Comet Therapeutics, Inc.

ZÜRICH--( BUSINESS WIRE )-- CDR-Life today announced the appointment of Sarah Holland, PhD, as Chief Business Officer. Drawing on her over 30 years of biopharmaceutical industry expertise, Dr. Holland will spearhead CDR-Life’s business development initiatives and commercial strategy, focusing on advancing its innovative M-gager® platform to develop T cell engager (TCE) therapies for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. “Sarah's distinguished career reflects her unique ability to bridge scientific innovation and business strategy. Her leadership and proven expertise arrive at an inflection point for CDR-Life as we advance our clinical program in solid cancers and build momentum in the autoimmune space,” said Christian Leisner, PhD, CEO and founder of CDR-Life. “We are excited about Sarah joining our leadership team and she will play a pivotal role as we harness our M-gager platform to develop breakthrough therapies for both cancers and autoimmune conditions.” Dr. Holland has more than 30 years of biopharma experience, most recently serving as Chief Business Officer of Cureteq. She previously served as Chief Business Officer of VectivBio during its IPO on NASDAQ and drove the acquisition and integration of Comet Therapeutics as well as a partnering deal with Asahi Kasei. Previously, Dr. Holland was Global Head of Licensing and Head of R&D at Lonza and led the External Science and Partnering team at Sanofi. She held positions of increasing responsibility with Roche for over a decade, where she drove notable deals in oncology and central nervous system (CNS) and built and led the M&A assessment and integration team. In her last role at Roche, Sarah was the Lifecycle Leader for Alecensa during FDA and EMA submission. Prior to Roche, she held commercial roles in diagnostics, biotech and pharma, culminating in the global launch of Faslodex for AstraZeneca. Dr. Holland also serves as President of the Swiss Healthcare Licensing Group. "With its T cell engager therapy, CDR-Life is a true industry standout and I look forward to leveraging my experience and background to help realize the full potential of the M-gager platform and expand our therapeutic reach. This is an incredibly exciting phase of growth for CDR-Life and I am thrilled to be part of the talented team working to deliver innovative solutions for patients with serious unmet medical needs,” said Dr. Holland, Chief Business Officer of CDR-Life. About CDR-Life CDR-Life develops highly targeted T cell engagers (TCEs) for the treatment of solid cancers and autoimmune diseases. Our M-gager® platform delivers TCEs against challenging but cancer-specific intracellular and surface antigens through unparalleled target-specificity. With our first oncology program now in clinical trials, we are advancing a pipeline of potent and selective TCE therapeutics. Our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim on a molecule derived from our M-gager® platform, progressing to Phase 2 trials, demonstrates the potential of our antibody-derived molecules. Backed by leading cross-Atlantic investors, our team is committed to bringing life-changing, disease-modifying medicines to patients globally. Learn more at www.cdr-life.com .

Switzerland-based VectivBio Holding AG is acquiring privately-held Comet Therapeutics, which focuses on the development of drugs aimed at previously untreatable inherited metabolic diseases. With the acquisition, VectivBio will see a significant expansion of its rare disease pipeline. The CoMET platform gained through this acquisition is aimed at the treatment of inherited metabolic diseases that have a deficit of energy metabolism and depletion of functional Coenzyme A (CoA). The modular technology has the potential to address multiple previously untreatable IMDs by targeting the key cellular dysfunctions that underlie these conditions. This approach is expected to overcome important limitations of standard of care and has the potential to prevent the clinical progression of IMDs, VectivBio said in a statement. There are already four distinct programs currently in research, with plans to enter the clinic with the first program in the next 18 months, the company added. Under the terms of the agreement, VectivBio will acquire Comet Therapeutics in exchange for equity and cash, as well as additional milestone payments that were not disclosed. “The acquisition of the CoMET platform is in line with our core mission of developing disease-modifying treatments for rare severe diseases,” Luca Santarelli, founder and chief executive officer of VectivBio, said in a statement. “The platform’s potential to deliver a pipeline of medicines that target the fundamental molecular pathophysiology of IMDs by unlocking previously inaccessible pathways, would provide us with the opportunity to transform the lives of these patients. We are eager to begin work on our new programs and look forward to progressing our first candidate towards the clinic.” Elsewhere around the globe: AlzeCure Pharma – Sweden’s AlzeCure Pharma AB received approval from Swedish regulators to initiate a Phase I study of ACD856 focused on Alzheimer's disease. The Phase I study is AlzeCure's third clinical study with ACD856, the lead candidate drug within the company’s NeuroRestore platform. ACD856 is being developed as a symptom-relieving treatment for disease states where the cognitive ability is impaired. The primary study goal is to evaluate ACD856’s tolerability and safety after repeated dosing, as well as to examine early signals on brain activity. Meletios Therapeutics – French biotech Meletios Therapeutics announced a financial round that raised €3.8 million to accelerate its research programs aimed at identifying and developing a new generation of antiviral treatments. The financial infusion will allow Meletios to finalize a proof-of-concept study for its first product and will help the company to rapidly launch a first clinical trial, while pursuing the research and development of new innovative antiviral compounds. TISSIUM – Also based in France, TISSIUM closed a Series C financing round that brought in €50 million from new and existing international investors. The financing will allow TISSIUM to continue to execute on its development plan, funding the company up to the commercialization of its leading nerve repair, hernia repair and cardiovascular sealant products. CellCarta – Sweden-based CellCarta and Olink Proteomics AB announced a strategic collaboration that will provide Olink with Target 96 & Target 48 to pharmaceutical and biotech customers, advancing targeted protein biomarker quantification in clinical studies. With the acquisition of the first Olink Signature Q100 instruments and the collaborative support of Olink, CellCarta becomes the first global clinical CRO to offer the technology. The Olink platform offers a high-multiplex technique to quantify protein biomarkers that uses minimal clinical sample volume. AC Immune – Switzerland’s AC Immune SA announced that Roche subsidiary Genentech saw positive data with its licensed anti-tau monoclonal antibody, semorinemab, in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Semorinemab met one of its co-primary endpoints in a clinical study, although a second co-primary endpoint was not met. Safety data showed that semorinemab is well tolerated with an acceptable safety pro no unanticipated safety signals. Semorinemab demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in cognitive decline from baseline by 43.6% compared to placebo. Immutep Limited – Australia-based Immutep announced its Chinese partner EOC Pharma will expand its clinical trial pipeline for eftilagimod alpha in that country. EOC is preparing to initiate a clinical trial of efti in combination with an anti-PD-1 therapy. The new trial is expected to commence in the first half of calendar year 2022. The new trial builds on the latest promising data presented by Immutep at ASCO 2021 and on EOC’s previously announced Phase II trial evaluating efti in combination with chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer patients. Relief Therapeutics – Switzerland’s RELIEF Therapeutics Holding announced additional findings in a Phase IIb/III study conducted by U.S. partner NRx Pharmaceuticals. The study assessed Zyesami (aviptadil) for the treatment of patients with acute Respiratory Failure due to Critical COVID-19. The new analysis shows that patients treated with Zyesami demonstrated improvement in blood oxygen, indicative of improved lung function, within a day of starting treatment. NRx will seek Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If granted, RELIEF believes this could confer Priority Review to the aviptadil New Drug Application, when submitted. FairJourney Biologics – Portugal-based FairJourney Biologics S.A. has relocated into a larger, newly purpose-built research center in Portugal. The new premises support the company’s expansion and plans for further growth. FairJourney Biologics now occupies over 200,000 square feet, with the new premises containing 140 fully equipped laboratories, meeting rooms and social areas, as well as green spaces and leisure areas to promote employee well-being. The state-of-the-art facility will house more projects and industry-leading equipment, enabling the company to support more clients and carry out world-class research into antibody-based drugs.

Biopharma and life sciences companies from across the globe provide updates on their businesses and pipelines. Switzerland-based VectivBio Holding AG is acquiring privately-held Comet Therapeutics, which focuses on the development of drugs aimed at previously untreatable inherited metabolic diseases. With the acquisition, VectivBio will see a significant expansion of its rare disease pipeline. The CoMET platform gained through this acquisition is aimed at the treatment of inherited metabolic diseases that have a deficit of energy metabolism and depletion of functional Coenzyme A (CoA). The modular technology has the potential to address multiple previously untreatable IMDs by targeting the key cellular dysfunctions that underlie these conditions. This approach is expected to overcome important limitations of standard of care and has the potential to prevent the clinical progression of IMDs, VectivBio said in a statement. There are already four distinct programs currently in research, with plans to enter the clinic with the first program in the next 18 months, the company added. Under the terms of the agreement, VectivBio will acquire Comet Therapeutics in exchange for equity and cash, as well as additional milestone payments that were not disclosed. “The acquisition of the CoMET platform is in line with our core mission of developing disease-modifying treatments for rare severe diseases,” Luca Santarelli, founder and chief executive officer of VectivBio, said in a statement. “The platform’s potential to deliver a pipeline of medicines that target the fundamental molecular pathophysiology of IMDs by unlocking previously inaccessible pathways, would provide us with the opportunity to transform the lives of these patients. We are eager to begin work on our new programs and look forward to progressing our first candidate towards the clinic.” Elsewhere around the globe: AlzeCure Pharma – Sweden’s AlzeCure Pharma AB received approval from Swedish regulators to initiate a Phase I study of ACD856 focused on Alzheimer’s disease. The Phase I study is AlzeCure’s third clinical study with ACD856, the lead candidate drug within the company’s NeuroRestore platform. ACD856 is being developed as a symptom-relieving treatment for disease states where the cognitive ability is impaired. The primary study goal is to evaluate ACD856’s tolerability and safety after repeated dosing, as well as to examine early signals on brain activity. Meletios Therapeutics – French biotech Meletios Therapeutics announced a financial round that raised €3.8 million to accelerate its research programs aimed at identifying and developing a new generation of antiviral treatments. The financial infusion will allow Meletios to finalize a proof-of-concept study for its first product and will help the company to rapidly launch a first clinical trial, while pursuing the research and development of new innovative antiviral compounds. TISSIUM – Also based in France, TISSIUM closed a Series C financing round that brought in €50 million from new and existing international investors. The financing will allow TISSIUM to continue to execute on its development plan, funding the company up to the commercialization of its leading nerve repair, hernia repair and cardiovascular sealant products. CellCarta – Sweden-based CellCarta and Olink Proteomics AB announced a strategic collaboration that will provide Olink with Target 96 & Target 48 to pharmaceutical and biotech customers, advancing targeted protein biomarker quantification in clinical studies. With the acquisition of the first Olink Signature Q100 instruments and the collaborative support of Olink, CellCarta becomes the first global clinical CRO to offer the technology. The Olink platform offers a high-multiplex technique to quantify protein biomarkers that uses minimal clinical sample volume. AC Immune – Switzerland’s AC Immune SA announced that Roche subsidiary Genentech saw positive data with its licensed anti-tau monoclonal antibody, semorinemab, in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease. Semorinemab met one of its co-primary endpoints in a clinical study, although a second co-primary endpoint was not met. Safety data showed that semorinemab is well tolerated with an acceptable safety pro no unanticipated safety signals. Semorinemab demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in cognitive decline from baseline by 43.6% compared to placebo. Immutep Limited – Australia-based Immutep announced its Chinese partner EOC Pharma will expand its clinical trial pipeline for eftilagimod alpha in that country. EOC is preparing to initiate a clinical trial of efti in combination with an anti-PD-1 therapy. The new trial is expected to commence in the first half of calendar year 2022. The new trial builds on the latest promising data presented by Immutep at ASCO 2021 and on EOC’s previously announced Phase II trial evaluating efti in combination with chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer patients. Relief Therapeutics – Switzerland’s RELIEF Therapeutics Holding announced additional findings in a Phase IIb/III study conducted by U.S. partner NRx Pharmaceuticals. The study assessed Zyesami (aviptadil) for the treatment of patients with acute Respiratory Failure due to Critical COVID-19. The new analysis shows that patients treated with Zyesami demonstrated improvement in blood oxygen, indicative of improved lung function, within a day of starting treatment. NRx will seek Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If granted, RELIEF believes this could confer Priority Review to the aviptadil New Drug Application, when submitted. FairJourney Biologics – Portugal-based FairJourney Biologics S.A. has relocated into a larger, newly purpose-built research center in Portugal. The new premises support the company’s expansion and plans for further growth. FairJourney Biologics now occupies over 200,000 square feet, with the new premises containing 140 fully equipped laboratories, meeting rooms and social areas, as well as green spaces and leisure areas to promote employee well-being. The state-of-the-art facility will house more projects and industry-leading equipment, enabling the company to support more clients and carry out world-class research into antibody-based drugs.