The Bio Report

Targeting the epigenome—the regulators that turn on and off the activity of genes—has long been viewed as a promising way to treat cancer. But despite the promise of this approach, early efforts brought few successes in part because of the broad effects of hitting these targets. Constellation Pharmaceuticals is taking a next-generation approach to epigenetics, targeting what it calls the writer, reader, and eraser classes of epigenetic regulators to modulate gene expression in a highly selective manner. It believes its approach can be used to both induce cancer cell killing, as well as enhance anti-tumor immunity. We spoke to Jigar Raythatha, president and CEO of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, about epigenetics, the company’s approach to developing highly selective therapies that target gene regulators, and its programs in myelofibrosis and prostate cancer.

Acepodia has developed platform technology that allows it to chemically modify or conjugate living cell surfaces. The technology can be applied to any immune cell and any antibody or binding protein, without the use of genetic engineering. The company is working to apply the technology to create a family of cost-effective, off-the-shelf immunotherapies. We spoke to Sonny Hsiao, CEO of Acepodia, about the company’s platform technology, how it works, and it why it has the potential to change the cost and efficacy of immunotherapies.

One of the challenges to securing the participation of patients in clinical trials can be simple geography. Sanguine Biosciences is seeking to tear down that barrier to participation by using mobile technology to bring clinical trials to patients. The company recently partnered with Vir Biotechnology to complete a COVID-19 clinical study aimed at better understanding the biology of the disease by sending healthcare personnel to collect blood samples from patients at their homes. We spoke to Brain Neman, co-founder and CEO of Sanguine, about it use of digital health technologies, how the company works, and its recent collaboration with Vir Biotechnology for a COVID-19 study.

One of the challenges cell and gene therapies pose is how to control how much and when a desired protein is delivered. Obsidian Therapeutics has developed a platform that allows a small molecule drug to control with precision the timing and level of protein expression from these therapies. We spoke to Paul Wotton, CEO of Obsidian Therapeutics, about the company’s platform technology, how it works, and how it may improve the safety and efficacy of cell and gene therapies.

Patrick Soon-Shiong likes to talk about the “triangle offense,” the activation of a combination of macrophages, natural killer cells, and memory T-cells to battle cancer. He believes the same approach he has been working to train on cancer can be enlisted in the fight against COVID-19, the virus behind today’s global pandemic. We spoke to Soon-Shiong, chairman and CEO of NantKwest, about his approach to immunotherapy, what results he’s seen to date, and why he believes what he’s learned about harnessing the immune system in the fight against cancer can be applied to treating COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to stress healthcare systems throughout the world and it is making the development of a vaccine an important part of a strategy to arrest the virus. Though clinical trials for a vaccine are under way, creating a vaccine alone will not be enough. If those efforts are successful, there will be challenges ahead with manufacturing, distributing, and providing equitable access throughout the world. We spoke to Aurélia Nguyen, managing director for vaccines and sustainability for the The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations about the COVID-19 outbreak, how it may be playing out in different parts of the world, and what was learned from GAVI involvement in previous efforts to develop an ebola vaccine.

Early detection is a critical means of improving outcomes for cancer patients. When cancer is detected at stage I, patients have a 90 percent chance of survival. By contrast, if cancer is diagnosed at stage IV, patients have just a 5 percent or survival. The use of costly and invasive diagnostic approaches have been a barrier to early detection, but new technology has the potential to change that. Laboratory for Advanced Medicine is developing a simple blood-based test to detect cancer at its earliest stage. We spoke to Ken Chahine, CEO of Laboratory for Advanced Medicine, about the company’s blood-based test, how it works, and how it is prioritizing indications.

As the debate over drug pricing intensifies, biotech investor Peter Kolchinsky is weighing in with a proposed approach to balance access to medicines with the incentive for companies to invest in the development of innovative new therapies. In his new book The Great American Drug Deal, Kolchinsky makes the case for an approach to drug pricing that would ensure that the timely movement of innovative drugs to generic versions while also suggesting mechanisms for cutting the price of therapeutics after patents and exclusivity periods expire when competition fails to arise. We spoke to Kolchinsky about The Great American Drug Deal, his notion of a biotech social contract, and why it’s critical that the industry think differently than it has in the past about approaches to reform drug pricing.

There is growing scientific evidence suggesting that Alzheimer’s disease may be an autoimmune condition. Whether it is or not may be an unsettled issue, but targeting neuroinflammation associated with the disease is viewed by some as a potential therapeutic strategy. INmune Bio is developing an experimental, second-generation, selective TNF inhibitor that targets neuroinflammation. It believes this approach can slow or stop the progression of cognitive and psychiatric symptoms associated with the disease. We spoke to R.J. Tesi, CEO of INmune Bio, about whether Alzheimer’s disease is an autoimmune condition, the role of neuroinflammation in the progress of the disease, and how his company’s experimental therapy differs from existing TNF inhibitors today.

The Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute is seeking to harness biotechnology to discover new therapeutics by studying the DNA of marine life. At the same time, the institute hopes to breathe new life into a 400-year old fishing village that houses it and create new opportunities there. We spoke to Andrea Bodnar, science director at the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, about marine biotechnology, the ocean as a source for novel therapeutics, and the institute’s efforts to transform the economy along Cape Ann.