On May 25, 2021 Alloy Therapeutics ("Alloy") and Pyxis Oncology ("Pyxis") reported the formation of a joint venture named Kyma Therapeutics to develop immune-modulating antibodies for novel targets in cancer and autoimmune diseases (Press release, Pyxis Oncology, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580586]). Kyma Therapeutics will advance programs directed to immune-modulating targets identified by Pyxis. Alloy Discovery Services will generate therapeutic candidates using Alloy’s broad suite of human antibody discovery technologies, including the ATX-Gx mouse platform while Pyxis will develop assays and perform ex-vivo and in-vivo studies on the therapeutic candidates.
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Under the terms of the agreement, Pyxis and Alloy intend to collaboratively fund and perform services for Kyma Therapeutics to rapidly develop programs to a value-inflection point with the objective that the programs will have the potential for independent financing and partnering. Pyxis and Alloy will retain certain rights to participate in the development and commercialization of products originating from Kyma Therapeutics.
"We are excited to partner with Pyxis on the formation of Kyma Therapeutics to advance novel biologics for cancer and autoimmune disease," said Errik Anderson, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Alloy. "This joint venture combines Pyxis’ proprietary target discovery technology and expertise with Alloy’s high throughput antibody discovery engine, enabling the rapid development of high-impact immune-modulating therapeutics for underserved patient populations."
Lara Sullivan, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Pyxis, added, "Kyma Therapeutics represents the successful execution of Pyxis’ and Alloy’s corporate strategies to bring new treatment options to patients with the highest capital efficiency. We look forward to working with Alloy to further advance these compelling treatments for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases."
Chris Pacheco, Venture Partner at 82VS, Alloy’s affiliated venture studio, added, "Kyma Therapeutics embraces a new approach to streamline biotechnology company creation and the drug discovery process, alongside leading scientific entrepreneurs and target-rich companies. We are thrilled to advance this important pipeline in partnership with Pyxis, which will ultimately be for the benefit of patients."
The announcement follows in the footsteps of Broadwing Bio, a partnership between Alloy and Maze Therapeutics, which was formed in December 2020. Each year, 82VS is expected to launch five to ten new asset-centric companies such as Kyma and Broadwing, through partnerships with leading scientific entrepreneurs, large biopharma companies, and other target-rich venture-backed companies.