Cell therapy weekly: CAR-T cell therapy platform to target childhood CNS cancers
This week: Seattle Children’s Hospital (WA, USA) launches BrainChild Bio, Inc. (WA, USA), FUJIFILM Corporation (Tokyo, Japan) expands its cell therapy production capabilities, and Eligo Bioscience (Paris, France) secures US$30 million in a Series B funding round.
The news highlights:
- Seattle Children’s Hospital launches BrainChild Bio to accelerate children’s CAR-T cell therapies
- Fujifilm invests in its subsidiaries to expand cell therapy development capabilities
- US$30 million raised to accelerate Eligo Biosciences transition to clinical stage
Seattle Children’s Hospital launches BrainChild Bio to accelerate children’s CAR-T cell therapies
BrainChild Bio, the new clinical-stage biotechnology company launched by Seattle Children’s Hospital, will establish a CAR-T cell therapy platform that targets central nervous system tumors in children. Using a next-generation CAR-T cell therapy platform that integrates synthetic technologies, like multiplex targeting and enhanced potency controls, BrainChild Bio will first focus on developing a CAR-T cell therapy program for diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, an incurable childhood brainstem cancer.
“BrainChild Bio is founded with a mission to bring the best ideas forward to push the bounds of scientific discovery in service of children with cancer. For far too long, children have been deprioritized for commercialized medicines and families have been left without options,” commented Michael Jensen, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of BrainChild Bio. “We are steadfast in our commitment to cracking the code of harnessing CAR-T cell technology in CNS tumors and we are uniquely positioned to do so.”
Fujifilm invests in its subsidiaries to expand cell therapy development capabilities
FUJIFILM Corporation has invested US$200 million into two of its subsidiaries to expand their global cell therapy contract development and manufacturing capabilities. FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics (WI, USA), a human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and iPSC-derived cells manufacturer, and FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies (NC, USA), an advanced therapies contract development and manufacturing organization, will both have enhanced manufacturing capability through expanded facilities.
“This investment is an important step for Fujifilm to lead as an innovative global manufacturing partner for the growing cell therapy market. The combined resources of the Fujifilm Group will enable us to meet the diverse and expanding manufacturing needs of our customers,” added Teiichi Goto, the president, CEO and representative director of the FUJIFILM Corporation. “We look forward to supporting our customers in manufacturing cell therapies that address unmet medical needs and contribute to the advancement of human health worldwide.”
US$30 million raised to accelerate Eligo Biosciences transition to clinical stage
Eligo Bioscience’s mission focuses on the in vivo delivery of genetic cargo to modify the human microbiome, to overcome disease. In its recent Series B financing, a total of US$30 million has been raised by Sanofi Ventures (CA, USA), Bpifrance (Paris, France), Khosla Ventures (CA, USA) and Seventure Partners (Paris, France). The funding will accelerate Eligo Bioscience’s therapeutic development for moderate to severe acne vulgaris and propel their expansion into other chronic diseases.
“We are delighted to welcome additional prominent healthcare investors to our existing syndicate. We feel this reflects the strong support for our vision and confirms the potential of Eligo to create a novel class of transformative genetic medicines,” added Xavier Duportet, CEO of Eligo Bioscience. “This is a defining time for Eligo as this funding puts us in a strong position to make a significant leap in treating diseases by editing the genetic makeup of the human microbiome.”
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