Nanjing Triastek, a company that uses 3D printing to manufacture pharmaceuticals, will develop oral RNA therapeutics with Germany’s BioNTech based on its 3D printing technology. Triastek will receive a $10 million upfront payment and up to $1.2 billion in milestones, plus royalties. Triastek uses its 3D technology to improve delivery of RNA therapeutics across the gastrointestinal mucosa, minimizing premature degradation and delivering RNA therapeutics to the gastrointestinal track areas with the greatest absorption. The collaboration aims to provide groundbreaking therapies that address unmet medical needs in an easy-to-administer oral formulation. More details....

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San Diego’s Artiva Bio raised $167 million in a NASDAQ IPO to support clinical trials of its cell therapy portfolio. Artiva was spun out of South Korea’s GC Cell and has global rights (ex-Asia, Australia and New Zeeland) to GC Cell’s portfolio. The IPO was priced at $12 per share, lower than the expected $14-$16 range, but Artiva upped the number of shares in the IPO. Founded in 2019, Artiva develops natural killer (NK) cells that are developed from cord blood, making them allogeneic, unlike CAR-T therapies that are derived from a patient’s own cells. More details....

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IASO Bio announced a plan to acquire Innovent’s share of the rights to their jointly developed BCMA CAR-T therapy in exchange for an 18% share of IASO. One year ago, China approved Fucaso® (Equecabtagene Autoleucel) as a fourth-line therapy for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients. IASO will have all global commercial rights to Fucaso®, including intellectual property rights, and will responsible for developing, manufacturing and commercializing the CAR-T, while Innovent will become a strategic shareholder of IASO Bio. Innovent said the agreement will lead to other cooperative projects between the companies. More details....

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Wuhan iRegene was approved to begin US trials of its novel chemically induced allogeneic cell therapy product as a treatment for Parkinson's Disease. iRegene’s technology is based on “AI + chemical induction" to modify cells. Using its platform, that company has developed a pipeline of universal iPSC derived cell products aimed at treating currently incurable diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease and blindness. In a similar Phase I trial conducted in China, iRegene’s NouvNeu001 produced favorable safety and efficacy data. The US trial will enroll Parkinson patients with mid-to-late state disease. More details....

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Two China RNA companies, Starna Therapeutics of Suzhou and Guangzhou’s Recorna Bio, will collaborate to discover novel therapies for lung diseases. The partnership will use Starna’s STAR LNP delivery technology platform together with Recorna’s MINIC RNA editing platform. Recorna’s technology enables flexible, reversible, multiple regulation of gene function and expression. Starna’s delivery platform will transmit candidates to the lungs while avoiding off-target risks of toxicity. Initially, the two companies will screen preclinical candidates. No financial details of the agreement were disclosed. More details....

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