Norwalk, CT, Dec. 21, 2022 – The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s (MMRF) venture philanthropy subsidiary, today announced investments in Luminary Therapeutics, a company using advanced receptor design to improve the depth and durability of patient responses to cell therapy; KAHR, a clinical stage company developing immune-recruiting therapies to address immune escape by tumors; and Telo Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing second generation inhibitors of nuclear transport against a clinically validated target for multiple myeloma.
These investments mark a significant expansion of the MIF portfolio, bringing the total number of active portfolio companies to nine and the total number of MIF investments to eleven. With these additions, the MIF continues to diversify its range of investments, consistent with its strategic approach to venture philanthropy to accelerate the most promising therapeutic advances for patients with multiple myeloma.
“We are extremely proud to partner with Luminary Therapeutics, KAHR, and Telo Therapeutics, three innovative companies furthering the development of new therapies that have the potential to improve the lives of multiple myeloma patients,” said Peter Kosa, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund. “By investing in three companies dedicated to developing novel therapies across a variety of innovative new targets and technologies, the MIF remains committed to advancing new treatment options to address unmet needs for multiple myeloma patients.”
The MIF’s investment in Luminary Therapeutics supports the development of Luminary’s BAFF-CAR-T, a first-of-its-kind CAR-T cell therapy that targets three distinct antigens present on multiple myeloma tumors. The MIF’s investment in KAHR supports continued development of DSP107, a dual-targeting fusion protein that activates innate and adaptive immunity by blocking CD47 on cancer cells and utilizing 4-1BB conditional co-stimulatory activation of T-cells. The MIF’s investment in Telo helps advance the company’s next generation nuclear transport inhibitors toward the clinic.
“The three investments in Luminary Therapeutics, KAHR, and Telo Therapeutics are consistent with our mission of accelerating potential life-extending therapies for multiple myeloma patients,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. “By funding and partnering with innovative companies, we are continuing to advocate for novel technology platforms to be evaluated in the myeloma space where there is still great unmet need.”
For more information, visit myelomainvestmentfund.org, luminarytx.com, kahrbio.com, and telotherapeutics.com.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
A pioneer in personalized medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for all multiple myeloma patients by relentlessly pursuing innovations that accelerate the development of personalized treatments for cancer. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF has created the benchmark business model around cancer—from data to analytics to the clinic. The MMRF identifies barriers and then finds the solutions to overcome them, bringing in the best partners and aligning incentives in the industry to drive better outcomes for patients. Since its inception, the organization has collected thousands of samples and tissues, opened nearly 100 trials, helped bring more than 15 FDA-approved therapies to market, and built CoMMpass, the single largest genomic dataset in myeloma. Today, the MMRF is building on its legacy in genomics and is expanding into immunotherapy, as the combination of these two fields will be critical to making personalized medicine possible for all patients. The MMRF has raised more than $500 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
About the Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to drive the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits are reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit MyelomaInvestmentFund.org.
About KAHR
KAHR develops novel dual-targeting fusion protein therapeutics engineered to activate both the innate and the adaptive immune systems simultaneously and localize that response in the tumor microenvironment. KAHR’s lead product candidate, DSP107, is a CD47x41BB targeting compound. DSP107 is being tested in a Phase I/II clinical trial in advanced solid tumors and a Phase Ib clinical trial in blood cancers. KAHR’s preclinical pipeline includes DSP502, a PVRxPD-L1 targeting fusion protein, and DSP216, an HLA-GxCD47 targeting fusion protein. For more information, please visit https://kahrbio.com.
About Luminary Therapeutics
Luminary is a clinical stage allogeneic cell therapy company focused on combining advanced receptor design with superior cell engineering to overcome antigen escape and T cell dysfunction. Luminary was founded by the team from B-MoGen that achieved a successful 5X exit in only three years. Luminary is seeking Series A financing with venture firms or strategic partners to support its first clinical trial and development of its disruptive Universal Receptor that can modulate antigen specificity. For more information visit www.luminarytx.com.
About Telo Therapeutics
Telo Therapeutics is developing orally bioavailable next generation inhibitors of nuclear transport, a critical nexus among many cancer cell signaling pathways. The company’s unique chemistry and distinct mechanism of action result in a favorable safety profile and lead to rapid tumor regressions across multiple cancer types including multiple myeloma, brain, liver, lung, bladder, and prostate. Telo has generated durable complete responses with just two weeks of dosing in xenografts of both multiple myeloma and glioblastoma. Telo is uniquely positioned to unlock the full potential of targeting nuclear transport in multiple myeloma tumors and beyond. Telo is actively raising a Series A financing to advance its small molecule to Investigational New Drug (IND) and run a Phase 1 proof-of-concept trial. Telo is targeting first patient dosing in 2H of 2024.
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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Media Contact:
C.J. Volpe
Director, PR and Communications
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
203.652.0453
[email protected]
33 CoMMpass abstracts demonstrate the ongoing value of MMRF data sets to myeloma research
Multi-arm MyDRUG clinical trial reports translational data from cobimetinib arm and initial safety and activity data for daratumumab arm
Norwalk, Conn., December 12, 2022— Today, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced that new insights related to novel targets, risk assessment, and potential improved treatment approaches generated through its landmark CoMMpass℠ Study and MyDRUG℠ platform trial will be presented at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana from December 10 – 13, 2022.
Data from the MMRF helped drive findings of 33 studies featured at ASH, with the MMRF CoMMpass Study being cited in nine oral abstracts, highlighting the utility and value of the oft-used study by the global myeloma research community.
“Since its inception, the CoMMpass Study has been used by hundreds of researchers worldwide and continues to promote a level of collaboration that is essential to an increased understanding of myeloma,” said George Mulligan, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of the MMRF. “At the same time, the MyDRUG trial continues to make an impact by assessing the way targeted therapies interact with specific biomarkers found in patients. The insights gained by these two innovative studies demonstrate the importance of generating and sharing a wide array of data.”
MMRF MyDRUG platform trial advances community’s understanding of targeted therapies
Also featured in multiple abstracts at this year’s ASH meeting is MyDRUG, a first-in-myeloma Phase 1/2 platform clinical trial conducted by the MMRF’s Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC), a network of leading cancer centers that investigate promising early-stage therapies. The MMRC focuses primarily on trials like MyDRUG that require the collaboration of many sites, given their specificity and scale. MyDRUG builds upon discoveries of common cancer-associated mutations observed in the CoMMpass Study. The goal of MyDRUG is to determine if precision medicine strategies using targeted therapies that are already approved in other cancers are safe and effective in myeloma patients with specific mutations.
Notable findings at this year’s ASH meeting related to the MyDRUG study include:
About the MMRF CoMMpass StudySM
The MMRF CoMMpass Study is an ongoing longitudinal study of patients with newly diagnosed active multiple myeloma. The goal is to map the genomic profile of each patient at diagnosis and each relapse to clinical outcomes in order to develop a more complete understanding of how patients respond to treatments. The MMRF initiated the CoMMpass Study more than ten years ago to address the need for a large, comprehensive, genomic and clinical data set that was publicly available to researchers to realize the potential of personalized medicine. The insights generated by CoMMpass have led to groundbreaking discoveries that have transformed the research community’s understanding of myeloma at a genomic level.
About the MMRF MyDRUG StudySM
The MMRF MyDRUG study is the first platform trial in myeloma. The purpose of MyDRUG is to test targeted therapies not yet approved in myeloma, in combination with a standard of care oral triplet therapy, in functionally high-risk multiple myeloma patients who demonstrate specific genetic alterations.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
A pioneer in personalized medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for all multiple myeloma patients by relentlessly pursuing innovations that accelerate the development of personalized treatments for cancer. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF has created the benchmark business model around cancer—from data to analytics to the clinic. The MMRF identifies barriers and then finds the solutions to overcome them, bringing in the best partners and aligning incentives in the industry to drive better outcomes for patients. Since its inception, the organization has collected thousands of samples and tissues, opened nearly 100 trials, helped bring more than 15 FDA-approved therapies to market, and built CoMMpass, the single largest genomic dataset in myeloma. Today, the MMRF is building on its legacy in genomics and is expanding into immunotherapy, as the combination of these two fields will be critical to making personalized medicine possible for all patients. The MMRF has raised more than $500 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Media Contact:
C.J. Volpe, Director, PR and Communications
203.652.0453
[email protected]
Norwalk, CT, Oct. 25, 2022 — The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of TECVAYLI™ (teclistamab-cqyv) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, who previously received four or more prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulatory drug and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. TECVAYLI™ is a first-in-class, bispecific T-cell engager antibody that is administered as a subcutaneous treatment.
To read Janssen’s full press release click here.
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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Media Contact:
C.J. Volpe, Director, PR and Communications
203.652.0453
[email protected]
CoMMpass data fuels 19 IMS abstracts, advancing new research and delivering meaningful insights to the myeloma research community
Results from the MyDRUG platform trial show the promise of MEK Inhibitor cobimetinib for myeloma patients with NRAS/KRAS/B-RAF mutations
Norwalk, Conn., August 24, 2022— Today, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) announced that new insights and hypotheses related to predictive biomarkers, disease progression, therapeutic resistance, risk assessment, and personalized medicine were generated using data from its landmark CoMMpass StudySM. The findings will be presented at the 19th International Myeloma Society (IMS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles from August 25 – 27, 2022.
Data from the CoMMpass study are cited in 19 abstracts, four of which were selected to be oral presentations, demonstrating its value in driving new advancements across multiple myeloma research. CoMMpass represents the largest longitudinal genomic data set in multiple myeloma and has led to groundbreaking discoveries that have transformed how researchers understand the biology of multiple myeloma.
“Our mission is to accelerate a cure for each and every myeloma patient,” said Michael Andreini, President and CEO of the MMRF. “Research presented at this year’s IMS Annual Meeting reaffirms our commitment to building models and resources for the myeloma research community that drive progress for patients and new opportunities for researchers. We are thrilled that the CoMMpass study has been used by hundreds of researchers worldwide and continues to generate meaningful learnings that have played a vital role in accelerating the pace of research that can now be translated to clinical care.”
Notable findings at this year’s IMS meeting that incorporate CoMMpass data include:
“Despite great strides in treatment, multiple myeloma remains incurable and often fatal, which is why the use of CoMMpass data, presented in 19 abstracts at the 19th IMS Annual Meeting, further validates the value and utility of our comprehensive genomic and clinical CoMMpass data,” said Hearn Jay Cho, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of the MMRF. “CoMMpass continues to be one of the most important drivers of myeloma research. The MMRF is committed to working closely with researchers across the globe to drive breakthroughs using CoMMpass data, with the goal of bringing us closer to accelerating a cure for every myeloma patient.”
The CoMMpass study currently includes an estimated 1,150 patients spanning 76 sites worldwide and it continues to grow in impact as the data matures.
The IMS meeting will also feature data being presented from MyDRUGSM, a first-in-myeloma Phase 1/2 platform clinical trial conducted in the Multiple Myeloma Research Consortium (MMRC). MyDRUG builds upon discoveries of common cancer-associated mutations in CoMMpass. Targeted therapies specific to some of these mutations are approved in other types of cancer. The goal of MyDRUG is to determine if precision medicine strategies using these targeted therapies are safe and effective in myeloma patients with these mutations.
The study team will report on one sub-protocol of MyDRUG for patients with mutations in NRAS, KRAS, or BRAF. The MEK inhibitor cobimetinib is approved in skin cancer for patients with these mutations. The investigators will present safety and efficacy data of cobimetinib in combination with a standard-of-care, all-oral regimen of ixazomib (Ninlaro), pomalidomide (Pomalyst) and dexamethasone.
About the MMRF CoMMpass StudySM
The MMRF CoMMpass Study is a longitudinal study of patients with newly diagnosed active multiple myeloma. The goal is to map the genomic profile of each patient at diagnosis and each relapse to clinical outcomes in order to develop a more complete understanding of how patients respond to treatments.
About the MMRF MyDRUG StudySM
The MMRF MyDRUG study is the first platform trial in myeloma. The purpose of MyDRUG is to test targeted therapies not yet approved in myeloma, in combination with a standard of care oral triplet therapy, in functionally high-risk multiple myeloma patients who demonstrate specific genetic alterations.
About the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
A pioneer in personalized medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for all multiple myeloma patients by relentlessly pursuing innovations that accelerate the development of personalized treatments for cancer. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF has created the benchmark business model around cancer—from data to analytics to the clinic. The MMRF identifies barriers and then finds the solutions to overcome them, bringing in the best partners and aligning incentives in the industry to drive better outcomes for patients. Since its inception, the organization has collected thousands of samples and tissues, opened nearly 100 trials, helped bring more than 15 FDA-approved therapies to market, and built CoMMpass, the single largest genomic dataset in myeloma. Today, the MMRF is building on its legacy in genomics and is expanding into immunotherapy, as the combination of these two fields will be critical to making personalized medicine possible for all patients. The MMRF has raised more than $500 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Media Contact:
C.J. Volpe, Director, PR and Communications
203.652.0453
[email protected]
Biotech closes $42 million Series A-1 financing to advance autoimmune and oncology programs; Names new executive leadership
Norwalk, CT, January 27, 2021 – The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), announced its portfolio company Abcuro, Inc, has raised $42 million in Series A-1 financing and made new appointments to its executive leadership. Abcuro is a clinical-stage biotechnology company based in Newton, MA, that is developing a new immune checkpoint therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and cancer.
With this latest round of financing, the MIF is joined by new investors to advance Abcuro’s pipeline past the pre-clinical stage. They include Mass General Brigham Ventures, Sanofi Ventures, Pontifax Venture Capital, Hongsen Investment Group, RA Capital Management, and Samsara BioCapital. Concurrent with the financing, Abcuro has named biotech industry veterans John B. Edwards as Executive Chair of its Board of Directors and David de Graaf, Ph.D., as Chief Executive Officer.
The MIF’s investment in Abcuro supports its ongoing development of preclinical therapies directed against a novel immune checkpoint target, KLRG1. Blocking KLRG1 signaling may augment the immune system’s ability to combat tumors by activating Natural Killer (NK) and T cells, which represents a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
“New immune agents that enhance NK and T cell activity are part of the next wave in cancer immunotherapies. This innovative approach, using a second-generation checkpoint inhibitor that activates both T and NK cells, is rationally designed to promote anti-tumor immunity,” said Hearn Jay Cho MD, PhD, MMRF Chief Medical Officer.
About the Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to accelerate the delivery of precision medicine approaches and a cure to every multiple myeloma patient. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research, providing access to longstanding relationships with pharmaceutical companies and academic medical centers, a clinical network of 23 sites, and data from the largest genomics data set of any cancer. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit MyelomaInvestmentFund.org.
About Abcuro
Abcuro’s mission is to develop a new generation of immunomodulatory therapeutics for treating both autoimmunity and cancer. The company uses proprietary analysis of transcriptome data from human disease to identify new approaches to target key compartments of the immune system. Abcuro was launched in 2016 and is based in Newton, Massachusetts.
Norwalk, CT and San Francisco, October 28, 2020 – The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) and Indapta Therapeutics announced a partnership to support the advancement of the company’s universal G-NK cell therapy into clinical trials for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma. Indapta Therapeutics, Inc., is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing a proprietary, off-the-shelf, allogeneic FcRγ-deficient natural killer (G-NK) cell therapy for the treatment of multiple cancers. The collaboration is supported with an investment in Indapta by the MMRF’s venture philanthropy arm, the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF).
“Our investment in Indapta’s G-NK cell therapy is consistent with our strategy to fund the development of first-in-class, potentially transformative treatments,” said Paul Giusti, President and Chief Executive Officer of the MMRF. “Indapta’s off-the-shelf cell therapy uses a promising new class of NK cells, which could provide a significant benefit for patients.”
About Indapta’s G-NK Cell Therapy
Indapta Therapeutics is developing a universal, allogeneic G-NK cell therapy designed to substantially improve the cytotoxicity of monoclonal antibody therapy in multiple cancers. G-NK cells are a specific and potent subset of NK (natural killer) cells with specialized anti-tumor activity resulting from an epigenetic change, rather than engineering. Indapta has further enhanced G-NK cells via specific G-NK cell subset selection and its proprietary manufacturing process which, when combined, produce a G-NK cell therapy that demonstrates higher efficacy, persistence, and enhanced cryopreservation than multiple mAb therapies alone or mAb therapies combined with conventional NK cells.
When a monoclonal antibody binds to the tumor target and to Indapta’s G-NK cell therapy product, it initiates the release of dramatically more cancer killing compounds than conventional NK cells, allowing for increased efficacy and potentially less frequent dosing. Indapta’s off-the-shelf G-NK cell therapy is further differentiated from other NK cell therapies in that it is a cell banked product with low variability. In vivo studies have demonstrated the safety of Indapta’s G-NK cell therapy.
“This collaboration with the MMRF and MIF will be invaluable in helping us advance the clinical development of our universal, allogeneic G-NK cell therapy,” said Guy DiPierro, Founder, and Chief Executive Officer of Indapta Therapeutics. “We look forward to tapping into MMRF’s deep myeloma expertise and other critical resources, including genomic datasets. The Foundation’s insights into patient recruitment and study networks will help us reach multiple myeloma patients for our own clinical trials.”
About Indapta Therapeutics
Indapta Therapeutics, Inc. is a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing a proprietary, first-in-class, off-the-shelf allogeneic cell therapy to treat multiple types of difficult-to-treat hematologic cancers and solid tumors. Headquartered in San Francisco, Indapta was founded in 2017 by Guy DiPierro along with Ronald Martell and scientists at the University of California, Davis, and Stanford University. The company has developed allogeneic FcRIγ-deficient natural killer cells, known as G-NK cells, and is working to bring this off-the-shelf cell therapy to patients to address the limitations of currently available autologous T-cell therapies.
About The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
A pioneer in precision medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for multiple myeloma by relentlessly pursuing innovation that accelerates the development of next-generation treatments to extend the lives of patients. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews, as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF is a world-recognized leader in cancer research, launching over 70 clinical trials and leading to 13 FDA-approved drugs. Together with its partners, the MMRF has created the only end-to-end solution in precision medicine. With this, the MMRF, an innovator in precision medicine, continues to disrupt the industry today, building the CoMMpass Study, the single largest genomic dataset for any cancer, and launching MyDRUG, the first platform trial in multiple myeloma. Since its inception, the organization has collected over 4,000 samples and tissues in its database, which is shared among 23 academic institutions. The MMRF has raised over $400 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit themmrf.org.
About Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to accelerate the delivery of precision medicine approaches and a cure to every multiple myeloma patient. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research, providing access to longstanding relationships with pharmaceutical companies and academic medical centers, a clinical network of 23 sites, and data from the largest genomics data set of any cancer. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit MyelomaInvestmentFund.org.
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Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
Anne Quinn Young, MPH
Chief Marketing and Development Officer
203-536-8691
Contacts:
Indapta Therapeutics
Sylvia Aranda
424-201-9464
[email protected]
CAMBRIDGE, MA. and La Jolla, CA, June 11, 2020 – Cullinan Oncology LLC and PDI Therapeutics, a portfolio company of Avalon Ventures, today announced a collaboration to bring CLN-619, a first-in-class monoclonal antibody reinvigorating the MICA/NKG2D axis into human clinical testing. As a result of the transaction, Cullinan MICA, Inc., a Cullinan Oncology portfolio company will assume operational control of the asset.
“We have been very impressed with the work of Neil Gibson and his team at PDI Therapeutics,” stated Owen Hughes, CEO of Cullinan Oncology. “The agonistic anti-MICA antibody CLN-619 represents a novel approach to broadly engage NK cells and certain T cell populations for tumor cell lysis and may have very broad therapeutic potential across multiple cancer indications as seen for certain check point inhibitors. We look forward to initiating clinical development in the coming months.”
“We are pleased to partner with the Cullinan team and are excited to advance this highly innovative immuno-oncology mechanism into Phase 1 development,” stated Dr. Neil Gibson, President and CEO of PDI Therapeutics Inc. “An agent capable of boosting both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system could represent a new breakthrough in our fight against cancer.”
PDI Therapeutics was incubated by COI Pharmaceuticals, which provides Avalon Ventures’ portfolio companies operational support and intellectual knowhow through a fully equipped R&D infrastructure. It is within this environment that PDI Therapeutics was able to take CLN-619 from bench to bedside in a little over 3 years. The program is supported by a robust in vitro and in vivo data package, with strong single agent activity and a clean safety profile in non-human primates. There is also a strong rationale for combination of CLN-619 with checkpoint inhibitors.
“We were attracted to CLN-619 given its potential broad utility across a large number of cancers and untapped biology,” stated Patrick Baeuerle, Chief Scientific Officer, Biologics and co-founder of Cullinan Oncology. “Natural killer cells and killer T cells share NKG2D receptors that recognize cancer cells by their stress-inducible MICA ligand. To escape this deadly connection with killer cells, cancer cells have a way to shave off MICA from their surface. Cullinan MICA’s antibody effectively prevents the shedding of MICA from cancer cells and restores recognition by the patient’s killer cells. In addition, we expect the MICA antibody to exert potent antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, or ADCC, against MICA-expressing cancer cells, which we believe will further potentiate the anti-tumor effect of CLN-619.”
Cullinan MICA is financed by a recently completed $26M Series A, with participation from Cullinan Oncology LLC, Avalon Ventures, Bregua Corporation and the Myeloma Investment Fund, a venture philanthropy fund for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF). “As we contemplate future development paths, we are excited to explore the utility of CLN-619 across a number of cancers, including both solid tumors, as well as hematologic malignancies like myeloma,” added Dr. Jon Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer of Cullinan Oncology. “We look forward to building on the efforts of our colleagues at PDI to advance this novel, first-in-class immunotherapeutic agent into the clinic, and to leverage the many strengths of the MMRF to make an immediate and meaningful impacts on patients’ lives.”
About Cullinan Oncology LLC
Cullinan’s business model is predicated on distributing risk while maximizing the optionality inherent in novel science through the construction of a diversified portfolio of internally developed as well as externally sourced oncology assets. Cullinan’s scalable model minimizes the fixed costs and inefficiencies of many traditional development approaches through strategic partnerships and a shared services platform. For more information, visit www.cullinanoncology.com
About Avalon Ventures
Avalon Ventures is a venture capital firm that has company formation in its DNA. Utilizing its life science accelerator COI Pharmaceuticals Inc., provides life science inventors with an environment where entrepreneurial and scientific risks are encouraged and rewarded. This Community of Innovation (COI) was established in 2013 to solely support and benefit Avalon portfolio companies. COI provides the intellectual capital to launch companies, a fully equipped R&D infrastructure and industry mentors prepared to leverage their expertise to help entrepreneurial scientists succeed. COI is located in La Jolla, California. For more information, please visit: http://www.coipharma.com/.
About Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to accelerate the delivery of precision medicine approaches and a cure to every multiple myeloma patient. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research, providing access to longstanding relationships with pharmaceutical companies and academic medical centers, a clinical network of 23 sites, and data from the largest genomics data set of any cancer. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visitMyelomaInvestmentFund.org.
Contact:
Cullinan Oncology
Matt Burke
[email protected]
+1 603.315.0618
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
Anne Quinn Young, MPH
Chief Marketing and Development Officer
203-536-8691
Partnership yields the first investment from newly launched MMRF Myeloma Investment Fund
GAITHERSBURG, Md. and NORWALK, Conn., April 29, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NexImmune and the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) have entered into a partnership to advance a promising new therapy into clinical trials for multiple myeloma patients.
The MMRF’s newly formed Myeloma Investment Fund aims to attract the most promising companies and technologies to the field to advance new therapies for myeloma patients. The MIF has made an equity investment in NexImmune to help support the initial clinical development of NEXI-002, which is one of the company’s lead product candidates, and to help further develop the Company’s Artificial Immune Modulatory (AIM) technology platform.
“Regrettably, multiple myeloma remains an incurable malignancy. Patients who are refractory to standard treatments, or who have relapsed disease after at least three prior therapies, face a very poor prognosis. Newly approved, targeted agents have significantly improved short-term outcomes for these patients, however, most will eventually develop drug resistance and succumb to their disease within one year. This highlights the need for novel therapies with curative potential,” said Scott Carmer, President and CEO of NexImmune. “That’s why we are very excited to partner with the MMRF to make our AIM adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) available to this specific patient population.”
NexImmune is advancing immunotherapy products based on the Company’s proprietary Artificial Immune Modulatory (AIM) nanotechnology platform. The AIM technology enables simultaneous enrichment, expansion and priming of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells directed against multiple tumor-associated antigen (TAA) targets across a broad range of both solid and hematologic malignancies.
NEX-I002 is designed to generate cytotoxic T cells directed against multiple tumor antigens associated with MM. The Company has completed pre-IND discussions with the FDA, and expects to submit an IND to support this Phase I/II clinical trial in 3Q2019.
“Investments made by the Myeloma Investment Fund underscore the commitment of the MMRF to bring the most promising immunotherapy agents to myeloma patients as quickly as possible,” commented Paul Giusti, President and CEO of the MMRF. “We chose to partner with NexImmune because of the potential for this technology to benefit highly refractory patients who have limited treatment options and significant unmet need.”
About NexImmune
NexImmune is an early stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immuno-therapeutics based on the proprietary Artificial Immune Modulation (AIM™) nanotechnology platform. Central to the AIM™ technology are artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (aAPC) that can be engineered to orchestrate a highly targeted immune attack directed toward specific foreign substances or cell types in the body. In preclinical studies, aAPCs have demonstrated potential utility as both injectable and cellular therapeutic agents. NexImmune is using the AIM technology platform to develop a pipeline of products to treat cancer and auto-immune diseases. For more information visit: www.neximmune.com
About The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
A pioneer in precision medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for multiple myeloma by relentlessly pursuing innovation that accelerates the development of next-generation treatments to extend the lives of patients. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF is a world-recognized leader in cancer research, launching over 70 clinical trials and leading to 10 FDA-approved drugs. Together with its partners, the MMRF has created the only end-to-end solution in precision medicine. With this, the MMRF, a pioneer in precision medicine, continues to disrupt the industry today, building CoMMpass Study, the single largest genomic dataset for any cancer, and launching MyDRUG, the first platform trial in multiple myeloma. Since its inception, the organization has collected over 4,000 samples and tissues in its database, which is shared among 22 academic institutions. The MMRF has raised over $400 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
About the Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund is a venture philanthropy fund that advances the science and accelerates novel therapies and diagnostics to ensure that multiple myeloma patients get access to the best new targets and technologies. Founded by the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF), the fund is a $50 million fund. This self-sustaining fund will invest in seed, early-stage or series A funding for emerging biotech companies and/or asset management companies. For more information, visit MyelomaInvestmentFund.org.
NexImmune Contact
Chad Rubin
Solebury Trout
+1 (646) 378-2947
[email protected]
Contact info for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
Anne Quinn Young, MPH
Chief Marketing and Development Officer
203-536-8691
