Myeloma Investment Fund Invests in KAHR to Explore Potential of KAHR's Lead Immunotherapy Drug Candidate for the Treatment of Multiple Myeloma
17 Nov 2022
ImmunotherapyPhase 1
MODI'IN, Israel, and NORWALK, Conn., Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KAHR, a clinical-stage biotech company developing a novel, bi-specific CD47x4-1BB targeting immunotherapy that activates innate and adaptive immunity to treat solid tumors and blood cancers, and the Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF), the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation's (MMRF) venture philanthropy subsidiary, today announced that the MIF has invested in KAHR to explore the potential of DSP107, KAHR's lead immunotherapy drug candidate, for the treatment of multiple myeloma.
"We are thrilled to partner with KAHR to help advance DSP107 as a potential drug candidate for multiple myeloma," said Peter Kosa, Ph.D., Managing Director of the Myeloma Investment Fund. "This investment reinforces our commitment to drive the development of the most innovative treatment approaches for myeloma patients."
"We are excited to have the Myeloma Investment Fund join our syndicate of investors," said Yaron Pereg, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of KAHR. "This vote of confidence helps us advance the clinical development of our lead product candidate, DSP107, which is being tested in multiple clinical studies for the benefit of patients who are non-responsive or refractory to existing therapies."
Together with the current investment, KAHR has raised a total of $59 million since June 2021 in private placements supported by aMoon Fund, Flerie Invest AB, Peregrine Ventures, BVF Partners LP, DAFNA Capital Management LLC, Consensus Business Group, Hadasit Bio Holdings Ltd (HBL), Mirae Asset, Shavit Capital, Pavilion Capital, Cancer Focus FundCancer Focus Fund and Remedii.
About DSP107
DSP107 is a dual-targeting fusion protein that activates innate and adaptive immunity by blocking CD47 on cancer cells and utilizing 4-1BB conditional co-stimulatory activation of T-cells. By binding both cancer cells and immune cells, DSP107 combines checkpoint inhibition with tumor localized immune cell activation to bolster anti tumor immunity. DSP107 binds to and inhibits CD47, an immune checkpoint protein overexpressed in many cancers that enables the tumor to evade immune recognition and attack by macrophages. Simultaneously, when anchored to the tumor, DSP107 binds 4-1BB, a co-stimulatory receptor expressed on T-cells, recruits them to the tumor microenvironment and stimulates their activation. These activities result in targeted macrophage and T-cell mediated immune activation and tumor destruction.
DSP107 has demonstrated an excellent safety profile, no binding to red blood cells, biological activity, and high disease control rates in a Phase I trial of patients with advanced solid tumors. DSP107 is also being tested in combination with Atezolizumab in a Phase I/II trial in patients with advanced solid tumors and in combination with standard of care therapies for relapsed/refractory AML and MDS patients in a Phase Ib study.
About KAHR
KAHR develops novel dual-targeting fusion protein therapeutics engineered to activate both the innate and the adaptive immune systems simultaneously and localize that response in the tumor microenvironment. KAHR's lead product candidate, DSP107, is a CD47x41BB targeting compound. DSP107 is being tested in a Phase I/II clinical trial in advanced solid tumors and a Phase Ib clinical trial in blood cancers. KAHR's preclinical pipeline includes DSP502, a PVRxPD-L1 targeting fusion protein, and DSP216, an HLA-GxCD47 targeting fusion protein. For more information, please visit https://kahrbio.com/
About the Multiple MyelomaMyeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
A pioneer in personalized medicine, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) seeks to find a cure for all multiple myeloma patients by relentlessly pursuing innovations that accelerate the development of personalized treatments for cancer. Founded in 1998 by Kathy Giusti, a multiple myeloma patient, and her twin sister Karen Andrews as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the MMRF has created the benchmark business model around cancer—from data to analytics to the clinic. The MMRF identifies barriers and then finds the solutions to overcome them, bringing in the best partners and aligning incentives in the industry to drive better outcomes for patients. Since its inception, the organization has collected thousands of samples and tissues, opened nearly 100 trials, helped bring more than 15 FDA-approved therapies to market, and built CoMMpass, the single largest genomic dataset in myeloma. Today, the MMRF is building on its legacy in genomics and is expanding into immunotherapy, as the combination of these two fields will be critical to making personalized medicine possible for all patients. The MMRF has raised more than $500 million and directs nearly 90% of the total funds to research and related programs. To learn more, visit www.themmrf.org.
About the Myeloma Investment Fund
The Myeloma Investment Fund (MIF) is a venture philanthropy fund that invests in promising companies, clinical assets, and technologies in oncology to drive the development of new therapies for multiple myeloma. The MIF collaborates closely with portfolio companies to help them advance multiple myeloma research. This evergreen fund is supported entirely by philanthropy; all profits will be reinvested back into research for more effective treatments until there is a cure for every patient. For more information, visit MyelomaInvestmentFund.org.
Contacts:
Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF)
C.J. Volpe
Director, MMRF Director of PR & Communications
203-652-0453
[email protected]
KAHR
Tsipi Haitovsky
KAHR
+972-52-598-9892
[email protected]
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