TIDMPRTC
RNS Number : 5859X
PureTech Health PLC
09 May 2016
PureTech Teams with Siddhartha Mukherjee to Launch Vor BioPharma
to Advance Novel Targeting Platform to Expand Applicability of CAR
T-Cell Immunotherapies in Immuno-Oncology
Joseph Bolen, Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, Dan Littman and Derrick J.
Rossi support development of novel immunotherapies pipeline
Boston, Massachusetts, May 9, 2016 - PureTech Health plc
("PureTech," LSE: PRTC) today announced the launch of Vor
BioPharma, an immuno-oncology company dedicated to developing a new
class of targeted cell therapies. The company, which is advancing a
novel approach to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy,
has licensed its core technology from the lab of Vor scientific
co-founder, Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor
of Medicine at Columbia University and Pulitzer Prize-winning
author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.
"CAR T-cell therapies have shown remarkable progress in the
clinic, yet their applicability beyond a small subset of cancers is
currently very limited," said Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, M.D., Ph.D., Vor
Scientific Advisory Board Member, Professor of Radiology and
Bioengineering, Chair of the Department of Radiology, Director of
the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection and Director of the
Molecular Imaging Program at Stanford University. "This technology
seeks to address bottlenecks that prevent CAR T-cell therapy from
becoming more broadly useful in treating cancers outside of B-cell
cancers."
Researchers continue to make big advances in using the immune
system to fight cancer. CAR T-cell therapy, which modifies the
body's own immune cells (T-cells) to recognise and kill cancer
cells, has emerged as a promising therapy for patients with
advanced B-cell leukaemias. These approaches have focused on
targeting markers that are present on all B-cells, both healthy and
cancerous. While the body can safely function without B-cells,
using CAR T-cell therapy to treat other cancers-which would involve
targeting cells necessary for survival-remains elusive.
Furthermore, CAR T-cell therapy has shown more limited results in
treating solid tumours. Vor is developing an entirely new approach
to CAR T-cell therapy that seeks to broaden its applicability in
other cancers, particularly those with limited therapeutic options,
by removing key barriers generated by current modalities.
"We continue to make great strides in developing new ways to
treat cancer using the body's immune system," said Dr. Mukherjee.
"The positive clinical response researchers have achieved with CAR
T-cell therapies in B-cell leukaemias has led to great interest
within the oncology community and is something we hope to achieve
in other cancers over time."
"PureTech is excited to be collaborating with Sid Mukherjee and
to have the support of a world-class team of immunologists and
oncologists," said David Steinberg, Executive Vice President of
PureTech Health and Co-Founder of Vor BioPharma. "We look forward
to advancing this technology that has the potential to expand
immuno-oncology to currently untreatable, fatal malignancies."
Leading oncologists and immunologists are supporting Vor in
developing its pipeline of novel immunotherapies. The company's
team of scientific founders and Scientific Advisory Board (SAB)
members includes:
-- Joseph Bolen, Ph.D. - Scientific Advisory Board member and
acting Chief Scientific Officer of Vor BioPharma and former
President and Chief Scientific Officer of Moderna Therapeutics. Dr.
Bolen has more than 30 years of industry and research experience
and has been at the forefront of cancer and immunology research. He
began his career at the NIH, where he contributed to the discovery
of a class of proteins known as tyrosine kinase oncogenes as key
regulators of the immune system. Dr. Bolen most recently oversaw
all aspects of research and development for Moderna. Previously, he
was Chief Scientific Officer and Global Head of Oncology Research
at Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company. Prior to joining
Millennium in 1999, Dr. Bolen held senior research and development
positions at Hoechst Marion Roussel, Schering-Plough, and
Bristol-Myers Squibb.
-- Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, M.D., Ph.D. - Professor of Radiology,
Materials Science & Engineering, and Bioengineering at Stanford
University, where he is also the Chair of the Department of
Radiology, Director of the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection
and Director of the Molecular Imaging Program. His research focuses
on interrogating cellular and molecular events in living subjects
through imaging and on the early detection of cancer. He is the
recipient of over $90m in NIH funding as the principal investigator
and served on the NCI Board of Scientific advisors for eight years.
Dr. Gambhir has received several awards including the Hounsfield
Medal, Tesla Medal, Holst Medal, and is an elected fellow of the
National Academy of Medicine, as well as the National Academy of
Inventors. He has co-founded several startups and is an advisor to
several large corporations and biotechnology startups.
-- Dan Littman, M.D., Ph.D. - Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Investigator and the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Professor of
Molecular Immunology and Professor of Pathology and Microbiology at
New York University (NYU) School of Medicine. Dr. Littman has made
numerous groundbreaking discoveries in the field of virology and
immunology, including identification and isolation of receptors
required for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) entry, molecular
mechanisms of immune cells that mediate autoimmunity and the role
of specific members of the gut microbiota in T-cell
differentiation. Dr. Littman is a Fellow of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences and is a Member of the National Academy of
Sciences. He was awarded the 2004 New York City Mayor's Award for
Excellence in Science and Technology.
-- Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., Ph.D. - Assistant Professor of
Medicine at Columbia University and oncologist. Dr. Mukherjee is
the author of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,
winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in general nonfiction, and The
Laws of Medicine. He has published distinguished articles in
numerous publications, including Nature, The New England Journal of
Medicine, Cell and The New York Times.
-- Derrick J. Rossi, Ph.D. - Associate Professor in the Stem
Cell and Regenerative Biology Department at Harvard Medical School
and Harvard University. Dr. Rossi is an investigator in the Program
in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital,
and is also a principal faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell
Institute. TIME Magazine cited Dr. Rossi's discovery of
modified-mRNA reprogramming as one of the top ten medical
breakthroughs of 2010. TIME Magazine also named Dr. Rossi as one of
"People Who Mattered" in 2010, and as one of the 100 Most
Influential People (Time 100) in 2011. Dr. Rossi co-founded Moderna
Therapeutics and Intellia Therapeutics.
About Vor BioPharma
Vor BioPharma is an immuno-oncology company dedicated to
developing a new class of targeted cell therapies to treat highly
fatal malignancies. The company is advancing a novel approach to
chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy that has the
potential to broaden its applicability and success rate in other
cancers. Co-founded by PureTech Health ("PureTech", LSE: PRTC), Vor
is working with some of the world's leading oncologists and
immunologists to develop a pipeline of potentially life-altering
immunotherapies that extend beyond what is possible with current
treatments.
PureTech Health plc (PRTC.L) owns approximately 91% of the
company on a diluted basis as of December 31, 2015. This
calculation includes issued and outstanding shares as well as
options to purchase shares and written commitments to issue shares
or options, but excludes unallocated shares authorised to be issued
pursuant to equity incentive plans.
About PureTech Health
PureTech Health (PureTech Health plc, PRTC.L) is a
cross-disciplinary healthcare company developing innovative
products that could improve the lives of billions of patients.
PureTech is focused on areas of growing scientific and technical
insights that it believes are at an important inflection point,
including the central nervous, gastro-intestinal and immune
systems, and the interactions and signaling between them. PureTech
has a pipeline of more than 30 programs and has approximately 20
clinical studies across its pipeline, targeting multi-billion
dollar market opportunities. PureTech's advanced programs include
five with human proof-of-concept and multiple with pivotal or
registration study readouts in the next two years. PureTech has
over 220 patents and patent applications. PureTech's leading team
and board, along with an advisory network of more than 60 expert
founder-scientists and advisors across multiple disciplines, gives
PureTech access to potentially ground-breaking science and
technological innovation. With healthcare undergoing major
transformation, PureTech believes it is well positioned to develop
and launch medicines for the 21st century. For more information,
visit www.puretechhealth.com and connect with us on Twitter.
Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains statements that are or may be
forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to the
company's future prospects, developments and strategies. The
forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and
are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results, performance and achievements to differ
materially from current expectations, including, but not limited
to, those risks and uncertainties described in the risk factors
included in the regulatory filings for PureTech Health plc. These
forward-looking statements are based on assumptions regarding the
present and future business strategies of the company and the
environment in which it will operate in the future. Each
forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date of this press
release. Except as required by law and regulatory requirements,
neither the company nor any other party intends to update or revise
these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise.
# # #
For further information please contact:
PureTech
Allison Mead, Associate Director,
Communications and Investor Relations +1 617 651 3156
FTI Consulting (Communications
adviser to PureTech)
Ben Atwell +44 (0) 20 3727
Matthew Cole 1000
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END
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