- Valerio Therapeutics acquires Emglev Therapeutics, a
single-domain antibody-based therapeutics company
- The transaction was completed on September 29, 2024, enabling
the acquisition of Emglev’s unique proprietary platform of fully
synthetic single domain antibodies (sdAbs)
- Valour Bio, a subsidiary of Valerio Therapeutics, is being
established to focus on discovering sdAbs as drug and radio
conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers, blocking and binding sdAbs,
or CAR-T sdAbs as drug candidates for multiple therapeutic areas
including but not limited to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
as well as cancers
Regulatory News:
Valerio Therapeutics S.A. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALVIO),
a clinical-stage biotechnology company leading the way in the
development of innovative DNA Decoy therapeutics, today announced
the acquisition of Emglev Therapeutics, a spinoff of Institut
Curie, one of France's leading cancer centers.
Valour Bio has been established as a wholly owned subsidiary of
Valerio Therapeutics to focus on discovering single domain
antibodies (sdAbs) as drug and radio conjugates, bispecific T-cell
engagers, blocking and binding sdAbs, or CAR-T sdAb drug candidates
for multiple therapeutic areas.
Emglev’s proprietary synthetic sdAb libraries overcome the
current barriers of conventional antibody discovery by providing
unique targets and selecting humanized or fully human sdAbs
entirely in vitro. These sdAbs are validated for a wide array of
therapeutic applications, offering a distinct advantage in antibody
development.
Animal free sdAb screening strategies exploit highly diverse
synthetic libraries and functional screening, enabling the
identification of validated lead binders in less than two months.
Since Emglev’s antibody scaffold is already humanized or derived
from human variable region of the heavy chain (VH), there is no
need for further humanization, thereby streamlining the development
process and reducing the risk of immunogenicity and loss of
affinity.
Emglev’s sdAb technology has broad applications in several
therapeutic areas such as inflammatory disorders, autoimmune
diseases and cancer, but it also allows for the development of
various treatment modalities including sdAb drug and
radio-conjugates, bispecific T-cell engagers, blocking and binding
sdAb or CAR-T sdAb drugs to name a few. Pre-clinical
proof-of-concept of the sdAb technology has been obtained using
CAR-T sdAb, BiTE sdAb and sdAb-drug conjugate, highlighting the
ability of Emglev to rapidly and efficiently discover tailored
antibody fragments with enhanced properties. Added to the expertise
brought by Valerio Therapeutics, this positions Valour Bio with a
versatile and promising platform for developing new best-in-class
or first-in-class therapies for a wide range of diseases.
The acquisition is structured through a sale of shares paid in
cash and a contribution in kind of Emglev shares against Valour Bio
shares. As a result, shareholders of Emglev became shareholders of
Valour Bio.
Dr. Shefali Agarwal, President & Chief Executive
Officer of Valerio Therapeutics and CEO of Valour Bio, stated:
“The acquisition of Emglev Therapeutics through our newly formed
subsidiary Valour Bio reinforces our commitment to bring innovative
therapeutics to patients. We are excited to advance this
next-generation technology developed by the accomplished scientists
at Emglev and we look forward to the novel treatments this platform
may yield like sdAb drug and radio -conjugates, bispecific T-cell
engagers, blocking and binding sdAb or CAR-T sdAb drugs.
Furthermore, we believe that the versatility of this platform can
not only target a wide array of antigens but potentially address
current limitations of antibody-based therapeutics such as tissue
penetration, immunogenicity and ease of manufacturing. Following
this acquisition, Valour Bio will focus on optimizing the
therapeutic use of single-domain antibodies, focusing on developing
treatments for severe and life-threatening diseases, including but
not limited to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases as well as
cancers.”
Christelle Masdeu, CEO of Emglev Therapeutics,
commented:
“We are excited to enter into this joint effort with Valerio
Therapeutics. As a shareholder of Valour Bio now holding the Emglev
platform, we remain committed to investing our energy, expertise
and passion to develop unique treatments addressing unmet medical
needs. The synergy created by combining Emglev’s proprietary
synthetic single-domain antibody platform with Valerio’s
distinctive preclinical and clinical development expertise
perfectly aligns with our mission to deliver transformative
therapies that make a meaningful difference in patients'
lives.”
Dr. Sandrine Moutel, Emglev’s co-founder and head of the
Antibody facility at Institut Curie and Dr. Franck Perez,
Emglev’s co-founder and a member of its scientific board, director
of the Cell Biology and Cancer Unit at Institut Curie, stated
jointly:
“As founding members of Emglev, we are delighted to enter into
this agreement which represents the culmination of tireless work by
a dedicated team of scientists. Our team has created a platform
that can generate therapeutics including CAR-Ts, T-cell engagers,
binders, and bispecifics sdAbs demonstrating wide and versatile
applicability to many diseases. This new chapter allows us to bring
our vision of single-domain antibodies one step closer to the
clinic and we are looking forward to beginning this journey with
Valerio Therapeutics.”
Cécile Campagne, Director of Institut Curie’s Technology
Transfer Office, declared:
“We are proud of the path taken by Emglev Therapeutics, a
start-up that has emerged from Institut Curie's incubation program,
which is moving forward at full speed! The acquisition of Emglev,
less than two years after its creation, by Valour Bio, a subsidiary
of Valerio Therapeutics which is a listed company, reflects the
quality of Institut Curie’s innovations and the importance of
putting them at the service of the creation of companies that will
bring these cutting-edge technologies to all patients.”
To this end, Valerio Therapeutics will provide Valour Bio with
services in terms of scientific know-how in drug development,
company support and equipment against financial compensation.
Given the potential of the technology and depth of the market
potential, Valour Bio is confident that it will find the needed
financial resources to support the company’s growth. The
acquisition and operation of Emglev will enable new scientific and
financial synergies to be created within the Valerio Group, with
the first benefits for Valerio Therapeutics and Valour Bio expected
to materialize in Q1 2025.
About Valour Bio
Valour Bio is a discovery stage biotechnology company
established through acquisition of Emglev’s unique proprietary
single-domain antibody platform in September 2024. Valour Bio was
established as a subsidiary of Valerio Therapeutics.
Through pioneering science, strategic partnerships, and an
unwavering commitment to enhancing patient outcomes, we strive to
deliver hope and advance healthcare for those who need it most.
For further information, please visit valourbio.com
About Valerio Therapeutics
Valerio Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology
company developing innovative oncology drugs targeting tumor
DNA-binding functions through unique mechanisms of action in the
sought-after field of DNA Damage Response (DDR). The Company is
focused on bringing early-stage first-in-class or disruptive
compounds from translational research to clinical proof-of-concept,
a value-creating inflection point appealing to potential
partners.
For further information, please visit valeriotx.com
About Emglev Therapeutics
Emglev Therapeutics is a biotechnology company
established in 2023 as a spin-off of Institut Curie dedicated to
the discovery and the development of transformative immunotherapies
to address unmet medical needs in oncology.
By leveraging its unique proprietary platform, the Company
unlocks the current barriers of conventional antibody discovery to
provide unique targets and sdAbs selected fully in vitro and
validated for therapeutic applications in any format against any
target. The Company is focused on the development the next level of
immunotherapies for the benefit of all the patients with high unmet
needs.
For further information, please visit
www.emglev-tx.com
Forward looking statements
This communication expressly or implicitly contains certain
forward-looking statements concerning Valerio Therapeutics and its
business. Such statements involve certain known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors, which could cause the actual
results, financial condition, performance or achievements of
Valerio Therapeutics to be materially different from any future
results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. Valerio Therapeutics is providing this
communication as of this date and does not undertake to update any
forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. For a discussion of risks
and uncertainties which could cause actual results, financial
condition, performance or achievements of Valerio Therapeutics to
differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements,
please refer to the risk factors described in the most recent
Company’s annual report or in any other periodic financial report
and in any other press release, which are available free of charge
on the websites of the Company Group (https://valeriotx.com/)
and/or the AMF (www.amf-france.org).
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Valerio Therapeutics Investor Relations ir@valeriotx.com
France: +33 (0) 1 70 38 33 99 U.S.: +1 617 366 1022
Valour Bio Investor Relations ir@valourbio.com
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