NH TherAguix announces the launch of its IPO on the Euronext Growth market in Paris

On September 28, 2021 NH TherAguix, a French biotechnology company specialising in the development of innovative nano medicines for the radiotherapy treatment of cancer indications, reported the launch of its initial public offering with a view to listing its shares on the Euronext Growth market (ISIN code: FR0013105954-ticker: ALNHT) (Press release, NH TherAguix, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590544]). On 27 September 2021, the French financial markets authority (Autorité des Marchés Financiers-AMF) approved the Prospectus under number 21-416, comprising the Registration Document, approved on 10 September 2021 under number I.21-048, the supplement to this Registration Document approved on 27 September 2021 under number I.21-055, a Securities Note and a summary of the Prospectus (included in the Securities Note).

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Géraldine Le Duc, Chief Executive Officer of NH TherAguix, says: "NH TherAguix aims to demonstrate that its candidate drug AGuIX increases the effectiveness of radiotherapy on solid tumours, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissues. It offers new hope for cancer patients and our ambition is to make AGuIX the new standard of care in the treatment of certain cancers with radiotherapy. To do this, we have developed AGuIX so that it can be integrated into all current care protocols, without changing patient treatment. The indications that we are primarily targeting include pancreatic cancer, glioblastoma, the most comment brain cancer found in adults, and brain metastases. This planned IPO will allow us, on the one hand, to consolidate the Company’s financial position and, on the other, to obtain additional resources to be able pursue the development of the candidate drug AGuIX, and more specifically to develop the current pipeline of clinical trials (covering in particular glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer and brain metastases) with a view to registration trial, for which the Company would act as sponsor. I hope I can count on the support of many institutional and retail investors in this human and entrepreneurial adventure." Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia 2 Pushing the current boundaries of radiotherapy In the fight against cancer, radiotherapy is one of the standard care treatments. 60% of patients with cancer are treated with radiotherapy during their care pathway.

However, despite advances in technology and the continuous improvement of equipment, radiotherapy has limitations due to the harmful effects it causes on healthy tissue close to the tumour. These side effects limit the effectiveness of certain treatments and sometimes make radiotherapy unsuitable for certain forms of cancer. A theranostic1 approach for precision radiotherapy Increasing the x-ray dose differential between the tumour and surrounding healthy tissue is now the most promising way of improving radiotherapy.

Based on this observation, NH TherAguix has developed an innovative theranostic1 approach in nanomedicine: AGuIX. Designed to be able to increase the dose differential between the tumour and healthy tissues and therefore to increase the efficacy of radiation therapy, AGuIX also allows more accurate imaging guidance after targeting the tumour. The combination of these three properties (targeting, imaging and treatment) paves the way for a new generation of precision radiotherapy.

The first "triple action" candidate drug By injecting a single dose, AGuIX works in three complementary ways:
1. Targeting: Nanoparticles are injected intravenously. Thanks to their size of 5 nanometers, they accumulate naturally and exclusively in the tumour through a biodistribution process (effect known as EPR2).
2. Imaging: The presence of gadolinium atoms in the structure of AGuIX ensures that the tumour is clearly visible via magnetic resonance imaging prior to radiotherapy, allowing the tumour to be delineated in order to calibrate radiation therapy.
3. Treatment: Its radiosensitising properties enable AGuIX to amplify the effect of radiation directed against the tumour through a physical interaction. By creating a dose differential between the cancer and adjacent tissues, the radiation therapy could become more effective. A candidate drug adapted to the patient care pathway Intravenous administration of AGuIX is a key component of its therapeutic effectiveness as it makes it easy to use by healthcare staff. It does not disrupt the treatment pathway, and does not require any specific equipment or training. It is also possible to combine

AGuIX with all current and future radiotherapy technologies.
1 Theranostics: therapeutic approach combined with better diagnosis.
2 Enhanced Permeability Retention effect: nanoparticles tend to accumulate more in the tumour than in healthy tissues, mainly due to 2 biological phenomena: abnormal blood vessel development and inefficiency of lymphatic drainage in cancerous tissues. Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia
3 Strong proof of concept The first study in humans was conducted in the Phase 1b trial on brain metastases in 15 patients, NANORAD 1, which first helped to established the absence of toxicity and adverse effects of AGuIX.

In addition to the safety parameters, this study demonstrated a clinical benefit with encouraging overall survival rates and confirmed the triple effect of AGuIX after injection (targeting, imaging and treatment). A dose effect has also been highlighted: the higher the concentration of AGuIX in brain metastases, the lower their size and therefore the better their response to treatment.3 Preliminary observations of the ongoing NANORAD 2, Phase 2 trial on brain metastases show tolerance and contrast entirely consistent with the Phase 1 trial results. It also seems that the activity signals of AGuIX already cited, namely a radiosensitisation response related to improved control of tumour volume and survival, can be observed here. These very preliminary observations reveal a trend that needs to be confirmed or invalidated based on the existence of the control arm and the statistical strength of the trial if sufficient. A potential pan-cancer treatment deployed through 8 Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, 3 of which are already recruiting, 4 of which have been authorised by health authorities and one of which is being prepared The properties of AGuIX show pan-cancer potential: intravenous injection combined with the ability of AGuIX to accurately target the tumour enables the treatment of cancers that are difficult to access by intratumoral injection. At this stage, all injected tumours have been visible via MRI (49 patients). Markus Loeffler, NH TherAguix Medical Director, comments: "The results of the Phase 1 study are very encouraging. NH TherAguix has now entered Phase 2 with 2 clinical trials focusing on radiotherapy for brain metastases, either by whole brain radiotherapy (NANORAD 2), or as a complementary treatment by radiosurgery (NANOBRAINMETS), and also has a Phase 1 trial on advanced cervical cancer (NANOCOL).

The launch of other trials in Europe and the United States, in partnership with internationally renowned cancer research institutes, is a very important strategic step for NH TherAguix." 3Targeting brain metastases with ultrasmall theranostic nanoparticles, a first-in-human trial from an MRI perspective. Verry C et al. Science Advances. 2020 Theranostic AGuIX nanoparticles as radiosensitizer: A phase I, dose-escalation study in patients with multiple brain metastases (NANO-RAD trial) Verry C. et al. Radiotherapy & Oncology, 2021 Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia 4 By the end of 2021, AGuIX technology should be in use in 7 Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials, 3 of which are already recruiting and 4 of which have been authorised by health authorities: *ODD (Orphan Drug Designation): orphan candidate drug status obtained in the United States, allowing for fast track recording in case of conclusive outcomes.

Clinical Development Strategy The clinical development strategy of AGuIX aims to exploit its pan-cancer potential with the objective of recording as quickly as possible primary and orphan cancers such as pancreatic cancer or glioblastoma, for which the therapeutic arsenal is very limited and which represent a significant market opportunity. For these indications, the Company operates in partnership with recognised institutes such as Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard. The Company is also targeting a broader market, namely the treatment of brain metastases, an indication in which the Company has already acquired results and the potential of which is significant due to its impact, and in which the number of competitors is limited.

Finally, the Company is considering the development of AGuIX to treat other indications. It is therefore promoting the implementation of clinical trials funded by research grants as part of academic collaborations to enable it to collect clinical and scientific data while preserving its financial resources. Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia 5 Financial and industrial support In 2019, the company experienced strong growth, having raised Series A funding of €12.3 million from recognised venture capital funds (BPI Innobio2, Arbevel, Omnes and Supernova). Thanks to this funding, the Company was able to launch its Phase 2 clinical trials and fund the scaling of production of its experimental drug, in partnership with Sanofi, the laboratory that produces the AGuIX nanoparticle. Offering eligible for PEA and PEA-PME equity savings plans NH TherAguix complies with the eligibility criteria for PEA-PME equity savings plans specified by the provisions of Articles L.-221-32-2 and D.221-113-5 et seq. of the French Monetary and Financial Code. As a result, NH TherAguix’s shares can be fully integrated into equity savings plans (PEAs) as well as PEA-PME accounts which enjoy the same tax benefits as traditional PEAs*.

Availability of the Prospectus Copies of the Prospectus approved by the AMF on 27 September 2021 under number 21-416 are available free of charge upon request from the Company and can also be consulted on the websites of the AMF (View Source) and NH TherAguix (View Source). Approval of the Prospectus should not be considered as a favourable opinion on the securities offered or admitted for trading on the Euronext Growth market in Paris. Risk Factors The risks associated with pursuing the effective progress of AGuIX’s clinical development, and more generally the risk factors to which the Company is exposed are presented in Chapter 3 "Risk Factors" of the Registration Document and in Section 3 "Risk factors related to the Offering" in the Securities Note. The occurrence of one or more of these risks is liable to have a significant adverse impact on the activities, assets, financial position, results or outlook of NH TherAguix, as well as on the market price of the Company’s shares.

Financial intermediaries and advisers Global Coordinator and Joint Bookrunner Joint Bookrunner Financial Communication Agency Legal counsel Statutory Auditors Statutory Auditors Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia

6 MAIN TERMS OF THE TRANSACTION ▪ SHARE CAPITAL BEFORE THE ISSUE A public limited company (société anonyme) with a board of directors, with share capital of €244,081.00 divided into 6,102,025 shares with a par value of €0.04 each.
▪ CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SHARES
• Title: NH TherAguix
• Ticker: ALNHT
• ISIN: FR0013105954
• Listing market: Euronext Growth Paris
• ICB classification: 20103010-Biotechnology
• LEI: 9695007Z8UJ5AFRZQN66
• Eligible for the PME-ETI equity savings plan
▪ INDICATIVE PRICE RANGE Between €15.50 and €18.90 per new share. This information is provided for information purposes only and is in no way indicative of the price of the Offering, which may be set outside this indicative range. ▪ INITIAL SIZE OF THE OFFERING The Offering will be made by placing on the market 1,744,187 new shares to be issued, which may be increased to 2,005,815 new shares in the event of full exercise of the extension clause and 300,872 additional new shares in the event of full exercise of the overallotment option, i.e. a maximum of 2,306,687 shares offered in the event of full exercise of the extension clause and the overallotment option.

▪ GROSS TRANSACTION AMOUNT Approximately €30 million, which may be increased to approximately €34.5 million in the event of full exercise of the extension clause and approximately €39.7 million in the event of full exercise of both the extension clause and the overallotment option (based on the midpoint of the indicative price range of the Offering, i.e. €17.20). ▪ NET PROCEEDS FROM THE OFFERING Approximately €27.2 million, which may be increased to approximately €31.4 million in the event of full exercise of the extension clause and approximately €36.3 million in the event of full exercise of both the extension clause and the overallotment option (based on the midpoint of the indicative price range of the Offering, i.e. €17.20). Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia

7 ▪ STRUCTURE OF THE OFFERING The offered shares will be distributed as part of a global offering (the "Offering"), comprising:
• An offering to the public in France in the form of an open-price offering, mainly intended for private individuals (the "Open-Price Offering" or "OPO"), where: o the orders will be broken down according to the number of shares requested: A1 order fraction (from 1 share up to 250 shares) and A2 order fraction (over 250 shares); o the A1 order fractions will receive preferential treatment relative to the A2 order fractions in the event that all orders cannot not be entirely satisfied.
• A global placement mainly intended for institutional investors (the "Global Placement"), comprising: o a placement in France; o an international private placement in certain countries, excluding in particular the United States of America, Japan, Canada and Australia; and o a private placement in the United States for a limited number of qualified institutional buyers as defined in Rule 144A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 (as amended) (the "Securities Act"), in the context of the exemption of private placements from the registration provisions pursuant to Article 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. If permitted by the request expressed under the OPO, the number of shares allocated in response to orders issued under the OPO will be at least equal to 10% of the number of shares offered under the Offering (before any exercise of the extension clause and the overallotment option).

▪ LOCK-UP COMMITMENTS AND CONSERVATION Company lock-up agreement: 180 calendar days following the settlement/delivery date of the Offering, subject to certain exceptions. Commitment by the Company’s shareholders to hold on to their shares: all shareholders and holders of securities giving access to the Company’s share capital shall make a commitment to the joint bookrunners to conserve the shares they hold on the date on which the Offering Price is set for a period of 270 calendar days following the settlement-delivery date of the Offering, subject to certain usual exceptions.

▪ SUBSCRIPTION COMMITMENTS FPCI InnoBio 2, represented by Bpifrance Investissement, FCPI Arbevel Life Sciences Crossover I, represented by Financière Arbevel, and FCPI Supernova 2, represented by Supernova Invest, have each committed to place a subscription order in the order book for a maximum amount of €3.00 million, €2.35 million and €1.50 million respectively. In addition, Guerbet, a French company with international expertise in medical imaging (diagnostic and interventional) and listed on Euronext Paris, has made a commitment to place an order of €3.00 million in the order book. These orders, which therefore represent 32.8% of the gross proceeds of the Offering (if the Offering is 100% subscribed and excluding the exercise of the extension clause and the overallotment option) are intended to be served in priority and in their entirety, subject to reduction in accordance with usual allocation principles (mainly if the subscriptions received are way over the number of shares offered).

Press Release Should not be published, transmitted or distributed directly or indirectly in the United States of America, Canada, Japan or Australia 8 Guerbet’s investment comes as both companies have started to work together on artificial intelligence for clinical trials on pancreatic cancer and glioblastoma, as developed by the Company. Last July, the Company and Guerbet tendered together for State funding (as an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI)) in this area. Regardless of the (limited) chances of obtaining such funding, the agreement signed on 23 September 2021 on Guerbet’s subscription commitment suggests that the two companies will discuss the scope of collaboration work on the AGuIX platform and will subsequently negotiate a collaboration agreement to that effect in good faith.

Kytopen Raises $30M in Series A Funding, Led by Northpond Ventures, to Transform Non-Viral Delivery via the Flowfect Platform

On September 28, 2021 Kytopen Corp., a biotechnology company spun out of MIT offering a scalable technology for engineered cell therapies, reported it has raised $30 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding (Press release, Kytopen, SEP 28, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kytopen-raises-30m-in-series-a-funding-led-by-northpond-ventures-to-transform-non-viral-delivery-via-the-flowfect-platform [SID1234590543]). The new capital will be used to commercialize Kytopen’s Flowfect Tx for cGMP-compliant cell therapy manufacturing and move towards treating the first human patient with Flowfect engineered cells. Kytopen’s mission is to enable simple and efficient non-viral manufacturing of cell therapies in days versus weeks to increase patient access to life-saving therapies.

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The Series A investor syndicate was led by the experienced life sciences investment team at Northpond Ventures, a leading science-driven venture capital firm, with participation from current investors: The Engine, Horizons Ventures, and MassVentures, as well as Aldevron Co-Founders Michael Chambers and John Ballantyne and Alexandria Venture Investments. Adam Wieschhaus, Ph.D., CFA, Director at Northpond Ventures, will join the Kytopen board of directors along with Kytopen Co-Founders Paulo Garcia and Cullen Buie and Theresa Tribble, Venture Partner at The Engine.

"We are thrilled to partner with Northpond and their innovative ecosystem to develop and commercialize our Flowfect technology. Together with Northpond’s talented and experienced team we will continue to unlock industry bottlenecks and pave the way for cost-effective engineered cell therapies," said Paulo Garcia, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder, Kytopen. "We are actively executing on therapeutic and academic collaborations and this funding and network will be the catalyst to accelerate our partners into the clinic and beyond. I am tremendously proud of the entire Kytopen team’s achievements and future contributions to make these potentially life-saving cell therapies more accessible to patients."

The new funding will also accelerate the commercialization of Kytopen’s high-throughput automated platform, which seamlessly links discovery to manufacturing and has the potential to unlock personalized medicines. The company’s proprietary Flowfect platform is a transformative solution that eliminates the complexity of gene editing and integrates discovery, development, and manufacturing in one flexible and scalable non-viral delivery solution.

"Cellular engineering is a vastly manual, time-consuming process. While the market demands acceleration and scale, a cell’s fragility requires that methods are also gentle from lab to clinic," said Adam Wieschhaus, Ph.D., CFA, Director at Northpond Ventures. "Kytopen is unlocking potential in genetic engineering at speeds 10,000 faster than current state-of-the-art methods while still maintaining cellular composition. Northpond is excited to collaborate with Kytopen to advance non-viral manufacturing and bring much needed cell therapies to patients."

Kytopen’s proprietary Flowfect technology speeds therapies from discovery to the clinic by enabling cell engineering without compromising functionality or viability. Flowfect reduces risk and provides maximum control and flexibility to reduce time to market by months or even years while providing safer and cost-efficient engineered cell therapies.The Flowfect technology utilizes electro-mechanical energy to gently introduce genetic material such as RNA, DNA, or CRISPR/Cas RNP, to a wide variety of hard-to-transfect primary human cells. The Flowfect technology enables cell engineering in minutes for target discovery and process development optimization. For example, 96-well plates can be processed in less than 10 minutes while direct scale up to clinical manufacturing volumes is facilitated by the processing rate of 2 billion cells per minute in a single channel.

Admera Health to Explore Strategic Alternatives for Pharmacogenomics and Clinical Services Business

On September 28, 2021 Admera Health, a precision-medicine company and genetics laboratory, reported that it has engaged Back Bay Life Science Advisors, a strategic advisory and investment banking firm, to explore strategic alternatives for its pharmacogenomics and clinical services business as part of a company-wide strategic review (Press release, Admera Health, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590542]). Admera offers the most comprehensive clinical PGx test in the industry, covering 62 genes, over 270 medications, and over 20 therapeutic areas, including: psychiatry, cardiology, pain management, and oncology. Admera Health’s clinical services portfolio is built on a strong foundation of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and data analysis capabilities.

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The company’s current PGx and clinical services product portfolio consists of:

PGxOne Plus is a 62-gene pharmacogenomics test that provides insight into how patients may respond to certain medications based on DNA variants that affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics
RxVision is a secure, online digital platform that delivers PGx test results to providers and offers a complete PGx assessment with the gene-drug interactions aligning with the FDA sources and guidelines from professional organizations. The product is accessible on web-based browsers, as well as iOS and Android mobile devices, obviating the need for complicated integration with electronic medical record systems
OncoGxOneis a comprehensive 364-gene Next Generation Sequencing assay for profiling all solid tumor types. Input includes both DNA and RNA for optimal fusion detection. The product compliments Admera Health’s suite of NGS tests, spanning the continuum of cancer patient care
The company has also capitalized on its infrastructure by partnering with other domain experts to expand its product offering, notably with its Cardiovascular Test Portfolio.

"We are proud of the significant commercial value we have built in our pharmacogenomics products and are looking to select a strategic partner with additional scale and resources to realize their full potential," said Jeffrey Mitchell, interim CEO of Admera Health.

The company will continue to own and operate its biopharma services business, providing genomics and bioinformatics services in a CAP-accredited CLIA certified laboratory for researchers working on projects ranging from exploratory to clinical.

UPDATED: Merck Emerges as Frontrunner in Potential $11 Billion Acceleron Buyout

On September 28, 2021 Acceleron Pharma reported that it is in advanced talks to be acquired in a deal estimated to be worth $11 billion (Press release, Acceleron Pharma, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590535]).

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Merck & Co.. has now emerged as the frontrunner in the race, apparently having beaten out Bristol Myers Squibb, which currently owns more than 11.5% of Acceleron in company stock. BMS picked up the shares as part of its 2019 purchase of Celgene.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Merck is in advanced talks to acquire Acceleron, citing sources familiar with the matter. Merck appears to be looking to diversify a portfolio that is largely dominated by blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda.

The same people said that an announcement could come this week, providing talks do not fall apart. In its original report, WSJ said that the pricepoint for Acceleron would be about $180-a-share in cash.

Merck previously went on a buying spree that spread from late in 2020 into 2021, acquiring OncoImmune in November, and picking up autoimmune disease drug developer Pandion Therapeutics in February in a 1.85 billion deal. Other acquisitions ncluded VelosBio and Themis.

If the deal for Acceleron goes through, it would be one of Merck’s largest and signal an increasing focus on the rare disease space, particularly in the treatments for respiratory and blood diseases where Acceleron focuses.

The rumors had already been percolating as Acceleron’s stock has risen over the past 10 days from $130-a-share in mid-September to $167.65 as the market closed on Friday. The company currently has a market value of $10.2 billion. Shares of the company have climbed 60% in the past year.

The biotech, which went public in 2013, is focused on developing protein therapies to treat certain types of cancer and rare diseases. Of prime attraction value is sotatercept, an investigational reverse-remodeling agent in phase III development for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

In May, Acceleron presented preliminary interim data from its Phase II study of sotatercept at the American Thoracic Society 2021 International Conference showing that the drug was associated with improvements in resting and exercise hemodynamics at week 24. The outcomes were obtained from the first 10 patients evaluated among a total of 21 trial participants.

On Monday, Raymond James analyst Danielle Brill wrote that she thinks most investors would prefer Acceleron wait until Phase III data is available, which is due later in 2022, rather than accept a deal at the $180-per-share pricepoint.

According to Ziad Bakri, a vice president and health care investor at T. Rowe Price, the drug has "a ton of value in it." Acceleron was recently highlighted by Barron’s as one of "5 biotech names ready for a comeback."

Acceleron has been on an upward trend the past two years. The company’s one approved drug, Reblozyl, which is part of a global collaboration with BMS, was authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2019 for the treatment of anemia in adults with beta thalassemia who require regular red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. This was followed just months later in April 2020 by an approval for the drug in the treatment of anemia in adults with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Reblozyl netted Acceleron approximately $25.6 million in royalty revenue for Q2 2021 from approximately $128 million in net sales.

A third candidate, ACE-1334, is being developed to treat fibrotic disease. The drug has been granted FDA Fast Track designation in patients with systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD), a rare, progressive autoimmune connective tissue disorder, and Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of systemic sclerosis.

For Merck, the acquisition of Acceleron would be another part of its transition to focus on growth areas that include cancer, vaccines and animal health. The pivot was enabled by the spinoff of slower-growth assets including women’s health products and cholesterol treatments into Organon & Co.

MiCheck® Prostate will be offered at CLIAx by 20/20 GeneSystems in the USA

On September 28, 2021 20/20 GeneSystems, Inc., ("20/20"), reported the launch of its Clinical Lab Innovation Axcellerator (CLIAx), believed to be the first shared CLIA laboratory facility geared to helping diagnostic test innovators worldwide substantially reduce the time and cost of launching their tests in the U.S (Press release, Minomic, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590528]).

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"Establishing and maintaining a compliant CLIA lab can be costly and daunting for young companies, especially those seeking to enter the American market from overseas," 20/20 President and CEO, Jonathan Cohen said. "From leasing facilities to hiring qualified laboratory professionals, purchasing equipment, and running daily operations, it can be a hefty burden. These hurdles can limit or delay our nation’s access to some of the most creative and out-of-the-box testing solutions from around the world demonstrated during the pandemic to be in great demand. Our unique CLIAx accelerator removes or lowers many of the barriers in the path of these innovators."

CLIAx offers nearly 3,000 square feet of ready-to-use communal clinical laboratory space and testing equipment, including a full PCR/molecular assay suite, NextGen Sequencing (NGS), immunoassay and clinical chemistry capabilities. Importantly, 20/20’s marketing and sales teams will help promote the new test to the market segments in which 20/20 is currently active.

Earlier this month the company signed an agreement with Australian-based Minomic International Ltd, a diagnostics firm that is gearing up to introduce MiCheck Prostate, a blood test that uses proprietary algorithms and biomarkers to estimate the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

"Our company is so excited to be working with the CLIAx team. Their clinical lab accelerator is a unique concept that allows us to tap into the expertise in laboratory testing. It is just what Minomic requires – a ‘soft landing’ site to enter the U.S. market so we can focus on the key activity of test rollout instead of the necessary minutiae of setting up and running a lab service," said Dr. Brad Walsh, CEO of Minomic International Ltd.

CLIAx was officially designated by the Maryland Department of Commerce as a "Soft Landing" program for overseas companies seeking to enter the U.S. market.

"Maryland is ‘open’ for international companies looking to expand, and the new Clinical Laboratory Innovation Axcelerator will provide the perfect soft landing for those seeking to explore the U.S. market," said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. "We applaud 20/20 GeneSystems for taking the lead with this initiative and we hope to see similar spaces launch throughout the state."