VolitionRx (NYSE-A:VNRX) Limited has inked a pair of research and development collaborations that will develop targeted, adoptive cell therapies to treat cancer and help advance a drug designed to treat solid and hematologic cancers.
First off, the company will collaborate with Xenetic Biosciences (NASDAQ:XBIO) Inc to evaluate the potential combination of Volition's Nu.Q NETs Test and Xenetic's DNase-Armored CAR T platform to develop proprietary adoptive cell therapies potentially targeting multiple types of solid cancers.
NETs, or Neutrophil Extracellular Traps, are “associated with poor patient outcomes in a range of diseases, such as COVID-19, sepsis and cancer,” Volition chief scientific officer Jake Micallef NETs said in a statement. “NETs are specifically implicated in metastatic cancer and removing them has been shown to prevent the spread of disease.”
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Volition's Nu.Q technology can specifically recognize and target epigenetically modified nucleosomes, while Xenetic's DNase-Armored CAR T platform is designed to enhance the function of CAR T cells within solid tumor microenvironments.
Under the terms of the deal, Volition will fund a research program and the two parties will share proceeds from the commercialization or licensing of any products arising from the collaboration.
Volition’s other R&D collaboration is with Salarius Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SLRX) Inc to advance rapid epigenetic profiling by using Volition’s Nu.Q technology to support further development of Salarius’ clinical-stage drug, seclidemstat.
Seclidemstat, is a novel oral, reversible, targeted LSD1 inhibitor that affects gene expression. It is currently in Phase 1/2 clinical studies for solid and hematologic cancers where LSD1 is implicated in disease progression.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Volition and believe its Nu.Q technology may provide valuable biomarker information as we seek to advance the development of seclidemstat in multiple clinical indications,” Salarius CEO David Arthur said in a separate statement. “Biomarkers allow for a noninvasive method for determining target engagement and potential drug activity in patients.”
Volition is primarily focused on human diagnostics and monitoring, but also has a subsidiary focused on animal diagnostics and monitoring. The company's research and development activities are centered in Belgium, with an innovation laboratory and an office in the US and additional offices in London and Singapore.
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