AI-powered bioinformatics pipelines to ACTmed, which enable the company to provide medical interpretation that is created based on clinical databases of genetic information specifically for Asian populations. The laboratory is scheduled to start operating in July 2019 and is expected to fulfill the clinical needs and drug development activities in Japan.

About ACT Genomics
ACT Genomics Co., Ltd., a cancer molecular information service company, provides a technology to transform cancer genomic information into precision diagnosis and personalized treatments. The company achieves precise cancer genetic variants detection with minimum tumor samples, and delivers personalized genomic information through cutting-edge NGS platform, medical report and integrated services.

Author

GeneOnline