Weekly Quick Hits (Philly) – Week of July 17, 2023

The Philadelphia region had millions of dollars in funding news, as well as research highlights this week. The CDC appointed Penn as Vector-Borne Research Center with $7.1 million in funding, a Penn research team nabbed $27.5 million for palliative care research, and a Princeton alumni couple funded a new bioresearch center. For those and more life science stories from the Philadelphia region, continue reading.

By Mark Terry

July 21, 2023

Quick Hits is BioBuzz’s weekly round up of all the life science news you don’t want to miss, in your region of interest. Don’t miss a beat; SUBSCRIBE to our weekly Quick Hits newsletter via LinkedIn (BioHealth Capital Region, Greater Philadelphia, Research Triangle Park) or get it delivered to your inbox every week.

Funding, Awards, and Collaborations 

Avantor Plans Innovation Center in Bridgewater, New Jersey

Radnor, Pa.-based Avantor announced plans to relocate and significantly expand its Bridgewater, NJ Innovation Center. The center opened in 2017. The new site will be double the current size of the available lab and pilot space.

AxoSim to Acquire Vyant Bio’s StemoniX Assets

New Orleans-based AxoSim announced plans to acquire Cherry Hill, NJ-based Vyant Bio’s microBrain associated assets of Vyant’s StemoniX subsidiary. It is an all-cash deal. Effective immediately, AxoSim will have exclusive and sole distribution rights to market the StemoniX microBrain technology platform to biopharma customers.

Signant Acquires DSG

Philadelphia’s Signant Health acquired DSG, a provider of electronic data capture and direct data capture technology within a unified eClinical suite. Signant will now be able to offer more choices to its clinical trials customers.

3 Penn Researchers Receive Awards

Jean-Christophe Beltra, PhD, and Divij Mathew, PhD, both postdoctoral fellows in the lab of E. John Wherry, PhD, chair of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics, received Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy 2023 Early Career Researcher Awards. Cesart de la Fuente, PhD, a Presidential Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Microbiology, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Bioengineering, received the VI Edicion Premios Nacionales de Tecnologia for developing antibiotics via artificial intelligence. He also received the 2023 Rao Makineni Lectureship Award from the American Peptide Society.

CHOP Treats 500^th CAR T Patient

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia treated its 500^th patient with CAR T-cell immunotherapy. The work was pioneered at CHOP and the first-ever pediatric CAR T patient, Emily Whitehead, was treated there in 2012.

AscellaHealth Inks Development and Commercialization Deal with NeuroSolv Therapeutics

Berwyn, Pa.-based AscellaHealth engaged in a deal with Dublin’s NeuroSolv Therapeutics to support NeuroSolv’s clinical development and commercialization of Perineline, a two-part, nonsurgical therapy designed to improve treatment options for patients with spinal cord injury. Perineline allows signals to travel through the treated zone with a view to returning function to the body, through direct treatment of the Glial scar that occurs after injury to the spinal cord, combined with neural signaling interventions.

Nanobiotix Inks Deal with Janssen

Paris-based Nanobiotix entered into a global licensing, co-development, and commercialization deal with Princeton, NJ-based Janssen Pharmaceutica, one of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, for the investigational, potential first-in-class radioenhancer NBTXR3. NBTRX3 is being evaluated in several trials across solid tumor indications, including the Phase III NANORAY-312 study of the compound for patients with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Nanobiotix grants Janssen a worldwide license for development and commercialization of NBTXR3 except for territories previously licensed to Nanobiotix partner LianBio.

Advent Therapeutics Receives $3 Million NIH Grant

Doylestown, Pa.-based Advent Therapeutics received a $3 million NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase IIB grant. The funds will help the company commercialize its novel aerosolized vitamin A formulation to prevent Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD), a rare complication facing premature infants.

Agile Therapeutics Partners with Telehealth Platforms to Expand Access to Weekly Birth Control Patch

Agile Therapeutics, based in Princeton, NJ, announced partnerships with FPA Women’s Health and vitaCare Prescription Services to expand access to the Twirla (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) transdermal system. This system is a low-dose weekly birth control path.

Verismo Raises $17 Million in a 2^nd Pre-Series A Round

Philadelphia-based Verismo Therapeutics raised $17 million in a second pre-Series A financing round. It will be used to support the advancement of the clinical trial for SynKIR-110, a first-in-class KIR-CAR T cell immunotherapy for solid tumors and preclinical work on SynKIR-310, a KIR-CAR T cell immunotherapy for blood cancers.

HNL Lab Medicine Invests in Proscia and Leica Biosystems

Allentown, Pa.-based HNL Lab Medicine invested in a new digital pathology initiative. It chose solutions from Proscia and Leica Biosystems to establish an advanced digital pathology practice.

Penn Research: Researchers Awarded $27.5 Million for Palliative Care Study

A research team from the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research (PAIR) Center in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania received $27.5 million from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). The research is led by Scott D. Halpern, MD, PhD, the John M. Eisenberg Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Medical Ethics and Health Policy, and Kate Courtright, MD, MS, an Assistant Professor of Critical Care and Palliative Medicine.

Princeton Alum Make “Transformational Gift” to Fund New Bioengineering Institute

Two Princeton University alumni, Gilberg Omenn and Martha Darling, made a “transformational gift” as part of the Venture Forward campaign to create a new bioengineering institute at Princeton University. The Omenn-Darling Bioengineering Institute will promote new directions in research, education and innovation while also being the new site for new interdisciplinary bioengineering postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate programs. The couple have made previous large donations to the university.

GSK Grants LimmaTech Bio License to Develop and Commercialize Shigella Vaccine

GlaxoSmithKline, with U.S. offices in Philadelphia, granted Swiss company LimmaTech Biologics an in-license to further develop and commercialize a quadrivalent bioconjugate vaccine candidate for shigellosis. GSK originally picked it up when it acquired LImmaTech’s predecessor company, GlycoVaxyn, in 2015.

CDC Names Penn State 1 of 5 Vector-Borne Disease Centers

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) named Penn State as the lead institution for one of five new Vector-Borne Disease Regional Training and Evaluation Centers. The CDC Awarded the five institutions more than $7.1 million, with Penn receiving $1.25 million the first year with a projected total of $6.25 million over five years.

AliveCor and Jefferson University Hospital Partner to Evaluate KaridaMobile 6L for Opioid Use Disorder

Mountain View, Calif.-based AliveCor entered a partnership with Philadelphia’s Jefferson Narcotic Addiction Rehabilitation Program (NARP) and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital to study the benefits of QTc monitoring with KardiaMobile 6L for patients receiving methadone maintenance therapy for opioid use disorder. The six-month pilot study will evaluate the medical-grade, six-lead personal ECG device to measure QTc intervals, QT prolongation, which are potentially dangerous side effects linked to drugs like methadone.

In the Clinic

Janssen’s Rybrevant Demonstrated Improvement in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Raritan, NJ-based Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson announced positive topline results from the Phase III PAPILLON trial of Rybrevant (amaivantamab-vmjw) in combination with chemotherapy (carboplatin-pemetrexed) in patients with newly diagnosed advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations. The drug demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in this patient population.

Mineralys Expands Phase II Trial of Lorundrostat for Chronic Kidney Disease

Mineralys Therapeutics, headquartered in Radnor, Pa., announced plans to expand its two-part Phase II trial for lorundrostat alone and in combination with a SGLT2 inhibitor to treat patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Part A will be an initial proof-of-concept portion and Part B will be a profiling portion.

Teleflex Completes Enrollment in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Study

Wayne, Pa.-based Teleflex completed patient enrollment in the prospective multicenter Ringer PTCA study. Ringer PTCA is one of two clinical trials assessing the novel Ringer Perfusion Balloon Catheter.

XyloCor’s Refractory Angina Study Shows Promise at 12 Months

XyloCor Therapeutics (Wayne, Pa.) reported positive 12-month data from the Phase II part of its Phase I/II EXACT trial of XC001 in patients with refractory angina. XC001 (encoberminogene rezmadenovec) is a one-time gene therapy candidate engineered to decrease ischemic burden by generating new blood vessels in the heart.

Harmony Biosciences Plans to Launch Phase III Prader-Willi Syndrome Trial

Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based Harmony Biosciences plans to initiate a Phase III trial of pitolisant as a potential treatment for excessive daytime sleepiness in patients six years and older with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS). PWS is a rare genetic neurological disorder that includes hypothalamic dysfunction.

Palvella Announced Plans for Phase III Trial of QTORIN Rapamycin for MLM

Wayne, Pa.-based Palvella Therapeutics announced the planned Phase III study design of QTORIN 3.9% rapamycin anhydrous gel in Microcystic Lymphatic Malformations, a serious, rare, and chronically debilitating genetic disease. The company also announced topline results from the Phase IIb CODY trial of QTORIN rapamycin in people with Basal Cell Carcinomas in Gorlin Syndrome.

Elucida Oncology Doses 1^st Patient in Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer Trial

Monmouth Junction, NJ-based Elucida Oncology dosed the first patient with ELU001 in one of three Tumor Group Expansion Cohorts in its Phase I/II trial. These will evaluate the drug in patients with advanced, recurrent, or refractory ovarian and endometrial cancer with levels of FR alpha.

Research Roundup

Penn Research: Targeted Electrical Stimulation to Treat Traumatic Brain Injury

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania published research that evaluated traumatic brain injury patients with implanted electrodes. They analyzed neural data as patients studied words, and leveraged machine learning to predict momentary memory lapses.

CHOP Research: Now NSAIDs Worsen C. difficile Infections

Researchers at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) published research demonstrating how nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) make Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infections worse. The research focused on how the NSAIDs disrupt the mitochondria of cells lining the colon, sensitizing them to damage by pathogenic toxins.

CHOP Research: Predicting Alzheimer’s Risk in Ethnic Populations

Researchers from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) developed an algorithm to help predict the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease based on genetic data in patients from various ethnic backgrounds. The goal was to eliminate diagnostic disparities of the disease.

On the Hill – Regulatory and Advocacy

Madrigal Pharma Submits NDA for NASH Drug Resmetirom

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, based in Conshohocken, Pa., completed its rolling submission of its NDA to the FDA for resmetirom for treatment of adults with NASH with liver fibrosis. Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, but which does not involve alcohol intake. The drug is a once daily, oral, thyroid hormone receptor selective agonist.

NeuroStar Receives Regulatory Clearance in South Korea

Malvern, Pa.-based Neuronetics announced its NeuroStar TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) received multiple regulatory clearances in South Korea, including an expansion of the indication to include patients with major depressive disorder that exhibit comorbid anxiety symptoms. It is the first international market where NeuroStar has received marketing authorization for the expanded indication and additional technologies.

Advent Therapeutics Receives Rare Pediatric Disease Designation

Advent Therapeutics, based in Doylestown, Pa., received FDA Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) for its vitamin A metabolic and reparative respiratory drugs for the prevention of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants. BPD is a rare disease but is also the most common serious complication facing premature infants.

People on the Move

Avertix Medical Appoints Ian Meredith to Board

Eatontown, NJ-based Avertix Medical announced Ian Meredith AM is joining the company’s board of directors. Meredith recently retired from Boston Scientific, where he was its Executive Vice President and Global Chief Medical Officer.

CytoSorbents Appoints Alexander D’Amico as CFO

Princeton, NJ-based CytoSorbents announced it appointed Alexander D’Amico as Chief Financial Officer, to start on August 7, 2023. D’Amico is most recently CFO of Trulieve Cannabis Corporation.