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The offer doesn't stop at Covid. Novartis opens up manufacturing ops to make Carisma’s CAR-M cell therapy
The pharma giant lent a hand to Pfizer and BioNTech last year, deploying fill-finish sites in Switzerland and Slovenia to support large-scale production of their mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.

CAR-M era begins as Carisma doses first patient
This time around, Novartis is reserving its cell and gene facility in Morris Plains, NJ for Carisma Therapeutics, whose HER2-targeted CAR-M cell therapy is being tested in initial trials for solid tumors.
Carisma will begin transferring its manufacturing process to Novartis in the coming days, the company said, and clinical manufacturing is slated to get underway in 2023.

Much like the CAR-T therapies that Novartis helped pioneer, CAR-M comprises a specific set of immune cells that are extracted from patients, engineered and then infused back to fight cancer. But instead of T cells, they are made of macrophages.

According to Novartis, it’s offering its capabilities to other companies to take over their manufacturing activities, and “further specifics will be disclosed when agreements are concluded.”

“As one of the world’s largest producers of medicines, Novartis can mobilize its manufacturing capacity in an efficient way on multiple fronts,” said Anton Gerdenitsch, whose title changed last October from site head at Tyrol, Austria to head of the contract manufacturing organization at Novartis Technical Operations.

Thought it has good read across to AVA6000 and why it is different and safer for the patient.
From “ CardiologyToday” this week:
Cancer-related treatment, such as chemotherapy with anthracycline antibiotics and/or radiotherapy, may be responsible for the increased incidence of CVD deaths among patients with cancer, especially if the heart is in the radiation field,” Enrui Liu, MD, of the National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, and colleagues wrote. “We performed a comprehensive analysis to investigate the association between radiotherapy and CVD deaths in patients with cancer. In addition, we compared the incidence of CVD deaths among patients with cancer who underwent radiotherapy with the incidence of CVD deaths in the general population.”

James Spicer ( on the Scientific Advisory Board of Avacta ) co founder of Epsilogen: Investment round led by Novartis Venture Fund!
Epsilogen Announces Completion of Oversubscribed £30.75 Million ($41.20 Million) Series B Financing
Financing led by Novartis Venture Fund and joined by new investors 3B Future Health Fund, British Patient Capital, Schroders Capital and Caribou Property alongside founding investor Epidarex Capital and ALSA Ventures
Proceeds from the round will fund continued clinical development of MOv18 IgE in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and will support further development of IgE-based antibody candidates to treat cancers

Scaling back free Covid tests could hinder UK if new variant strikes, say health chiefs

Agree, with the current market cap, AZN could set up and secure JV with Avacta, just by a quick trip down to the local cash point.
Precision oncology is taking off big time and are featuring at conferences etc.
With upcoming numbers about to be announced, present and future companies with base in Cambridge will be paying attention and act!

The arrival of US pharma’s on the UK Biotech scene is here to stay and like Moderna, they will set up research base here as well and get to work.
:
This longer-term outlook on dwindling internal innovation will push pharmas to seek biotech deals to fill pipeline holes in 2024 and beyond, said Glenn Hunzinger, U.S. pharmaceuticals and life sciences leader at PwC, in an interview. With that in mind, 2022 will be a “pretty buoyant year for M&A,” he said.
With a steady string of carve-outs, divestitures and spinouts in recent quarters, the pharma giants have freed up capital. That gives Hunzinger the confidence to say “any of the larger pharma companies” could execute on a $50 billion-plus deal this year, which is five times the largest deal seen in 2021: CSL’s $11.7 billion Vifor acquisition.

What is very clear among the majors, is the fact they are ready and want to talk now.
SVB virtual Healthcare conference will reflect that and more to come.
:
Biopharmas have $1.7 trillion to spend on deals this year, and big players like Novartis, Pfizer and Merck & Co. have made it pretty clear they’re on the hunt for acquisitions.

Merck might want Mirati. Novartis has put out a plea for small biotechs to swim toward its $154 billion pool. Pfizer is eyeing late-stage assets with a $175 billion hoard to help boost 2030 revenue by $25 billion. And Johnson & Johnson, with a new CEO at the helm, will be “more aggressive” with a $200 billion pile as the company sheds its consumer health unit.
After a slump in 2021, biopharma M&A is slated to pick up this year with an “innovation deficit” spurring shopping for new assets. Billions of dollars are obviously available for megadeals, and an endless sea of biotechs are giving shoppers a long list of options.

Meanwhile back in the world of testing.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/omicron-why-scientists-concerned-peter-friebe/

As mentioned deals stepping up a gear in the sector.
AffyXell JV will gain more traction!
The latest in Genome editing:

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., and GALWAY, Ireland and SAN DIEGO, Feb. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NTLA), a leading genome editing company focused on developing curative therapies leveraging CRISPR-based technologies, and ONK Therapeutics Ltd., an innovative company dedicated to developing optimally engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies to cure patients with cancer, today announced a licensing and collaboration agreement. NK cells are specialized, naturally occurring immune cells that play a critical role in immune activation against abnormal cells, including cancer cells. NK cells have gained significant attention in the field of cancer immunotherapy and various approaches are being explored to effectively develop and engineer NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy.

With upcoming results,milestone payments and future AVA6000 JV?s, one would not be surprised if a more visible and active Moderna and indeed Koreans would be featuring + Samsung Ventures are co investor in AffyXell
Momentum in the sector is picking up and plenty of M&A will feature, taking advantage of the setback in the Biotech sector!

Momentum in the Bio tech sector picking up and with several US Virtual Biotech conferences happening and being lined up,M&A commencing again, Avacta?s results will be excellent timing.

Worth remembering that the FDA commencing their US phase 1 trials on AVA6000, have access to the existing trials and results from the UK and therefore can start with a dose level of 120mg/m2 per patient and most likely achieve a fast track status.

Australia next in line :
Covid: Australians desperate for tests amid Omicron surge https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-59864428

100,000 just picked up at 48, Moderna is coming to town.

POINT Biopharma Provides Early-Stage Program Updates
Phase 1 therapeutic trial for PNT6555, the lead of the pan-cancer PNT2004 fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP-alpha) inhibitor program, planned for summer 2022

Initiated IND-enabling studies for next-generation actinium-225 radiolabeled PSMA targeted program, PNT2001, to support an IND/CTA filing expected H1 2023

February 14, 2022 – INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – POINT Biopharma Global Inc. (NASDAQ: PNT) (the “Company” or “POINT”), a company accelerating the discovery, development, and global access to life-changing radiopharmaceuticals, today provided progress updates on its early-stage programs, including the pan-cancer fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAP-alpha) inhibitor program PNT2004, and the next-generation actinium-225 PSMA targeted program PNT2001.
“One of the most exciting things about our early-stage programs is their potential to help a significantly greater number of patients.” said Dr. Joe McCann, CEO of POINT Biopharma. “Pan-cancer programs, such as PNT2004, could be the breakthrough which brings radiopharmaceuticals to a variety of high-volume indications, both as a monotherapy or in combination. The future is bright for radiopharmaceuticals, and we here at POINT are excited to lead the way in helping them reach their full potential.”

PNT2004 (FAP-alpha inhibitor): Initiation of a Phase 1 therapeutic dose-escalating clinical trial planned for summer 2022
POINT accelerated PNT2004’s therapeutic program after the compelling preclinical data for PNT2004’s lead candidate PNT6555 was first announced in Q4 2021. The Company recently completed a pre-CTA (Clinical Trial Application) meeting with Health Canada regarding the development pathway and clinical study design for the upcoming Phase 1 trial, and expects to file a CTA with Health Canada at the end of Q1 2022.
The clinical trial is expected to commence in summer 2022 in Canada and will use a gallium-68 (Ga-68)-based PNT6555 molecular imaging agent to select patients to receive a no-carrier-added (n.c.a.) lutetium-177 (Lu-177)-based PNT6555 therapeutic agent. Additional preclinical studies in syngeneic and PDX models for monotherapy and combination treatment are in development and include other therapeutic isotopes such as actinium-225 (Ac-225).

PNT2001 (Next generation PSMA): IND-enabling studies with actinium-225 planned for 2022, IND/CTA filing expected H1 2023
The PNT2001 program leverages linker technology that promotes increased tumor accumulation. Pre-clinical studies of PNT2001 have resulted in the identification of a lead candidate which, as compared to late-stage PSMA ligands, demonstrates potent anti-tumor activity using Ac-225, while also having an improved safety profile. The Company has advanced the lead candidate into IND-enabling studies which are expected to support an IND/CTA submission in H1 2023. The clinical development pathway being considered for PNT2001 is in recurrent hormone-sensitive

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/nz-covid-outbreak-nothing-ve-050008588.html

https://www.france24.com/en/asia-pacific/20220212-hong-kong-reports-record-covid-cases-seeks-china-s-support

With Avacta?s upcoming licence deal payments and any upcoming AVA6000 licence deals later this summer, that could total more than current market cap of the company!

The Dark Horse: Moderna !! They extended their work with Avacta

One licence deal in the oncology area will be worth much more than current market cap!