LifeSci NYC is driving investments in the biotech sector for New York City

LifeSci NYC is driving investments in the biotech sector for New York City.

Talent pool, technologies, academic centers—plus space, funding, and diversity. Together, these are the foundations of LifeSci NYC, the City’s initiative, led by New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), to carry out the billion-dollar investment and establish NYC as the global leader in life sciences. (Source)

Here are some up-and-coming biotechs in NY, NY:

In8bio– Their DeltEx platform has enabled a deep pipeline of preclinical and clinical product candidates, which are designed to effectively target and potentially eradicate disease, to improve patient outcomes.  Key elements of our approach to treating cancer include:

  • Advanced expertise in the manufacturing of ex-vivo, expanded, activated gamma-delta T cells
  • First-in-class proprietary gamma-delta T cell engineering for chemotherapy resistance
  • Advanced next-generation, closed-system, scalable, gamma-delta T cell manufacturing
  • Broad applicability of our engineered DeltEx cells across multiple solid tumor indications

Inspirna –  Using a novel discovery platform, RNA-DRIVEr™, developed by Inspirna’s founding scientists at Rockefeller University, and now exclusively licensed to Inspirna, we are developing first-in-class small molecule and biologic therapeutics that target cancer drivers in high unmet need oncology settings.​

Their current pipeline includes novel drug candidates for colorectal cancer (RGX-202) as well as small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (RGX-104).

Olatec – A privately held biopharmaceutical company developing a platform of safe, oral NLRP3 antagonist therapeutics, to treat and prevent a broad spectrum of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases that are known to be mediated by Interleukin-1 (IL-1), including: arthritis, heart failure, asthma, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, type-2 diabetes, melanoma and breast cancers, among others.
 
By selectively targeting NLRP3, the body’s first line response in the innate immune system, Olatec’s lead compound, dapansutrile (lab code: OLT1177®) inhibits the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL1β and IL18.  

Promontory Therapeutics is developing novel small molecule immunogenic anti-cancer agents. Our lead agent, PT-112, is a highly potent immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducer, currently in Phase 2 clinical development.

Tumors that originate in or metastasize to the bone are difficult to treat and may cause severe pain. This compromises quality of life and presents a drug development challenge.  PT-112’s pyrophosphate component has affinity for bone (osteotropism). This provides a rationale for addressing cancers, such as metastatic prostate, lung or breast cancer, and hematological malignancies, such as multiple myeloma.

Scopus Biopharma – Their lead development program is a novel, first-in-class, targeted immuno-oncology gene therapy for the treatment of multiple cancers. We have partnered with City of Hope for CpG-STAT3siRNA, or CO-sTiRNA™, a STAT3 inhibitor. In pre-clinical testing at City of Hope, CO-sTiRNA™ has successfully reduced growth and metastasis of various pre-clinical tumor models, including melanoma, and colon and bladder cancers, as well as leukemia and lymphoma. CO-sTiRNA™ is initially being developed for the treatment of B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

In collaboration with City of Hope, Phase 1 clinical trials for additional cancer indications are being contemplated for CO-sTiRNA™ in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors and chimeric antigen receptor T-cells, or CAR-Ts.