www.chemicalsknowledgehub.com
sensitivity of the test. “This is a really positive step and we aim to have completed the optimization very soon so that we can begin the transfer to manufacturers. I will be updating the market on progress in due course.”
New cell and gene therapies In a completely separate development, Avacta and Daewoong recently put in place a collaboration and licence agreement with their joint venture company AffyXell Therapeutics to develop Affimer proteins to be used by AffyXell for the generation of new cell and gene therapies. Avacta and AffyXell are now working together on developing Affimer proteins against a range of targets which, when produced by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are intended to inhibit inflammatory and autoimmune
Life Sciences Focus: Biotherapeutics
address oncology uses for these Affimer-enabled cell and gene therapies.
Avacta is building a wholly owned pipeline of novel cancer therapies with the aim of creating effective treatments for all cancer patients including those who do not respond to existing immunotherapies
Under the terms of the
collaboration and licence agreement, Avacta’s research and development costs associated with generation of the Affimer proteins will be funded by AffyXell. In addition, Avacta will retain the rights to commercialize the Affimer proteins outside of the field of cell therapies.
pathways and improve the overall efficacy of MSCs, creating a next generation of stem cell therapies. The initial focus for AffyXell will be on inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, while in the longer term there is potential for AffyXell to
Dr Smith commented: “The potential for AffyXell’s new class of cell therapies, which can be applied to a wide range of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, is enormous. We are therefore very excited by the opportunity to be part of this new venture and to demonstrate the power of Affimer proteins in the field of engineered cell therapies. “Our objective is for these cell
therapies to finally fully address diseases, such as inflammatory
bowel diseases and multiple sclerosis, as well as other autoimmune diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,” he continued. “From a commercial perspective, the global stem cell market is expected to be worth $16 billion by 2025. AffyXell has a unique opportunity to combine two world-class technologies, Avacta’s Affimer antibody mimetic platform and Daewoong’s proprietary technology for generating ‘off-the-shelf’ allogeneic MSC therapies to create the next generation of stem cell therapies. We believe that this has the potential to create substantial value for stakeholders in the near future.”
Further information Avacta Group Whittlesford Cambridge, UK E:
affimers@avacta.com
The Ethical Innovation Awards 2021 Philadelphia, PA, USA
April 2021 Pennsylvania , Convention Centre
General enquiries:
awards@ckhglobal.org Sponsorship enquiries:
Ellie Bruni |
ellie.bruni@
ckhglobal.org Ken Carroll |
ken.carroll@
ckhglobal.org Tom Scanlan |
tom.scanlan@
ckhglobal.org
Chemicals Knowledge Hub
Connecting industry across the globe
Summer 2020
CKH_EthicalAwards21_hlf_pge.indd 1
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