HebeCell Corporation United States

HebeCell was founded in 2016 by industry leading inventors in developing the manufacturing platform of hematopoietic cells from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Their first-in-class proprietary 3D manufacturing platform for human iPS-NK cells is feeder-free, designed specifically for single-use-bioreactor at industrial scale. HebeCell’s platform will accelerate the application of PSCs as a viable source of immune cells in the next generation of immune cell therapies for immune-Oncology, autoimmune and infectious diseases.

Dr. John Lu is the President and CEO of HebeCell. Before establishing HebeCell, John was the Senior Director of Research at Advanced Cell Technology/Ocata Therapeutics, which in 2016 was acquired by Astellas, the second-largest pharmaceutical company in Japan. John is an expert in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine with 20 years of experience in the field.

Dr. Allen Feng is the Chief Scientific Officer of the HebeCell Corp. Prior to establishing HebeCell, he was the Director of Cell Biology of Semma Therapeutics, which was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in 2019. Prior to Semma, Allen worked as R&D Head of Stem Cell Bioprocessing Group at EMD Millipore, and also served as Director and Senior Scientist at Advanced Cell Technology /Ocata Therapeutics.
Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
2016
Please specify your partnering goal
Looking for Big Biotech/Biopharm to form strategic partnership, co-develop our proprietary PSC-CAR-NK platform and move into clinics
Funding Status
Series A
Now raising (In USD)
30 to 50 million USA
Headquartner in China
Plan in China
Joint Venture
Biotech/Pharma Category
John Lu
President and CEO 
Functionality

Kymeris Therapeutics Inc. Canada

Kymeris Therapeutics (Canada) has exlusive license to a ground-breaking cell-based immunotherapeutic product for clinical development in cancer. This multivalent anti-cancer platform integrates multiple mechanisms in one modifiable platform. The product is tumor-homing, disables the local tumor defenses and expresses encoded biodrugs in the cancer - but not systemically.

*  We are seeking partners with small molecule or antibody (or any encodable peptide or protein) that would have an enabling platform compared to intravenous or intratumoral formulations.

*  We are also seeking strategic investors in the platform that has extremely high potential in future products, adaptable against almost any solid cancer.

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The platform can enable, or enhance, additional small molecule, antibody, peptide or cytokine agents.  It is a preclinical late-stage firm that has discovered and developed a First-in-Class immunotherapeutic platform based on non-pathogenic eukaryotes (nucleated cells, non-viral, non-bacterial). Our platform is original with the first scientific paper just published in November 2020 by the Journal of Immunotherapy of Cancer (BMJ), and our first scientific presentation at the 2020 Annual Meeting of the SITC where we presented recent report on a derivative that secreted human IL-15 within tumor, but devoid of serum detection of the cytokine.

The platform would be a paradigm shift from "reductive" (targeted, mono-mechanism) approaches, and can be encoded with additional molecular therapies to more comprehensively face the complex of solid cancer defenses. Encoding any biological agent (small molecule, antibody, antigen, cytokine...), could enable that agent for a wider scope of applications,  enhanced effect and much safer profile.  In addition, the platform shows abscopal effect, an ability to reach tumors after administration from a distance (subcutaneous or mucosal).

The platform has shown the following characteristics:

1. Tumor-tropism / Cancer-agnostic. Homing to tumor occurred in the absence of a cancer antigen marker (TAA or TSA), and may even work in tumors that are not easily "targetable", such as "cold", lacking cancer markers, heterogeneic or mutating tumors. One oncologist remarked, "This turns "cold" tumors "hot" ".The agents have had effect at distance from tumor site when administered subcutaneously or mucosally. 

 2. Tumor-infiltration + TME counteraction. The agents bear a specialized "universal key" to gain entry into mammalian cell in an active process; no specific  receptor needed. In addition, the agents are able to reprogram tolerogenic cells into a state of immune competence i.e. to overcome cancer-induced immune suppression within the tumor.

3. Intra-cancer delivery of any payload/s. Obligate intracellular microbes, the agents infect cancer cells and replicate, expressing encoded biodrugs. The replication continues as long as there is cancer tissue to infect and/or the TME has not been disabled.  Any agents outside of the TME were naturally cleared in under 10 days.

Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
2016
Please specify your partnering goal
1. Out-licensing/codevelopment to partner, by indication, for China market, 2) Strategic investor
Funding Status
firm is privately held & controlled 99% by founders : approx 7.5 million in $ US equivalent value has been spent
Now raising (In USD)
between $ 5 million - $25 million
Headquartner in China
Plan in China
Interested in understanding partnership opportunities for the China market with compatible biotech/pharma companies. Also interested in participation of Chinese VC in our ongoing overall funding needs.
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Investment Focus
Seeking funding to move from pre clinical stage to Phase 1/2 clinical trial
Richard McCrae
President & CEO 
Functionality

Luye Pharma China

Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
1994
Stock Market and Ticker/Symbol/Number
02186.HK
Looking for
Please specify your partnering goal
in license oncology assects, particular late stage ones
Headquartner in China
Dr Fang Zhang
Senior Business Development Manager 

MedGene Therapeutics United States

MEDGENE is a T cell therapy biotech start-up (late pre-clinical stage) based in Maryland, USA.

- Focused on developing PD1+ peripheral blood-derived, tumor-reactive CD8+ T cell (PBTL) therapies as a platform for the treatment of solid tumors that are rare, orphan, and have critical (high) unmet need
- PBTL is a simpler, smarter version of TIL 
- PBTL is a process to select highly tumor-reactive T cells from a patient's peripheral blood based on the expression of two specific T cell surface markers: PD-1 and/or TIM-3 

- After selection, expanded to large quantities, it gets re-infused into the patient via the ACT regimen

- PBTL technology has been patented (issued) already in the US, China, the EU, Japan, Australia 
- MEDGENE has robust Clinical Development Pipelines (currently, 9 as monotherapy way)

- Looking for funding for entering Phase 1/2 in three pipelines in the US

- Looking for partnering for the Asian market (China, Japan, South Korea)

Website:
www.medgene.us
Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Please specify your partnering goal
Seed (Pre series A) fund raising of 2M USD/ Partnering in China
Funding Status
Private investors
Now raising (In USD)
Now, 2M for entering Clinical Trial in the US, followed by 15M for conducting Phase1/2 Clinical Trial of three pipelines
Headquartner in China
Plan in China
Looking for investors, collaborators, partners / Co-development opportunity in China (c GMP manufacturing protocol develop and/or POC clinical research, and/or Phase 1/2 clinical trial)
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Medtech Development Stage
Yong H. Park
CEO 
Functionality