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

Libera Bio

Libera Bio develops a new family of cancer treatments based on its patented actively targeted delivery technology to intracellular targets (MPN – Multifunctional Polymeric Nanocapsules) and on novel monoclonal antibodies (e.g. anti KRAS), with the goal to have them commercialized by large biopharma companies after regulatory approval for clinical trials or early proof-of-concept in humans.

Libera Bio lead candidate aims at providing a new treatment for those highly prevalent and aggressive cancers which are driven by KRAS mutations, such as pancreatic cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancer.
Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
2018
Funding Status
Looking for USD 8 million (Series A) to IND approval (US) and IMPD (Europe) to start clinical trials.
Headquartner in China
Plan in China
Finding partners and investors
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Slides Deck
(pdf, 1.09MB)
Olivier Jarry
CEO 
Functionality

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

Mission Bio United States

Mission Bio unlocks the ground truth of cancer through response, relapse, and remission with its Tapestri Platform, powered by single-cell multi-omics. As the first and only to analyze genotype and phenotype simultaneously in single cells, the Tapestri Platform can help unravel the inherent complexity of cancer. The technology discerns key biomarkers to stratify patients more precisely, signal treatment resistance as it begins, and predict relapse for better patient outcomes. Application areas include blood cancers, solid tumors, and genome editing validation.

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) have leveraged the Tapestri Platform to support their research for characterizing clonal dynamics in a variety of cancers, identifying minimal residual disease (MRD), and monitoring treatment response and therapy resistance. The company’s award-winning technology is also leveraged by LabCorp and Agios to enable more efficient clinical trials.
Year of foundation
2014
Please specify your partnering goal
We are hoping to identify key commercial opportunities in academic, government, and industry centers. We have local representatives that assist with relationship management, procurement, services, etc.
Headquartner in China
Assets Information 1: Name|Description|Indications|Stage|IP countries
Tapestri Platform|The Tapestri Platform is the only system capable of simultaneously providing both genotype and phenotype data from the same cell, across thousands of single cells. With DNA as a foundation, our proprietary two-step microfluidic workflow enables the simultaneous detection of analytes, including SNVs, CNVs, and proteins. Meet the complexity of cancer with true multi-omics analysis.|||
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Zachary Fernandes
Associate Director, Global Channel Development 
Functionality

MSL Pharma Israel

MSL Pharma is an early-stage pharma company that performs ideation, analysis and identification of the underlying pathological pathways to determine how to treat diseases. The Company holds exclusive licenses from the Hebrew University & Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. There are data, patents and publications concerning the technologies.

As an early-stage company, in order to reduce overhead costs, we effectively act as the project manager – we plan the assays and subcontract the early development stages to university labs, and the later stages to CROs that specialize in the different fields. The Company monitors the results, determines next steps and fundraises for the next phases of development. We believe that working with leading experts at CROs is critical for success.

The Company has licenses for platform technologies which are progressing to several different projects; as such it is planning to out-license at various stages of development.

Synthesis of cyclic peptides which are peptidomimetics
MSL Pharma has the capability to identify “active regions” of proteins and peptides, to isolate them and to turn them into cyclic peptides which are selective for the desired receptors and stable, thereby preventing off-target activation and adverse effects (see Asset, Table 1).

Drug delivery systems for peptides and other molecules
MSL Pharma has two technologies for drug delivery (see Mode of Delivery, Table 1) that achieve unprecedented bioavailability:
1. Lipophilic prodrug charge masking (LPCM) technology for the oral delivery of peptides. This technology makes a chemical modification in a peptide to be converted to oral delivery, to produce a prodrug of this peptide. This causes it to be absorbed through the intestinal cell and once the prodrug enters the blood stream, it converts back to the original peptide. Typically, the Pgp Efflux system limits the prodrug absorption; we have overcome this with an approved self-assembling PNL (pro-nano liposphere) encapsulation system, itself a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS), which increases prodrug solubility and inhibits the Pgp Efflux system.

2. A novel nanoparticle formulation called AmyloLipid Nanovesicles which is constructed of natural materials and therefore safe ,biodegradable and has an advantage for the delivery of peptides. This technology is used also for the delivery of other molecules, can be used for nose-to-brain, sublingual, transdermal and probably also oral delivery, and can be applied to our assets (Table 1) or existing assets (Table 2).

A novel smart multi-armed linker for targeted drug delivery
Our linker can be used for peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and nanoparticle-drug conjugates (NDCs). Our linker releases the payload (chemotherapeutic drug or fluorescent) only in the tumor cells and can bind up to three payloads (see Table 3). We have demonstrated that using two or three different drug payloads kills the tumor cells more potently and with less drug resistance developing.

Discovery of novel peptides for peptide-drug conjugates
We have technologies to synthesize novel peptides which will bind to receptors overexpressed in certain tumors so that we will be able to use them for synthesizing peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) to diagnose and treat different tumors. We already have at our disposal peptides that bind to the five different somatostatin receptors (overexpressed in pancreatic, gallbladder, breast, ovary, prostate, melanoma, lymphoma, glioblastoma, colon and non-small-cell lung tumors) and to certain integrin receptors (overexpressed in tumors such as breast, glioblastoma, leukemic cells). 
Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
2012
Please specify your partnering goal
Fundraising Collaborating with a unuversity or reaearch organisation Doing licensing agreements Doing technology ttransfer agreements
Funding Status
Seed
Now raising (In USD)
1,000,000
Headquartner in China
Plan in China
Fundraising Collaborating with a unuversity or reaearch organisation Doing licensing agreements Doing technology ttransfer agreements
Assets Information 1: Name|Description|Indications|Stage|IP countries
backtide G|A Melanocortin 4 & 5 agonist|Obesity, Metabolic Syndrome, Sexual Dysfunction|Seed|
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Slides Deck
(pptx, 3.25MB)
Dr Yarom Cohen
Dr Yarom Cohen
LinkedIn logo CEO 
Functionality

Regulaxis SAS France

Regulaxis SAS is a French biotech company created in 2013 to develop innovative therapies for human clinic based on new synthetic peptides regulating cell growth and differentiation.

Regulaxis is specialized in the regulation of cell proliferation and/or cell differentiation. The potential therapeutic applications covered by our patents are very broad, especially in the areas of joint/bone or nerve cell regeneration, but also in cancer and related metabolic diseases (diabetes, obesity …).
Our mission is to grant licenses of innovative molecules in a pharmaceutical company after completion of phase II clinical proof of concept.

Regulaxis is strategically focused only on high unmet medical needs but has elected as its first priority:
regeneration of articular cartilage using intra-articular injections of its lead candidate REG-O3.

Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
2013
Looking for
Please specify your partnering goal
Investor or licensee
Funding Status
1.1 mEUR (10 mRMB)
Now raising (In USD)
25 mUSD
Headquartner in China
Plan in China
Incorporate WFOE as a start to incubate Chinese patent CN109862905A published last 2019 06 07and proceed with Mainland fundraise to sponsor- Finished Pharmaceutical manufacturing operations in China- Engage discussions with Central NMPA to approve our Chinese Clinical Trial designBringing earlier access for Chinese patients to such first therapeutic treatment of OsteoArthritis of the knee,through out licensing to a major Chinese pharmaceutical company
Biotech/Pharma Category
Assets Information 1: Name|Description|Indications|Stage|IP countries
IP registered Mainland China in 2019
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Medtech Category
Medtech Information 1, Device Name|Description|Development Stage|Licensed Countries
First in Class new MoA peptide based DMOAD
Medtech Information 2
NeuroEndocrine Tumors
Target Client Type
Chinese pharma with established market position in OsteoArthritis
Slides Deck
(png, 430.99KB)
Dr Matthieu CHAREYRE
Dr Matthieu CHAREYRE
LinkedIn logo Chief Business Development Officer - Global Pharmaceutical Operations 
Functionality

Sichuan Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd China

Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical is a subsidiary of Kelun Pharmaceutical Group established in 2016

Looking for antibody and samall molecular out-license and in-license

Headquartner in China
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Chunlin Li
BD btlichl@kelun.com 

ZY Therapeutics Inc. United States

ZY Therapeutics Inc. is a venture backed startup company focusing on developing innovative precision drug delivery technology. It was founded by two scientists in 2015 in North Carolina. In 2017, ZY’s leading project won collaboration award from Nanotechnology Characterization Lab (NCL), part of national lab established by FDA, NCI and NIST in a concerted effort to regulate and support nanotechnology in oncology space. ZY’s proprietary delivery platforms currently focus on optimized injectable formulations to deliver oncology therapy to the action sites. The first biodegradable oncology nano-formulation, ZY-010-PNP, completed Pre-IND discussion with the FDA and agreement on 505b(2) regulatory pathway was achieved. Further, the isotope labeling human plasma In vitro study as well as canine pharmacokinetic study conducted by NCL suggest a unique drug releasing profile in comparison to the benchmark brands suggesting enhanced the therapeutic effect with lower safety concern. The active targeting delivery nanomedicine ZY-012-CNP for prostate cancer is in preclinic development and scheduled to file Pre-IND application in 2021. Additional products are in encapsulation feasibility studies including targeting dry eye disease and other solid tumors. The target indications cover majority of solid tumors, including but not limited to TNBC, Ovarian Cancer and mCPRC, of which xenograft in vivo models have proved the drug efficacy.
ZY has developed multiple platform technologies and related patents were filed to protect global rights. The key platform patent was awarded by USPTO in 2019. Additional patents on individual product will be filed to protect the exclusive rights. This layered IP strategy ensures a long patent life for future product.
Located in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, ZY Therapeutics has an interdisciplinary R&D team and 4,500+ sf lab space right in the heart of the southeast bio-hub. Co-founder and CEO Dr. Jian Bao has 18 years’ experience in pharmaceutical development, from discovery to clinical development. She received PhD from University of Pittsburgh and B.S. from Beijing University, both in Chemistry. The core team has a combined decades of pharmaceutical product development experience, with veteran cross-functional team leaders. ZY has assembled an advisor board that consists of world class experts in drug delivery and oncologists from both academia and industry.
ZY Therapeutics is actively seeking funding and collaboration to further develop our platform technologies and promising candidates. We look forward to taking our nano-formulations to clinic in 2021 and beyond.
Website:
www.zytinc.com
Company Size (Fulltime employees)
Year of foundation
2015
Please specify your partnering goal
Co-development of multiple 505b(2) project.
Headquartner in China
Biotech/Pharma Asset Stage
Medtech Development Stage
Jian Bao
CEO 
Functionality