JPM 2022 Highlights
With JPM 2022 having finished up last week, new standout partnerships between promising biotech companies and profitable big pharma show that reciprocity between players in the biopharma industry is key to advancing pipelines for emerging therapeutic modalities in the cell and gene therapy space.
mRNA Partnerships
mRNA continues to be sought out as a solution to treating various diseases beyond vaccines, and various elements in mRNA technology – from lipid nanoparticles to manufacturing – are being pursued by multiple companies.
Since the unprecedented success of Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid vaccine rollout in 2020, the pharma has been adamantly researching how to apply its mRNA technology to new therapies. Pfizer revealed a partnership with Beam Therapeutics at JPM 2022, an alliance which may hold promise for treating rare genetic diseases of the liver, muscle, and central nervous system.
Beam specialises in base editing, which is a more precise gene-editing technique that can use mRNA as an intermediary (Pagliarulo, 2022). The $300M upfront from Pfizer will enable Beam to conduct research on three undisclosed disease targets. The partnership is mutually beneficial for the companies, allowing Pfizer to expand the application of its technology, while potentially earning Beam $1B in payments if all goes according to plan.
Emerging C>
Other partnerships focus on emerging therapeutic modalities in the cell and gene therapy space. This next generation research expands on the science of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) and NK cells, which numerous biotechs have been looking to harness as therapeutic interventions for cancer.
Carisma Therapeutics, based in Philadelphia, has developed a novel approach to treating cancer using the natural power of monocytes and macrophages to attack cancerous tumors. These natural immune cells are engineered to eat away at tumors and suppress their reoccurrence. Carisma’s disruptive science addresses several of the issues with current cell therapies, including overcoming the obstacle of tumor microenvironment and resistance to therapy.
At JPM 2022, Carisma announced its new partnership with Moderna. The Cambridge, Massachusetts company made famous for its COVID-19 mRNA vaccine will provide Carisma $45M upfront for research which aims to successfully combine its CAR-M technology with Moderna’s expertise in mRNA and lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology, to develop an in-vivo approach to CAR-M therapy.
Natural killer (NK) cell therapies have also proven to be a successful therapeutic intervention for chemotherapy-resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and tend to be well-tolerated by patients. Current NK cell therapies are administered using mature immune cells extracted from the patient. At JPM 2022, Bristol Myers Squibb and Century Therapeutics announced their partnership, which will advance a next generation approach to NK cell therapy using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). The agreement allows Century to develop up to four iPSC-derived programs for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors, using genetically engineered NK (iNK) or T (iT) cells.
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global leader in hematology and oncology, profoundly boosting the odds of success for Century’s iPSC platform. In a press release, Century’s CEO Lalo Flores explained that the partnership gives Century access to BMS’s extensive clinical development and scientific expertise and increases odds that the programs will be technically successful. The partnership will also provide greater exposure for Century’s platforms through BMS’s extensive reach in the biopharma space.
The Importance of Partnerships
To say the biotech market ended 2021 on a low note is an understatement. Just because a market generates interest from investors does not give it value. It’s encouraging to see 2022 starting strong with partnerships and acquisition between big pharma companies and smaller biotechs, so the innovation coming out of biotech companies has a chance at playing out as viable therapeutic options for the patients who need these therapies.
Understanding what it takes to facilitate successful partnerships is nuanced knowledge our executive search consultants specialize in at BayBridge. If your company is in need of a Chief Business or Development Officer, please reach out to one of our expert consultants today.
References
Pagliarulo, N. (10 January 2022). Pfizer expands into gene editing with Beam research deal. Biopharma Dive. https://www.biopharmadive.com/news/pfizer-beam-gene-base-editing-deal-mrna/616866/
