Dive Brief:
- Privately-held biotech AvidBiotics, which has been developing two distinctly different technology platforms, has announced its decision to split, with each newly-created South San Francisco company focusing on a rapidly evolving field and seeking independent financing.
- Xyphos Inc will focus on the growing sphere of immuno-oncology, creating cell therapies using AvidBiotic's chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) cell platform, convertibleCAR, which uses a bispecific antibody-like protein (MicAbody) to link a CAR with a specifically-targeted tumor antigen. The next step will be to push forward the company's lead convertibleCAR-T cell and MicAbody into clinical development with an aim to treat patients who have failed standard-of-care.
- Pylum Biosciences will focus on the Avidocin platform. These are precision-targeted antibacterials that quite literally "punch" a hole in specific bacteria without impacting the others in the gut, especially the "friendly" residents of the gut microbiota, while not triggering resistance. The lead, in preclinical development, is targeting antibiotic-resistant Clostridium difficile infections.
Dive Insight:
This is a tale of two halves — both in different, but equally hot spaces.
The CAR-T field has had its ups and downs of late. Last month, following a patient death, the Food and Drug Administration put a clinical hold on two Phase 1 studies of Cellectis' gene-edited allogeneic CAR-T therapy, UCART123, in acute myeloid leukemia and blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm. While startup Juno Therapeutics, Inc. halted a CAR-T trial back in November last year after patient death.
On the flip side, Novartis AG became the first company in the world to snag Food and Drug Administration approval for a CAR-T therapy when Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel) was approved for relapsed refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. also snapped up CAR-T biotech Kite Pharma, Inc. in an $11.9 billion deal, followed by an approval for the newly-acquired therapy Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma who have previously received two or more lines of systemic treatment.
What gives Xyphos a potential edge is the flexibility of the convertibleCAR technology, allowing it to target specific tumor antigens. This could have a dramatic impact on manufacturing costs and on logistics. Xyphos is seeking partners to develop CAR-T and -NK cell therapies.
"Xyphos' convertibleCAR technology combines the flexibility of bispecific antibodies with the efficacy of CAR-T cells," said Jim Knighton, Xyphos' CEO. "We believe our ability to develop a single CAR-T cell capable of treating multiple diseases will result in a system that can be more easily designed, produced and delivered safely to the patient."
The second half of the split is Pylum Biosciences, which is using the Avidocin platform to develop specifically-targeted oral antibacterials that will preserve the gut microbiota and maintain activity in the face of the ever-growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. This is a challenging field to work in, but Pylum's advantage is likely to be its very different mode of action, and the low likelihood of resistance development.
"Pylum is pursuing antibiotic-resistant pathogens and, with its initial drug candidate targeted at Clostridium difficile, is planning to enter clinical testing late next year," said Pylum CEO David Martin. "The preclinical results generated to date are extremely compelling, demonstrating the potential power and broad applications of this technology not only in human therapeutics and prophylaxis but also animal health and food safety."