Surface Oncology, an immuno-oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies that target the tumor microenvironment, will present preclinical data on its CD47 program at the 58th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting. The data demonstrate that SRF231, a fully human CD47 antibody, induces robust tumor cell phagocytosis and clearance, both alone and in combination with existing standard of care treatment.

 
“These data highlight the strong anti-tumor activity of SRF231 in hematological disease models,” said Vito Palombella, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Surface Oncology, “and further suggest that SRF231 has the potential to be the best-in-class CD47 antibody to help patients with a wide range of cancers.”

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Surface Oncology, an immuno-oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies that target the tumor microenvironment, will present preclinical data on SRF231, a fully human CD47 antibody, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) annual meeting. Results from preclinical studies demonstrate that SRF231 is efficacious in preclinical in vivo models through macrophage-mediated anti-tumor activity. SRF231 is the lead compound in the Company’s growing pipeline and the first option target in the strategic collaboration with Novartis under which Surface has the option to retain US development and commercial rights.

“SRF231 is the first clinical candidate in our pipeline of next-generation immunotherapies and will be entering clinical trials in 2017. The results highlight SRF231’s potential as a best-in-class antibody for hematological and solid tumors.” said Detlev Biniszkiewicz, PhD, President and CEO of Surface Oncology. “This is the first of many Surface programs targeting the tumor microenvironment that could result in lasting benefits for patients who do not respond to the first-generation of immunotherapies.”

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Turnstone Biologics Inc., a developer of novel oncolytic viral immunotherapies, today announced the completion of a $41.4 million series B financing led by new investor OrbiMed with participation from new investor F-Prime Capital Partners and existing investors FACIT and Versant Ventures, which led Turnstone’s series A financing.

This financing takes place less than a year from the series A that allowed the company to progress its lead asset through the initial Phase I/II trial to establish safety, maximum tolerated dose and initial evidence of immunological activity in patients with advanced solid and metastatic tumors. The series B will support completion of the ongoing Phase I/II trial, as well as fund three additional clinical programs that will start this year and next.

“We are taking a rapid and expansive approach to clinical development with the goals of exploiting the full potential of our platform and positioning it to most benefit patients,” said Turnstone CEO Sammy Farah, Ph.D. “There is reason to be excited about the heavily differentiated nature of our technology and the promising clinical results that have been generated to date.”

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Eywa Pharma Pte Ltd. (“Eywa” or “company”), a Singapore-based generic pharmaceutical company has today announced that Eight Roads Ventures India (the proprietary investment arm of FIL, Fidelity International Limited) , US-based F-Prime Capital Partners and Envestor Ventures Limited together with its affiliates (part of the Shriram Group, Chennai, India), have agreed to invest $30M in the company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Eywa was incorporated in 2015 with a vision to provide reliable and affordable generic pharmaceuticals for patients globally. The company has established subsidiaries in India, the US and the UK, and is currently building a portfolio of niche generic products for the US, UK and European markets. It has also established a state-of-the-art R&D centre in Chennai for development of finished dosage forms.

The company has been founded by S. Srinivasan and R. Jayakumar, both senior pharmaceutical executives with over two decades of international experience. Srinivasan was formerly the India CEO for the global pharmaceuticals major Mylan and held various senior roles with Mylan including being the Head of Global Emerging Markets. Before founding Eywa, Srinivasan was the Managing Director of Shriram Venture Limited, the holding entity for the various industrial businesses of the Chennai-based Shriram Group. Jayakumar served with Mylan across various international roles, including as Head of Global Business Development and Head of Regional Technical Operations for EMEA.

As part of the investment, Dr. Prem Pavoor, Partner at Eight Roads Ventures and Dr. Ketan Patel, Partner at F-Prime Capital Partners will join the board at Eywa. In addition, Mr. H.R. Srinivasan, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, TAKE Solutions Limited and Mr. D.V. Ravi, Managing Director, Shriram Capital Limited, will also join the board of the company, representing Envestor Ventures Limited.

Commenting on the transaction, S. Srinivasan, co-founder and Vice Chairman of Eywa Pharma said, “Eywa is ideally positioned to cater to the opportunities in the global generic pharmaceutical business, based on its focused approach on product selection, a strong relationship network and a motivated, empowered and dedicated team. We are excited at the opportunity of partnering with Eight Roads and the Shriram Group and are confident that their deep insight and knowledge in nurturing successful businesses will fuel Eywa’s growth prospects.”

“We remain excited about the generics pharmaceutical opportunity in the regulated US and European markets,” said Dr. Prem Pavoor, Partner at Eight Roads Ventures. “We believe that a team that brings a strong combination of product portfolio selection, supply chain and regulatory expertise will find success in these geographies, despite competition. Eight Roads Ventures looks forward to partnering with Srinivasan and Jayakumar in this phase of Eywa’s growth.”

About Eywa Pharma

Eywa is a global generic pharmaceutical company engaged in research and development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and distribution of generic finished dosage formulations.

A 15000 sq. ft. state of the art, world class lab for development of solid oral dosage forms has been established in Ticel Bio Park, Chennai, India. A portfolio of 15 products for the US, UK and European markets is under active development. The Company is well placed to develop and file ANDAs/MAs for a portfolio of 10-12 products on an annual basis.

About Eight Roads Ventures

Eight Roads Ventures India (ERVI, formerly known as Fidelity Growth Partners) is the proprietary investment arm of FIL, Fidelity International Limited. ERVI seeks to invest in high-quality, high-growth companies in India across a broad range of sectors. ERVI is committed to making the companies it invests in leaders in their industries through access to patient capital with a long term investment mindset, a powerful network of resources and a team of investment professionals with a proven track record of success. Eight Roads Ventures, Eight Roads, Fidelity, and Fidelity Growth Partners India are trademarks of FIL, Fidelity International Limited.

Akriveia Therapeutics LLC, an emerging immuno-oncology focused biotechnology company, today announced its recent $7.5 million Series A investment by F-Prime Capital Partners. Thomas Beck andBen Auspitz of F-Prime Capital Partners will join Akriveia’s Board of Directors alongside Akriveia’s Chief Executive Officer, Simon Tomlinson, with Dr. Beck becoming Chairman of the Board.

Akriveia Therapeutics is harnessing its proprietary platform to create immunotherapeutic products that are specifically activated in the microenvironment of the tumor. It is anticipated that this will substantially increase the utility of immuno-oncology agents and spare patients the treatment-limiting, debilitating and sometimes lethal side-effects of the current generation of immunotherapeutics.

The company also announced that it has entered into exclusive license agreements for key enabling technologies with City of Hope and Thomas Jefferson University.

 

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