NanoValent Pharmaceuticals Announces Exclusive Global Licensing Agreement with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Completion of First Wave of Financing
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 10, 2017 -- NanoValent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a development-stage cancer-focused pharmaceutical company advancing targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapeutics, today confirmed licensing rights that give it exclusive global access to all uses of targeted HPLN (Hybrid Polymerized Liposomal Nanoparticle), a technology developed in collaboration with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Additionally, an initial wave of financing from management and angel investors has placed the company in position to engage commercial manufacturers in preparation for Investigational New Drug (IND) / Biologics Licensing Application (BLA) preclinical studies.
“Having collaborated so closely with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to achieve scientific validation of our platform technology, the completion of this agreement moves us towards the clinical phase of development with our lead candidate NV103 (irinotecan-anti-CD99) for patients with Ewing sarcoma,” said Timothy Enns CEO of NanoValent.
NanoValent’s HPLN-based ADC platform promises to be able to provide a wide variety of therapeutic applications to improve care for pediatric and adult cancer patients. “The company’s approach to targeted therapeutics should increase the potency of current and emerging therapies and has the potential to impact outcomes for relapsed cancer patients such as individuals with Ewing sarcoma,” said Timothy Triche, MD, PhD, co-founder of NanoValent and co-director of the Center for Personalized Medicine at CHLA. “We are pleased that our collaboration is progressing and getting closer to moving our science into the clinic and hopefully improving outcomes for patients with cancer.”
NanoValent has also completed a convertible note financing to enable the initiation of contract manufacturing. The financing combined both external angel investors and new management investment. “This financing has allowed us to engage external manufacturers; laying the foundation for formal IND/BLA studies and enabling the Company to initiate clinical trials in 2019,” added Enns. “Once NV103 is clinically validated in Ewing sarcoma, we will explore additional indications in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate cancer and neuroendocrine tumors as well as advancing other developmental candidates.”
NanoValent will continue to work with Dr. Triche to use the pre-clinical capabilities available at The Saban Research Institute. The licensing agreement provides for CHLA to receive additional milestones and royalty payments relating to products commercialized by NanoValent or its partners.
About NanoValent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
NanoValent Pharmaceuticals, Inc., founded in 2006, is a privately-held company focused on the development and commercialization of a truly targeted, nanoparticle-based, antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology. Funding has come from direct management investment and significant grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Cancer Institute and the Montana Chamber of Commerce. The platform technology utilizes a next generation Hybrid Polymerized Liposomal Nanoparticle (HPLN) targeted with specific human antibodies and loaded with therapeutic anticancer agents. Working in close collaboration with Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, NanoValent has focused scientific validation in Ewing sarcoma and leukemias, but will be working to expand this approach to other areas of high unmet clinical need.
The company’s proprietary platform technology is a novel, effective method of targeting and delivering specific therapeutics. The flexibility of payload drug and targeting has been validated pre-clinically with a variety of targeting agents and can potentially be used to create additional novel therapeutic or diagnostic agents. NanoValent’s leading drug candidates, including NV101 (doxorubicin-anti-CD99), NV102 (doxorubicin-anti-CD19) and NV103 (irinotecan-anti-CD99), are preparing for phase I clinical trials with initial validating programs in Ewing sarcoma and expansion into hepatocellular carcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). For more information, visit nanovalent.com.
About Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been ranked the top children’s hospital in California and sixth in the nation for clinical excellence with its selection to the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll. CHLA is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. Children’s Hospital is also one of America's premier teaching hospitals through its affiliation with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932. For more information, visit CHLA.org.
Timothy Enns, NanoValent Pharmaceuticals, Inc, http://www.nanovalent.com, +1 925-719-2143, [email protected]
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