Chengdu Haisco Pharma out-licensed global (ex-Greater China) rights for its dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1) inhibitor, a proposed therapy for bronchiectasis, to Chiesi Farmaceutici of Parmi, Italy. HSK31858 is an oral, highly selective small molecule DPP1 inhibitor developed by Haisco with the potential to be an anti-inflammatory agent in bronchiectasis.  Haisco is currently conducting a China Phase II trial of HSK31858 for the indication. Chiesi will have rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize HSK31858 outside greater China. The deal calls for an upfront payment, milestones and royalties, though specific amounts were not disclosed. More details....

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Suzhou Porton Advanced, a gene and cell therapy CDMO, formed a partnership with Chengdu’s Ascle Therapeutics to develop NK cells and gene and cell therapies for cancer prevention, beauty and anti-aging. Ascle’s lead candidate, ASC101, is a CAR-NK cell therapy that targets ROBO1, which it expects will have efficacy in 80% of solid tumors. In a preliminary IIT trial, ASC101 demonstrated a disease control rate of 76.5%. Ascle develops NK/CAR-NK anti-tumor immune cell therapy drugs. Porton Advanced will provide development, production and regulatory services for Ascle's NK cell project. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. More details....

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Boston’s Nona Biosciences, an antibody discovery CMO, will integrate GeneQuantum’s novel bioconjugate discovery platforms to advance discovery of next-generation bioconjugates. GeneQuantum, a Suzhou biotech, claims to be a pioneer in using enzymatic site-specific conjugation technology to develop ADC drugs. The company has developed the iLDC (intelligent Ligase-dependent Conjugation) and iGDC (intelligent Glycotransferase-dependent conjugation) platforms, which will be combined with Nona Biosciences' Harbour Mice® platform. Nona Biosciences is a wholly-owned subsidiary of HBM Holdings (HK: 02142) that offers integrated antibody discovery services from discovery to preclinical testing. More details....

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Legend Biotech (NASDAQ: LEGN), a New Jersey-Nanjing CAR-T biotech, partnered its DLL3 (delta-like ligand 3) CAR-T candidates to Novartis in a $1.2 billion agreement ($100 million upfront). Legend will start a US trial of LB2102 in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma. Novartis will own worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize the DLL3 group of cell therapies, and it may use its T-Charge™ platform to manufacture the candidates. In 2017, Legend, then a Genscript subsidiary headquartered in Nanjing, stunned the world when its BCMA CAR-T produced a better than 90% response in pretreated multiple myeloma patients. More details....

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Sirius Therapeutics filed to begin a first-in-human clinical trial in Australia of SRSD107, its next-gen siRNA therapy aimed at preventing and treating thromboembolic disorders. SRSD107 is a novel double-stranded small interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) that targets coagulation factor XI (FXI) mRNA and inhibits FXI protein expression, blocking the coagulation pathway and promoting anticoagulant/anti-thrombotic effects. In preclinical in vivo tests, a single subcutaneous dose showed near 100% reduction of FXI levels for up to six months without bleeding events. Founded in 2021, Sirius has a discovery center in San Diego and a translational medicine center in Shanghai. More details....

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