Weekly Quick Hits (Research Triangle Park) – Week of June 26, 2023

By Alex Keown
June 30, 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 

LUMINELLE Announces a Marketing Agreement with the U.S. Women’s Health Alliance

Medtech company LUMINELLE, which is based in Raleigh, announced a marketing agreement with the U.S. Women’s Health Alliance (USWHA), an organization focused on promoting high-quality, affordable healthcare for women. Under the agreement, the LUMINELLE SUSTAINE Endoscopic system will be made available to OBGYN medical practices and their patients across USWHA’s 1100+ Alliance health care practices nationwide, enabling USWHA Members to provide patients an alternative to costly hospital procedures with the new FDA-cleared LUMINELLE SUSTAINE Endoscopy system. In turn, the agreement will give LUMINELLE access to over 5000 providers in 34 states. The LUMINELLE SUSTAINE system is used to diagnose and treat numerous uterine and urological conditions easily and affordably and answer a call to fill an unmet medical need.

Brii Biosciences Shuffles Licenses with Qpex Biopharma

Following Qpex Biopharma’s acquisition, Durham-based Brii Biosciences Limited announced it will acquire exclusive global rights for the development and commercialization of BRII-693 (also known as QPX9003) to expand rights in Greater China. At the same time, the company will return its exclusive rights to QPX7728-based products BRII-636 and BRII-672 in Greater China to Qpex and Brii will no longer be responsible for cost-share, milestone and royalty payments to Qpex associated with these products. Additionally, after the merger between Qpex and Shionogi, Brii Bio expects to receive approximately $24 million as a Qpex shareholder.

Syneos Health and uMotif Partner to Deliver Patient-centric eClinical Platform

Morrisville-based Syneos Health announced a strategic partnership with uMotif, a clinical trial technology company putting the patient at the center of research. The collaboration will help accelerate clinical trials and bring new therapies to patients faster through a more efficient, end-to-end digital platform that includes robust Electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment (eCOA) and Electronic Patient-reported Outcomes (ePRO) capabilities. In addition to uMotif providing eCOA and ePRO services for Syneos Health customers, the companies partnered to develop and deploy an exclusive patient-centric platform to deliver seamless, integrated customer solutions – including patient identification, recruitment, eConsent, eDiary, patient engagement and retention, as well as payments.

CoImmune Obtains License to Target DLL3 with IL-18 Armored CAR Technology

Durham-based CoImmune, Inc., a clinical stage immunooncology, has exercised its option to obtain an exclusive license in the Delta-like Ligand 3 (DLL3)-targeted, allogeneic Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Cytokine Induced Killer (CAR-CIK) cell therapy field to interleukin-18 (IL-18) Armored CAR technology under a prior agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The company is coupling the technology with allogeneic CIK cells and launched a development program focused on solid tumors with initial trials planned in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The DLL3 target has been identified as a tumor-specific cell surface marker on neuroendocrine cancers including SCLC. 

The V Foundation for Cancer Research Announces Innovation Award

The V Foundation for Cancer Research, a premier cancer research charity based in Cary, announced the first recipients of A Grant of Her Own: The Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research. This initiative is helping to counteract longstanding gender disparities in research by investing $8 million in the groundbreaking work of 11 women scientists leading the charge in cancer research. Women researchers face substantial pay gaps and they encounter a funding difference of 38% less to support their research. Recognizing these disparities, the V Foundation for Cancer Research developed A Grant of Her Own: The Women Scientists Innovation Award for Cancer Research to amplify female representation and encourage more women-led breakthroughs in this field. A list of the winners can be found here.

Baseline Controls Acquired by Precision for Medicine 

Maryland-based Precision for Medicine, the first global biomarker-driven clinical research and development organization, acquired Raleigh’s Baseline Controls. The company’s expertise will become part of Project Farma, Precision for Medicine’s existing biomanufacturing strategy and execution group, expanding the scope of its manufacturing solutions for life science companies and driving greater speed and efficiency in bringing new drugs to market. The addition of Baseline Controls expands Precision for Medicine’s capabilities in manufacturing and provides faster, more cost-efficient solutions for bringing complex treatments to market. The combination of Project Farma’s consultative leadership in the manufacturing of life-changing medicines and Baseline Control’s expertise in project controls and project management will greatly enhance the company’s ability to address technical operations challenges for life sciences companies, with a unique focus on organizations operating in the rapidly growing area of cell and gene therapy.

Opus Genetics Raises $4.5 Million

North Carolina-based Opus Genetics raised $4.5 million to advance its experimental therapeutics for retinal diseases. This new funding raised from investors is an extension of the $19 million in seed funding first announced in 2021. 

KaryoLogic Partners with France’s Stem Genomics

Durham-based KaryoLogic, a karyotyping services company, forged a partnership with French biotechnology company Stem Genomics to test and analyze chromosomes in human stem cells. The partnership will allow KaryoLogic to offer a digital assay based on PCR technology that can identify more than 90% of the most common genomic abnormalities found in human pluripotent stem cells, according to KaryoLogic.

Raleigh Capital Management Firm NovaQuest Looks to Raise $800 Million

Raleigh-based NovaQuest Capital Management has raised $90 million in a new fund to invest in biopharmaceutical companies. The company plans to raise up to $800 million for the fund, according to reports. Since its founding in 2010, NovaQuest has raised more than $2.5 billion. The company primarily provides financing for late-stage clinical research trials.

In the Clinic

Brii Bio Announces New Data from Partners Showing Potential for HBV Functional Cure 

Durham-based Brii Biosciences announced that its strategic partners, Vir Biotechnology and VBI Vaccines, presented results from multiple clinical studies for the treatment and prevention of chronic hepatitis B viral (HBV) infection at the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) Congress 2023 that further support the clinical evaluation of Brii Bio’s assets as a potential best-in-class functional cure for chronic HBV infection. Data results from the different studies can be found here. 

Research Roundup

UNC: COVID-19 Vaccines Produce Antibody Response in the Nasal Mucosa

A new study by UNC School of Medicine researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination produces a robust immune response in the nasal cavity. The study results, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global, also showed that Spikevax (Moderna) vaccinations outperform Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) in terms of antibody response in the blood and intranasal cavity. The research team believes this new data support further development of vaccination strategies to more robustly protect individuals against infection.

UNC: Higher Doses of Oral Semaglutide Improves Blood Sugar Control and Weight Loss

A multicenter, randomized, phase IIIb trial, done in collaboration with a UNC School of Medicine researcher, found that once-daily oral semaglutide taken at higher doses of 25mg and 50mg improved regulation of blood sugar levels and weight loss compared to the standard 14 mg dose. The study, which was published in The Lancet, found that once-daily oral semaglutide taken at 25 milligrams (mg) and 50 mg did a better job in lowering blood sugar levels and promoting weight loss than the lowest dose of 14 mg.

On the Hill – Regulatory and Advocacy

Verona Pharma Submits New Drug Application to FDA for Ensifentrine

Raleigh’s Verona Pharma submitted a New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval of ensifentrine for the maintenance treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Ensifentrine is a selective dual inhibitor of the enzymes phosphodiesterase 3 and 4 combining bronchodilator and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory activities in one molecule. If approved, it is expected to be the first novel mechanism available for the treatment of COPD in over 10 years. Data from the Phase III ENHANCE trial supporting the NDA was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Published data demonstrates improvements with ensifentrine in lung function, symptoms and quality of life measures, as well as a substantial reduction in the rate and risk of COPD exacerbations and a favourable safety profile. 

People on the Move

Chimerix Promotes Michael T. Andriole to President and Chief Executive Officer

Chimerix, Inc., based in Durham, promoted Chief Business and Financial Officer Mike Andriole to President and Chief Executive Officer effective Aug. 1, 2023. Andriole replaces Mike Sherman, who is retiring from his role as CEO. Sherman will become Chairman of the Board of Directors. Martha Demski, the current Board Chair, will assume the role of Lead Independent Director.  Andriole joined Chimerix in 2019. Prior to that, he served as CFO of Endocyte, Inc. Before Endocyte, Andriole spent 16 years at Eli Lilly and Company in a range of financial, marketing and global business development roles.

Parexel Updates Board of Directors

Contract research organization PAREXEL International, based in Durham, appointed two new members to its board of directors. Michael Bruun, Partner, Global co-Head of Private Equity at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and John Groetelaars, Non-Executive Director and former Interim CEO of Dentsply Sirona and former President & CEO at Hillrom, were both named to the board.