Tides Express | Simnova and Orna Expand Strategic Collaboration to Advance BCMA-Targeted RNA-Based In Vivo Cell Therapy

Jan 20, 2025 09:20 CST Updated 09:20

Simnova

Innovative Cell Therapy Product Developer

｜Edited by the Content Team of Zhong肽 Biochemical

January 202515Day，Orna Therapeutics (“Orna”) and Shanghai Simnova Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (“Simnova”) announced an expansion of their strategic collaboration, designating BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen) as the specified biological target for RNA-based therapy development. This collaboration leverages Orna’s groundbreaking circular RNA (oRNA®) technology and Simnova’s expertise in cell therapy to deliver transformative treatments to patients worldwide.

According to the agreement, Simnova will lead the research, development, and commercialization of the in vivo panCAR cell therapy targeting BCMA in Greater China, while Orna will retain all development and commercialization rights in the rest of the world. Both parties are entitled to receive upfront payments within their respective licensed territories and are eligible for clinical development, regulatory, and commercialization milestones, as well as royalties on any approved products arising from the collaboration.

As early as January 2023, Simnova and Orna announced a collaboration agreement.Simnova has obtained certain projects of Orna's breakthrough isCAR technology in the Greater China region, including Orna’s leading anti-CD19 in situ CAR (isCAR) project, ORN-101. In addition, Orna will conduct Investigator-Initiated Trials (IIT) in China to accelerate clinical validation in the country.

Ansbert Gadicke, M.D., Chairman of Orna and Managing Partner of MPM BioImpact, stated: "We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Simnova to bring the in vivo BCMA panCAR therapy to patients with multiple myeloma. Orna's panCAR approach has the potential to introduce a new class of in vivo CAR therapies, overcoming the limitations of current ex vivo cell therapies. The exciting preclinical and non-human primate data generated by Orna continue to reinforce our commitment to this field. We look forward to advancing our program into the clinic."

Dr. Zhuoxiao Cao, CEO of Simnova, added: "Our joint dedication to advancing immunotherapy and cancer treatment opens new opportunities to address unmet medical needs through the development of BCMA-targeted therapies."

AboutOrna

Orna Therapeutics is committed to designing and delivering a new type of fully engineered circular RNA (oRNA®) therapy to unlock the potential of RNA medicine for treating diseases throughout the body. Orna's circular RNA transcripts...Compared with traditional mRNA methods, it has advantages such as simplified production, improved lipid nanoparticle formulation, and superior protein expression. Its industry-leading LNP-based delivery system and comprehensive editing programs enable Orna to advance innovative RNA therapeutics with great potential to transform patient care.

AboutSimnova

Simnova is committed to bringing innovative cell therapy products to cancer and autoimmune patients. Simnova has a rich R&D pipeline and holds technical advantages in its proprietary universal off-the-shelf CAR-NK and BiTE CAR-T programs, both of which are currently in clinical development.