US-based biotechnology company Nona Biosciences has signed a collaboration agreement with Alaya.bio to advance the development of CAR-T cell therapies.
Alaya.bio is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel CAR-T therapies.
The collaboration aims to target and reprogramme cells in situ, to significantly simplify the development, manufacturing and administering of CAR-T cell therapies.
Under the first phase of the collaboration, Nona Bio will provide Alaya.bio with access to antibodies against multiple targets as potential targeting moieties for Alaya.bio’s in-vivo CAR programme.
In the second phase, Alaya.bio will nominate one or more binders that will be conjugated onto their polymeric nanoparticles in a site-specific manner.
In addition, Alaya.bio will use Nona Bio’s site-specific conjugation technology to advance its CAR product candidate towards clinics.
Nona Biosciences chairman Jingsong Wang said: “By combining Nona’s industry-leading technology and expertise with Alaya.bio’s innovative in situ polymeric delivery platform, we look forward to introducing more promising CAR-T therapies to patients worldwide.”
Alaya.bio CEO and co-founder Renaud Vaillant said: “The quality of the targeting agents that we graft onto our polymeric nanoparticle ensures the efficacy and safety of our technology.
“With Nona Biosciences, we have identified promising new-generation candidates that clearly differentiate from what exists and from what has been used by others.”
The collaboration aims to leverage Nona Bio’s unique HCAb platform and its newly introduced site-specific conjugation technology, along with Alaya.bio’s polymeric in situ delivery platform.
Nona Bio’s fully human HCAbs are advanced antibody discovery with their compact size, simplified structure, and precisely calibrated binding properties.
Unlike traditional methods that use non-specific conjugation technology, Nona Bio’s novel site-specific conjugation technology preserves the antibody’s binding and function.
The technology also enhances the specificity of Alaya.bio’s novel polymeric delivery systems while reinforcing the versatility of the platform.
Earlier this year, Nona Bio signed a license agreement with British drugmaker AstraZeneca for preclinical monoclonal antibodies to develop targeted therapies in oncology.
