Takeda Pharmaceutical (NYSE:TAK) announced that it is acquiring Maverick Therapeutics in a deal worth up to $525 million. Osaka, Japan-based Takeda exercised its option to acquire Maverick and its T-cell engager Cobra platform and development portfolio, including multiple solid tumor treatments in various clinical stages. Following the closing of the deal, Maverick employees will join […]
Immunotherapy
Janux Therapeutics raises $56M Series A for T cell engager tech
Janux Therapuetics announced today that it closed a $56 million Series A financing as it develops its T cell engager technology. Avalon Ventures led the financing round, while new investors OrbiMed and RA Capital Management joined in. Additionally, existing investors Bregua and Correlation Ventures participated. OrbiMed partner Dr. Peter Thompson and RA Capital Management partner […]
OncoSec announces positive results in metastatic melanoma case study
The International Journal of Surgery Case Reports has published a case study on the use of the humanized antibody Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and tavokinogene telseplasmid (TAVO) from OncoSec (NSDQ:ONCS) for treating metastatic melanoma. The study involved a patient with stage IIB, pT3b melanoma who initially underwent tumor resection but experienced regional recurrence and later disease progression […]
Inovio to scale up production of smart delivery device for potential COVID-19 vaccine
Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:INO) announced that it received $71 million from the U.S. Defense Dept. to support its Cellectra 3PSP smart device. Funding from the DoD is set to support large-scale manufacturing for the Cellectra 3PSP and the procurement of Cellectra 2000 devices, which are used to deliver Inovio’s INO-4800 COVID-19 vaccine candidate directly into the skin. […]
MIT researchers think they’ve found a way to get more particles through a syringe
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are touting a computational model that could prevent microparticle clogging during injections. Microparticles, which are about the size of a grain of sand, can be difficult to inject if they get clogged in a typical syringe. The research team at MIT developed this new model that determines […]
AbbVie gains U.S. nod for $63B Allergan takeover
Pharmaceutical giant AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) has won U.S. antitrust approval for its purchase of Allergan (NYSE:AGN) for $63 billion in cash and stock. The purchase is seen as a hedge against the impending expiration of U.S. patents on AbbVie’s blockbuster drug, Humira. North Chicago-based AbbVie announced the deal in June 2019, but ran up against U.S. Federal Trade Commission […]
OncoSec, Inovio testing COVID-19 vaccines
OncoSec Medical (NSDQ:ONCS) and Inovio Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:INO) announced that they are testing potential COVID-19 vaccines after the latter received investigational new drug clearance from the FDA. Inovio received an IND nod, while OncoSec’s is pending, but both companies are pursuing a first-in-human Phase 1 clinical trial for their vaccines, according to separate news releases. OncoSec is using […]
TriSalus touts data for pressure-enabled drug-delivery tech
TriSalus Life Sciences touted results today from a Phase Ib trial of its pressure-enabled drug-delivery tech for immunotherapy. The company reported that delivering a concentrated dose of CAR-T cells at the site of a solid tumor using its technology was safe and contributed to positive clinical results. In the early-stage trial, five patients with carcinoembryonic […]
OncoSec shares fall on preliminary data from skin cancer trial
Shares in OncoSec Medical (NSDQ:ONCS) fell nearly -60% this morning after the company revealed preliminary data from its Phase IIb trial of intratumoral delivery of Tavo in people with unresectable, advanced melanoma. OncoSec’s lead product, Tavo, uses electroporation to deliver IL-12 directly into a patient’s tumor, triggering an immune response. As of Sept. 1, 21 people […]
Researchers develop nanodevice to deliver immunotherapy
Researchers at Houston Methodist Research Institute have created a nanodevice that can be used to deliver immunotherapy to treat triple-negative breast cancer. The tiny device is designed to be inserted directly into a tumor, delivering a localized, sustained-release dose of therapy and eliminating the need for patients to undergo IV treatments. The scientists described their […]
