LOS ANGELES, Jan. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ACELYRIN, INC., a late-stage clinical biopharma company focused on accelerating the development and delivery of transformative medicines in immunology, today announced the acquisition of ValenzaBio, a privately held company developing therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, in an all-stock transaction. The acquisition of ValenzaBio adds multiple clinical and pre-clinical development programs to ACELYRIN's robust immunology pipeline, which is led by izokibep, a small therapeutic protein inhibitor of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) designed to overcome the limitations of monoclonal antibodies.
The new project is a continuation of successfully completed cell line development work that utilized ProBioGen's proprietary technologies. The new program includes upstream and downstream process development and large-scale GMP production. In addition, ProBioGen's cell and tissue services department will develop several cell-based bioassays to thoroughly characterize the molecule. Under the previous license agreement, ProBioGen is eligible to receive milestone payments. Further financial details were not disclosed.
BETHESDA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ValenzaBio, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics for autoimmune and inflammatory indications, today announced that its investigational new drug (IND) application for its lead drug candidate, VB421, for the treatment of thyroid eye disease (TED), has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical evaluation. VB421 is a potential best-in-class mAb targeting IGF-1R, which plays a central role in the pathogenesis of TED.
BETHESDA, Md. & PANGYO, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ValenzaBio, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company developing monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapeutics for autoimmune and inflammatory indications, and Novelty Nobility Inc, a biotechnology company specializing in the design, discovery, optimization, and early stage development of next generation antibodies, today announced an exclusive worldwide license agreement for the development and commercialization of VB517, a potentially best-in-class anti-c-KIT mAb for mast cell-driven autoimmune diseases. c-KIT is a receptor tyrosine kinase critical to the survival and activation of mast cells. Blocking c-KIT has been shown to reduce mast cell degranulation and induce mast cell depletion in clinical studies. VB517 is a fully human mAb with low-picomolar affinity for c-KIT and has demonstrated potent suppression of human mast cell activation in preclinical models. ValenzaBio plans to initiate clinical studies of VB517 in 2023.
ProBioGen and ValenzaBio have initiated a cell line development project involving the application of ProBioGen's GlymaxX technology.
Lonza and ValenzaBio Enter Manufacturing Agreement to Rapidly Advance VB421