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LucidQuest Strategic Insights (lqventures.com) >>> Gene&Cell Therapy >> Investors pour $370M+ into Ken Song's autoimmune biotech after his RayzeBio success: Ken Song knows how to step on the gas pedal. His new company, called Candid Therapeutics, emerged from stealth on Monday morning with more than $370 million to its name and two clinical-stage T cell engagers, a class that’s successful in oncology and could have a future in the bustling autoimmune field, much like cell therapies. The biotech exec launched the new startup less than a year after selling the late-stage radiopharma company RayzeBio to Bristol Myers Squibb for about $4.1 billion. Song took RayzeBio from Series A to IPO in three years and Nasdaq debut to M&A exit in about three months. Shortly after the RayzeBio deal closed in February, Song set up Candid as a shell company and started a hunt for clinical-stage drugs in oncology, pain, autoimmune and other areas, exploring nearly 50 opportunities. The emerging data on cell therapies in autoimmune diseases caught Song’s eye. Some cell therapy makers like Caribou Biosciences and Nkarta have either added autoimmune indications to their pipeline or shifted away from oncology, but Song felt there was another approach. T cell engagers could be easier for patients to take than cell therapies, and they also have a less complex manufacturing process and thus are easier to scale, he said. “To me, it was fairly obvious that an antibody-based approach, like with a T cell engager, could be the right solution,” Song said in an interview. He quickly lined up investors, who he said were willing to dish out even more than the $370 million that they finally landed on, and inked two acquisitions: Vignette Bio, and TRC 2004. Vignette came from Foresite Labs, and the somewhat stealth-stage TRC 2004 derives from Third Rock Ventures and Two River, which is run by Kite Pharma founder Arie Belldegrun. Vignette said last week it would pay $60 million upfront for a BCMAxCD3 bispecific from EpimAb Biotherapeutics, and it could eventually spend another $575 million in biobucks. And TRC 2004 broke cover last month with a “double-digit million” upfront, plus $443 million in milestones, for a CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody from Genor Biopharma. Candid also has a discovery effort looking at two new ideas for next-generation T cell engagers, Song said. Repurposing T cell engagers Candid said its two T cell engager antibodies — renamed CND106 and CND261 — have clinical data in more than 130 patients in various cancers, but are now being repositioned for autoimmune diseases. Amgen opened the field, and other drugmakers are following up with T cell engagers of their own, mostly for cancers. The company plans to put the two antibodies in the clinic early next year, Song said. Candid has already picked a set of lead indications, which… #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

Exciting news from NATA - Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator research! Utilizing Rockland's ModDetect reagents, researchers have advanced the detection of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Our antibodies against phosphorothioate (PS) bonds successfully detected ASO gapmers, enabling precise co-localization studies and biodistribution analysis. This breakthrough offers a more accurate and quantitative method for assessing nucleic acid therapeutics, paving the way for advancements in this field. Learn more about this innovative approach and its impact on NATs! ➡ https://lnkd.in/ecRSXeDQ #Research #NucleicAcidTherapeutics #RocklandImmunochemicals #ModDetect #ASOs #siRNAs

Sagimet Biosciences announced positive topline results from its FASCINATE-2 Phase 2b clinical trial of denifanstat versus placebo in biopsy-confirmed non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients with stage 2 or stage 3 fibrosis (F2/F3) at week 52. Denifanstat, an oral, selective FASN inhibitor, achieved statistically significant results on primary and multiple secondary endpoints. Chemenu has been working to develop more compounds for drug discovery. Here come the building blocks we can provide: https://lnkd.in/gQ4Vph3s #Denifanstat #NASH #FASN #FASCINATE-2 #Chemenu #buildingblocks

Gene&Cell Therapy >> OrbiMed forms biotech with assets from China-based Keymed, enlists former Biohaven exec as CEO: OrbiMed, a longtime biotech funder, created a startup with two bispecific antibodies licensed from a drugmaker in China and put a former Biohaven executive at the helm. Belenos Biosciences, a New York-based company formed this year, outlined an approximately $50 million equity round in an SEC filing this week. Chengdu-based Keymed Biosciences disclosed their licensing deal last week. As part of the tie-up with Keymed, Belenos received the exclusive rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize CM512 and CM536 outside of the Greater China region. Belenos paid Keymed $15 million upfront and could dish out an additional $170 million in biobucks, according to a Hong Kong Stock Exchange disclosure on July 9. A Keymed subsidiary called iBridge HK Holdings also gets a 30% equity stake in Belenos, which is 50% owned by OrbiMed-affiliated funds, according to the HKEX paperwork. An OrbiMed spokesperson confirmed to Endpoints News that the firm founded Belenos and is the lead investor. They also confirmed that the $50 million financing was “related to the in-licensing of assets from Keymed.” The spokesperson declined to disclose more information about the two antibodies. Keymed, which also has a partnership with AstraZeneca, has multiple clinical-stage assets across autoimmune diseases and oncology. Keymed didn’t respond to an inquiry from Endpoints. Donnie McGrath, an OrbiMed venture partner, is the CEO of Belenos, which is named after an ancient Celtic healing god, the spokesperson confirmed. Keymed chair Bo Chen is also on the board of Belenos, according to a regulatory disclosure. OrbiMed has had a presence in China since 2007 and has raised multiple Asia-focused funds over the years. Its fifth fund came in at just over $750 million last fall. At the time, managing partner Carter Neild said he expected the firm would invest in more biotech startups in China, saying the country has a “world-class innovation level” in categories like antibody-drug conjugates and cell therapy. McGrath has helped OrbiMed in China before. After leading corporate strategy and business development at Biohaven for about five years, he became CEO of BioShin, the neuroscience biotech’s Shanghai-based spinout. OrbiMed would go on to lead a $60 million round for BioShin in the fall of 2020, at which point McGrath transitioned to executive chair. OrbiMed is one of the most active investors in biopharma, according to HSBC’s recap of the first half that published Wednesday. Its recent portfolio launches include BlossomHill and Exsilio, and some of its companies have been acquired in recent months, including radiopharmaceuticals company Fusion Pharmaceuticals and antibody-drug conjugate maker ProfoundBio. #lucidquest #genetherapy #celltherapy

Learn about the industry's requirements for expanding LNPs into gene editing, oncology, and protein replacement. Scott Ripley discusses the evolving manufacturing landscape and the development of the NanoAssemblr commercial formulation system. #LNPs #BiotechInnovation https://lnkd.in/drdfwC6G

Avidity Biosciences (RNA) leads in RNA therapeutics with Del-desiran (AOC 1001), targeting myotonic dystrophy type 1. Pivotal trial soon; approval could significantly boost earnings. Partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb, worth up to $2.3 billion, expands collaboration. Major clinical update for AOC 1001 expected by mid-2025; success could validate Avidity’s platform. Bullish on RNA above $24.00-$24.50, targeting $34.00-$35.00. Avidity's innovative approach presents significant growth potential. #AvidityBiosciences #RNA #Biotech #MyotonicDystrophy #ClinicalTrials #Innovation #Investing

Learn about the industry's requirements for expanding LNPs into gene editing, oncology, and protein replacement. Scott Ripley discusses the evolving manufacturing landscape and the development of the NanoAssemblr commercial formulation system. #LNPs #BiotechInnovation https://lnkd.in/emWByEPD

Learn about the industry's requirements for expanding LNPs into gene editing, oncology, and protein replacement. Scott Ripley discusses the evolving manufacturing landscape and the development of the NanoAssemblr commercial formulation system. #LNPs #BiotechInnovation https://lnkd.in/gy9S5z-B

Learn about the industry's requirements for expanding LNPs into gene editing, oncology, and protein replacement. Scott Ripley discusses the evolving manufacturing landscape and the development of the NanoAssemblr commercial formulation system. #LNPs #BiotechInnovation https://lnkd.in/eTNcvARt

GOLD in Action⭐ In the highlighted publication, the mechanism of action of the mGlu7 receptor antagonist XAP044 was elucidated by combining a structure‒activity relationship study, molecular modeling and docking experiments. The team performed docking studies using the CCDC's protein-ligand docking software GOLD, integrated within Dassault Systèmes’ BIOVIA therapeutics design software #DiscoveryStudio. 🔗https://lnkd.in/e5qVdJ67 #GOLD #docking