Leila Strickland, PhD

@Eli Lilly to buy bowel disease drug developer Morphic Holding LLC for $3.2 bln July 8 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab  will acquire Morphic Holding (MORF.O), opens new tab  for $3.2 billion in cash, the companies said on Monday, giving the U.S. drugmaker access to an experimental drug for types of inflammatory bowel diseases. Shares of drug developer Morphic surged 76% to $56.15 premarket on Lilly's offer of $57 per share, which represents a 79% premium to stock's last closing price. Morphic's lead drug MORF-057 is an oral treatment that is being evaluated in two phase 2 studies in ulcerative colitis patients and one phase 2 study in Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis is a condition where abnormal reactions of the immune system cause inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of the colon, which can lead to diarrhea, passing of blood with stool and abdominal pain. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lilly's Omvoh for treating adults with moderate-to-severe active ulcerative colitis. The drug is among Lilly's potential growth drivers for this decade alongside its diabetes and obesity drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound. https://lnkd.in/eRk9dFRv

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#ICYMI: Last month we announced that we raised $132.5 million in an oversubscribed #SeriesC financing to advance our pipeline of potential therapies for fibrotic lung diseases and oncology. We are thankful for the support of our investors, board, #biotech community and the entire Endeavor BioMedicines team.     In this BioSpace article, get more details about what this financing means for the future of our pipeline and our goal to restore hope for patients with life-threatening diseases: https://bit.ly/4aVqAmo    #biotechnews #fundraising #venturecapital #oncology #lungdiseases

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Mustang Bio Bio Announces Favorable Efficacy and Safety Data from Complete Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia Cohort of Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of MB-106, CD20-Targeted Autologous CAR-T Therapy WORCESTER, Mass., June 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mustang Bio, Inc. (“Mustang” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: MBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating today’s medical breakthroughs in cell therapies into potential cures for difficult-to-treat cancers, today announced that updated data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of MB-106, a CD20-targeted, autologous CAR T-cell therapy, show a favorable safety and efficacy profile in patients with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (“WM”), a rare form of blood cancer. MB-106 is being developed in a collaboration between Mustang and Fred Hutch Cancer Center (“Fred Hutch”) to treat patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (“B-NHLs”) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (“CLL”). The updated results from the single-institution Phase 1/2 clinical trial were presented during a poster session at the European Hematology Association 2024 Hybrid Congress (“EHA2024”) by Brian Till, M.D., Associate Professor and physician at Fred Hutch and University of Washington. All ten patients in the study were previously treated with Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors (“BTKi”), and their disease continued to progress while on BTKi. Overall, 90% (9/10) of the patients treated with MB-106 responded to treatment, including 3 complete responses, 2 very good partial responses and 4 partial responses. In addition, 1 patient experienced stable disease. One of the patients who achieved a complete response has remained in remission for 31 months, with an immunoglobulin M (IgM) level that decreased rapidly to the normal range after treatment with MB-106 and has remained normal since. Patients had a median of nine prior lines of therapy and only one patient has started additional anti-WM treatment after being treated with MB-106. https://lnkd.in/eRSu7Msk

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We're *trying* to start sharing more post-CGT Circle events. Here goes. At the request of some of our members, here’s a quick summary of last week’s CGT Circle in North Carolina. Having listened back to this, I really wish I could have been there! Three incredible trailblazers unpacked the resilience, innovation, and patient-centric focus driving advancements across our field - massive thanks to Susan B. Nichols, Juliana Blum and Kelli Luginbuhl for being so open. Let’s focus on the contributions they made one by one before some good old takeaways 😉 ❤️Juliana Blum, a PhD in Molecular Biology, co-founded Humacyte in 2004, a company focused on cardiovascular gene therapy. Despite facing challenges, including regulatory hurdles, they persisted, taking the company public in 2021. Juliana really demonstrated the importance of endurance, grit, and the drive to provide better therapies for patients. 💰Kelli Luginbuhl, co-founder of Isolere Bio, shared her journey from finishing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering to founding Isolere, which develops tools for advanced therapeutics manufacturing. Facing setbacks and pivots, including adapting to cell and gene therapy applications, Isolere eventually found success and was acquired. Kelli embodied the importance of resilience, adaptability, and leveraging small business grants and strategic loans. 🏥 Susan, as always, moderated the discussion with poise and heart, emphasizing the significance of the why behind cell and gene therapy, which ultimately revolves around improving patient outcomes and access to life-changing therapies. She never underestimates the pivotal role women play in driving innovation in the industry. TAKEAWAYS: 1️⃣ Endurance and Grit: Success in biotech often requires persistence, endurance, and the willingness to overcome obstacles. 2️⃣The Patient: The why behind cell and gene therapy initiatives remains centered on improving patient outcomes and providing better treatment options. 3️⃣ Resilience and Adaptability: Entrepreneurs in the field must be resilient, adaptable, and willing to pivot in response to challenges or changing market dynamics. 4️⃣ Leveraging Resources: Utilizing non-dilutive funding, such as small business grants and strategic loans, can be invaluable for early-stage biotech companies. 5️⃣ Community and Mentorship: Building supportive networks, seeking mentorship, and learning from others' experiences are crucial for success in the industry. 6️⃣ Strategic Decision-Making: Making strategic fundraising decisions and being prepared for investment opportunities are essential for growth and sustainability. Check out the images below, I've added some quotes from the night. What would you ask the panel if you were there? 🙋‍♀️ Another huge thank you goes to High Purity New England and North Carolina Biotechnology Center (NCBiotech) for making this happen adn to Women In Bio - RTP for their support! 👏🏼

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3.5 years ago, I transitioned from academia to biotech, leaving behind some unfinished projects — but never the incredible network of friends and colleagues 🌟🌟🌟 who kept pushing the science forward. Today, I’m thrilled to share that one of those stories is finally complete! 🔬 It dives into the structure-activity relationship of a lncRNA called NORAD. I hope you find it as fascinating as we did! Huge thanks to all contributors 🙏 especially Eric Miska, Igor Ulitsky, Grzegorz Kudla, Svetlana Farberov, Jian You Lau for making this possible. #Biotech #Research #RNA #Science

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Wow, I think we're really witnessing the Apple-ification of Illumina 👏👏👏 Jacob has really been focusing his messaging on offering customers a full NGS vertical and this new MiSeq seems to embody that vision very well. There's virtually no mention of $/Gb in the announcement (folks are scrambling to try and decode that) - tag line is "Fastest, simplest. For every lab." Steve Jobs famously envisioned the Macintosh as an "appliance" - a computer for everyone vs its predecessor Apple 2 which was a computer for hobbyists (we're now called geeks). This MiSeq evolution follows that Apple evolution pretty well. Obviously not a consumer product, but MiSeq has been radically improved in terms of ease of use that may create some elasticity in this stale market: - Room temperature simple-to-load cartridge: 3 steps/20 minutes. - Much faster run times (4X faster than old MiSeq) - Seamless integration of DRAGEN (local) and BaseSpace (cloud) Technically there's a radical technology change underling the new instrument: its hardware is based not on the old MiSeq design, but on the flowcell-on-CMOS design of the iSeq. That means that (I think, not an engineer 🤣 oh wait am an engineer 🤣) ALL the optics and ALL the fluidics are in the consumable. This flips the economics of the old MiSeq on it's head as the instrument becomes super cheap - it's just a box with a computer and a display - and the consumable gets more complex as it contains the CMOS imager chip that gets thrown out each run. BUT the utilization of MiSeq has never been that high - sits in the corner a lot - so maybe this is fine 🤔 Two misses in my opinion: - No sign yet of any simplification of the product line. Do we need MiniSeq and the iSeq 100? Can't the new instrument replace both of these plus the old Miseq?! Maybe one low cost/high margin instrument platform with a range of consumables of varying capacity? - WTF with the nightmare new name that I've avoided saying up until this point 🤯🤯🤯 MiSeq i100 🤯🤯🤯 You took too old names MiSeq and iSeq 100 and jammed them together and kept the iSeq 100 in the product line?! Why not call this something new and simple like, I dunno, Macintosh 🤣, and position it as replacing the old MiSeq, MiniSeq, and iSeq 100. This would distinguish the new instrument from the MiSeq which will have to be around forever for the DX version. Grrrr. Anyway, if a dumb name is the worst thing here, that's a big win for Illumina, congrats to all involved. Nice first major product launch under Jacob that delivers on differentiating beyond price. Could have made a bigger splash compltely reimagining the product line - but maybe he's more Tim Cook than Steve Jobs - ain't nothing wrong with that! 👏👏👏

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Join us in San Diego for #RNALeaders Sept 4, 5.  We are updating partners on our latest IV-formulated RNA program data. BIORCHESTRA Co., Ltd.'s #RNAi update covers: ✨ In-vivo progress on our neurodegenerative diseases franchise and proprietary IV-formulated RNAi research in #Alzheimer's and #Parkinson's ✨ Status of our #ALS program FDA IND pathway  ✨ Licensing negotiations for #MAPT, #SNCA, #INHBE/ #MAFLD, and #Glaucoma ✨ Our bridge round syndicate and #NYSE pathway To those requesting one-on-ones though LinkedIn, please reach us at [email protected] Novo Nordisk, SV Health Investors, PJT Partners, Perella Weinberg, William Blair Investment Banking, Jefferies, Leerink Partners, Nomura Securities International, Inc., Cain Brothers, UBS, Oppenheimer & Co. Inc., Wells Fargo Corporate & Investment Banking, Guggenheim Partners, Outcome Capital, Eric J. Dimise, PhD, Michael Bardi, Michael Zhang, Veet Misra, Cantor Fitzgerald, Noël Brown, Samuel Siu, CPA, RBC Capital Markets, John C. Reed, Novo Holdings, Lilly Asia Ventures 礼来亚洲基金, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation – SMBC Group, #pfizercolleague, Centerview Partners, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Bank of America, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Grünenthal Group, Evercore, New York Stock Exchange https://lnkd.in/gaWRkNDU The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., ONO PHARMA USA, ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD., Sanofi, Novartis Gene Therapies

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What does AZ have in common with Time? They cannot be stopped. ➡️ 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐌&𝐀, acquiring Gracell Bio, the first ever outside Chinese biotech acquisition by the way + securing record numbers of annual revenue and pledging $300m+ into cell therapy facilities in Maryland - today is a good time to discuss their movements. They are now headed to conquer the APAC market. This week, investing $1.5 billion in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Singapore for ADCs. 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳?  No, they're not done yet. AZ has committed to $80m in non-dilutive funding to Swiss biotech SixPeak Bio, which is developing a bispecific antibody therapy for weight loss. Option for acquisition in 2 years. 👉 AZ aim/ are on track for $80 Billion by 2030 and plan to launch 20 major new medicines before 2030. It would be silly not to remind you about the inexorable passage of time, it's speeding up every day, just like AZ. 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸? 10 years ago, Pfizer attempted to buy AZ for £69billion and now look at what they've achieved since then. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 5 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠? #celltherapy #oncology #biotech #CGTweekly

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A reminder and cautionary PSA to genomics/omics assay product manufacturers about regulatory compliance and ensuring "your product labeling, marketing materials, advertising, and contractual relationships do not suggest that an unauthorized IVD is actually intended for clinical diagnostic uses". #RUO vs #IUO vs #IVD "Firms offering RUO/IUO IVDs should not: - Use product descriptions or claims that relate to clinical or diagnostic uses - Discuss how the product supports the identification, diagnosis, or monitoring of specific diseases or conditions - Make claims relating to accuracy or performance in a clinical setting or practice - Compare utility to diagnostic tests or to cleared or approved medical devices - Claim that the product may be used as part of an LDT or offer services relating to the development or validation of an LDT" #biotechproductmanagement #biotechmarketing #compliance #diagnostic #LDT #regulatory #genomics

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Lifting this really interesting comment from Shana McDevitt (Cal Seq Lab Director) into its own post. Lots to learn here about the Element Biosciences/Illumina competitive dynamic. Points that jump out to me: - Reminder that accessing low $/gb of an X doesn't require owning an X, you can send out to a service lab with an X. This weakens AVITI's low $/gb competitive advantage over Next Seq. - Users still want/need access to NextSeq, so AVITI is an add, not a swap and if you only own a single NextSeq, it's a 2X investment. - Trinity features may drive some new business, but TBD of course. - Overall reminder how tough an AVITI sale is against an incumbent NextSeq, making Element's new 300 sold number all the more impressive 👏 (Thanks Shana! Would love to hear more comments from lab directors 🙏) Comment: "I outsource for the X, there is a point where it just makes sense to pump lanes onto other ppls gigantic machines and keep their rates down. No service contracts for me and I don’t have to drop any CAPEX. UCB sized out at the 6000, we’re basic research we don’t pump out single cell or clinical sequencing. Ultimately I get my data back faster and cheaper." "AVITI is a midsize sequencer and I already have a NextSeq2k. The AVITI isn’t driving new business (trinity might) or creating a new market for me it’s just competing with what I have. So to get an AVITI I would move my NextSeq2k business and turn that off. Users are scared to transition so instead I would have 2 machines & service contracts." "If you can’t buy out right you can do a reagent loan deal generally with newer riskier vendors. No money down but you pay a markup on reagents. But, then AVITI is more expensive than Illumina and it’s “scary”. And Element really really worked with me, I may have had the best deal ever but any risk is just too much for a full cost recovery academic core in a deficit." "Long story short: I’m competing with myself and paying to do it. That’s bad business. I’d rather negotiate to turn on a machine I already own. I’ll do that business instead."

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CD37 is a safe chimeric antigen receptor target to treat acute myeloid leukemia Highlights • CD37 is expressed on AML blasts • CD37 expression correlates with ELN 2017 risk stratification • CD37CAR T cells are efficient against AML in vitro and in vivo • CD37CAR T cells do not deplete myeloid progenitors Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by the accumulation of immature myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the peripheral blood. Nearly half of the AML patients relapse after standard induction therapy, and new forms of therapy are urgently needed. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T therapy has so far not been successful in AML due to lack of efficacy and safety. Indeed, the most attractive antigen targets are stem cell markers such as CD33 or CD123. We demonstrate that CD37, a mature B cell marker, is expressed in AML samples, and its presence correlates with the European LeukemiaNet (ELN) 2017 risk stratification. We repurpose the anti-lymphoma CD37CAR for the treatment of AML and show that CD37CAR T cells specifically kill AML cells, secrete proinflammatory cytokines, and control cancer progression in vivo. Importantly, CD37CAR T cells display no toxicity toward hematopoietic stem cells. Thus, CD37 is a promising and safe CAR T cell AML target. https://lnkd.in/esqup3tf

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Organ Mapping Antibody Panels (OMAPs) are invaluable community-validated resources that provide detailed information on healthy organs and experimental designs for multiplexed antibody-based imaging. These panels enhance our understanding of anatomical structures and cell types, paving the way for groundbreaking research. What makes OMAPs exceptional? OMAPs identify cell populations and structures within diverse, healthy tissues. OMAPs are developed from healthy or disease-free tissues, providing critical insights into: -Anatomical structures -Cell types and their spatial locations -Intensity and size of cells and structures -Protein co-localization from conjugated antibody staining patterns OMAPs link validated antibodies to cell types, serving as a crucial starting point for investigators aiming to label their cells of interest accurately. Learn more and explore our Spatial Imaging eBook! 📚https://lnkd.in/g7WH3FPK ​

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In the rapidly evolving landscape of single-cell genomics, staying ahead of the curve is key. As a leader in bioinformatics, Bridge Informatics recognizes the growing importance of single-cell RNA-seq data and the need for new methods of integration into reference atlases. Check out our latest blog post and learn how a new method called expiMap is revolutionizing the field by providing interpretable insights into complex biological processes. #Bioinformatics #SingleCellGenomics #CellAtlas #expiMap

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Technology Networks had the pleasure of interviewing Jose Castro-Perez, vice president of product management at SCIEX, and Chris Lock, vice president of global R&D at SCIEX at this year's American Society For Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) event. We learned about how the company’s latest product launches meet user requirements across various applications and SCIEX's vision for future technological innovations. Check out the interview below ⬇ #ASMS2024 #MassSpectrometry #AIinScience #BiomarkerValidation #Proteomics #QuantitativeAnalysis #LCMS

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IL-4 drives exhaustion of CD8+ CART cells Durable response to chimeric antigen receptor T (CART) cell therapy remains limited in part due to CART cell exhaustion. Here, we investigate the regulation of CART cell exhaustion with three independent approaches including: a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen using an in vitro model for exhaustion, RNA and ATAC sequencing on baseline and exhausted CART cells, and RNA and ATAC sequencing on pre-infusion CART cell products from responders and non-responders in the ZUMA-1 clinical trial. Each of these approaches identify interleukin (IL)-4 as a regulator of CART cell dysfunction. Further, IL-4-treated CD8+ CART cells develop signs of exhaustion independently of the presence of CD4+ CART cells. Conversely, IL-4 pathway editing or the combination of CART cells with an IL-4 monoclonal antibody improves antitumor efficacy and reduces signs of CART cell exhaustion in mantle cell lymphoma xenograft mouse models. Therefore, we identify both a role for IL-4 in inducing CART exhaustion and translatable approaches to improve CART cell therapy. https://lnkd.in/eX-9vvs6

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IL-4 drives exhaustion of CD8+ CART cells Durable response to chimeric antigen receptor T (CART) cell therapy remains limited in part due to CART cell exhaustion. Here, we investigate the regulation of CART cell exhaustion with three independent approaches including: a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen using an in vitro model for exhaustion, RNA and ATAC sequencing on baseline and exhausted CART cells, and RNA and ATAC sequencing on pre-infusion CART cell products from responders and non-responders in the ZUMA-1 clinical trial. Each of these approaches identify interleukin (IL)-4 as a regulator of CART cell dysfunction. Further, IL-4-treated CD8+ CART cells develop signs of exhaustion independently of the presence of CD4+ CART cells. Conversely, IL-4 pathway editing or the combination of CART cells with an IL-4 monoclonal antibody improves antitumor efficacy and reduces signs of CART cell exhaustion in mantle cell lymphoma xenograft mouse models. Therefore, we identify both a role for IL-4 in inducing CART exhaustion and translatable approaches to improve CART cell therapy. https://lnkd.in/eX-9vvs6

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I think we're seeing a whole new Illumina strategy for defending the mid-market from Element Biosciences competition. I for one was thinking too narrowly to see this - figured it was all about Aviti vs NextSeq. But I think we're starting to see a clever three-pronged Illumina strategy: (1) Times are hard, why buy a mid instrument for $400K when you can just skip that and send your samples out to someone with an X? (2) High throughput is where it's at, here's a cheap NovaSeq X, why not stretch a little for that and be able to hang with the cool kids? (3) Have you seen our new MiSeq i100? Here take this Lego one. It's just $100K, you can most of your stuff with that, and just send out for the big stuff. Sure, kills NextSeq sales too, but that's easy pain for Illumina to bear, but existential for Element. Here's Illumina CFO Ankur Dhingra spelling it out for Wolfe's Doug Schenkel: "...customers, because of the macro [economic/grant] issues, have been transitioning their sample volume to high throughput. And a lot of our mid throughput customers who are constrained by that macro environment are resorting to sending their samples to either core labs or other sequencing providers." "...the constrained environment is making people take decisions on what are they going to invest in their lab or until money frees up, they're going to take advantage of the lower high throughput [X-based sequencing as a service] pricing that is available externally." "I do think there are additional two factors that are coming our way from an Illumina perspective. We have said we will be launching a slightly lower throughput version of NovaSeq X with a single flow cell. And that is at a price point which is well below 1 million. So, there is a potential that some of our mid throughput customers may see some value there. And also, the higher end of the new MiSeq i100 that we have launched has capabilities that can seep into some of the mid throughput kind of requirements as well. So, it's [Element?😳] going to get squeezed from a little bit from both the directions as well."

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Radiopharma-Focused CDMO Nucleus Unveils Two New Plants, Looks to Create 100 Jobs - BioSpace Nucleus RadioPharma’s two sites are meant to help address the industry’s lack of manufacturing and development capabilities, as well as geographic limitations associated with the short half-life of many radioactive components. AstraZeneca-backed Nucleus RadioPharma on Monday unveiled plans for two new manufacturing facilities—one in #Arizona and another in #Pennsylvania—to address critical bottlenecks in the radiopharmaceuticals space. Together, the Arizona and Pennsylvania sites will expand Nucleus’ U.S. footprint by more than 100,000 square feet and will add 100 new jobs—50 at each location—helping to establish the respective regions as healthcare hubs, according to the company. Construction on both plants is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. “To reach their full potential as treatments for millions of patients with limited options, theranostic radiopharmaceuticals must be available close to those who need them,” Nucleus CEO Charles Conroy, RPh, MBA said in a statement, noting that the two new sites will “significantly improve patient access” to radiopharmaceuticals and “expedite clinical trials.” Conroy expects the Arizona and Pennsylvania plants to cut “time-to-market for new therapies by up to 30%.” According to Nucleus, these new manufacturing facilities will be “first-of-a-kind” bringing together research, development and commercial production processes “under one roof.” This level of integration will give Nucleus’ partners “massive time and scale advantage,” the company contends, while providing a solution to the current supply chain constraints nationwide. https://lnkd.in/eTuF8btb

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