La Jolla Institute Announces Affiliation with UC San Diego Health The La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology announced an official affiliation agreement with the University of California, San Diego Health System (UCSD). The multi-year agreement with UCSD will facilitate joint faculty appointments, enhance the range and depth of collaboration between the two organizations, and promote closer integration between basic immunology research and clinical medicine to speed the development of treatments for diseases of the immune system. [La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology] Press Release Formula Pharmaceuticals and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Enter into an Exclusive Licensing Agreement and Strategic Collaboration to Develop C.I.K. CAR™ Immunotherapies Formula Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) announced the establishment of an exclusive licensing agreement and strategic collaboration for the development of Cytokine Induced Killer (C.I.K.) cell-based chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapies, using MDC’s proprietary SB100X transposase, a component of the non-viral, Sleeping Beauty transposon-based gene transfer system. [Formula Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release VF Funds New Study: Immune Regulation by IL-6 in Giant Cell Arteritis The Vasculitis Foundation (VF) is funding a new, one-year study led by principal investigator, Jonathan Choy, Ph.D., from Simon Fraser University. The $50,000 study, “Immune regulation by IL-6 in giant cell arteritis”, will focus on the way in which cytokine IL-6 activates T cell responses in giant cell arteritis [Vasculitis Foundation (Newswise, Inc.)] Press Release Immunomedics Announces Orphan Drug Designation for Veltuzumab for the Treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenia Immunomedics, Inc. announced that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan status for the use of veltuzumab, the company’s humanized anti-CD20 antibody, for the treatment of immune thrombocytopenia. [Immunomedics, Inc. (GlobeNewswire, Inc.)] Press Release Sorrento In-Licenses Four Late-Stage Clinical Biobetter and Biosimilar Antibodies Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement to develop and commercialize multiple prespecified and undisclosed biosimilar or biobetter antibodies from Mabtech Limited, a holding company for premier antibody development and manufacturing companies in China. [Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.] Press Release Arena Pharmaceuticals Initiates a Phase II Clinical Trial of APD334, its S1P1 Receptor Modulator for Autoimmune Diseases Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced the initiation of patient screening in a Phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial of APD334 in ulcerative colitis. Discovered by Arena, APD334 is an oral, investigational, Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Subtype 1 (S1P1) receptor modulator with therapeutic potential in ulcerative colitis as well as other autoimmune diseases. [Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc.] Press Release |