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Leap is developing novel drugs to change the practice of cancer medicine
At LAVA, we are focused on applying our expertise in gamma-delta T-cell engagers (TCEs) to transform cancer therapy. We refer to our compounds as gamma-delta bispecific T-cell engagers, or gamma-delta bsTCEs. Our platform generates therapeutics that specifically activate a unique and relatively abundant effector gamma-delta T-cell subset called Vγ9Vδ2 (Vgamma9-Vdelta2) T-cells that have the ability to trigger activity of immune cells of both the innate and adaptive immune system. Our gamma-delta bsTCEs have demonstrated superior efficacy and safety profiles compared to other bsTCE approaches in preclinical studies and show preferential activity against tumor cells thereby potentially limiting toxicity in healthy tissue. To date, we are the only company developing bispecific gamma-delta T-cell engaging antibodies for the treatment of cancer. We are building a pipeline of gamma-delta bsTCEs that have applications in both solid and hematologic malignancies. Our lead program, LAVA-051, targets the tumor specific antigen CD1d, which can be overexpressed in multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), among other tumor types. LAVA-051 will enter a Phase I/IIa study in 1Q21.
Noredol is a Cincinnati, OH-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
Astex Pharmaceuticals is a Dublin, CA-based company in the Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, and Biotech sector.
PaxVax is a privately held, fully integrated vaccine company, based in Redwood City, California, USA. Established in 2007, in response to the global threat of the H5N1 pandemic, our founders set out to develop and commercialize an innovative vaccine technology in a socially responsible manner for global impact. Our founding principles were to enable geographically distributed manufacturing of affordable, self-administered oral vaccines against infectious diseases such as influenza. Since then, we have expanded our capabilities and technologies to address unmet vaccine needs against endemic diseases in developing countries, for travelers to disease-laden areas and in biodefense. Our clinical stage portfolio today includes vaccine candidates for cholera, avian influenza (H5N1), anthrax, and HIV. We are committed to providing both attractive financial returns and social returns, without a significant trade-off between the two. As a double bottom line business, we will measure our financial success in terms of return on equity and we will assess our social returns by access to our vaccines globally, particularly to the poor and otherwise disenfranchised. We strive to develop and deliver vaccines that are affordable and deliverable anywhere in the world regardless of the state of medical infrastructure or supply chains. We utilize investment capital as well as R&D grants and contracts to fund the development of our vaccines. We exploit the inherent synergies in our proprietary oral vaccine technology platform to research and develop multiple vaccine candidates in a timely and capital efficient manner. We strive to make an impact on infectious disease morbidity and mortality throughout the world and on the global vaccine industry through our successes. To date, we have raised more than $75 million (USD) from investors including Ignition Ventures, Ignition Growth and the Wellcome Trust. We are supported by R&D grants and contracts from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) through both its National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Division of AIDS (DAIDS) as well as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Our most advanced vaccine is a single dose oral cholera vaccine, which entered final or Phase III clinical trials, and whose study should be completed in 2014. Following this candidate is a vaccine ready for Phase II (Pandemic Influenza), two caccines in current Phase I studies (HIV and anthrax), and multiple candidates in preclinical research (HSV, dengue, malaria). PaxVax is headquartered in Redwood City, California and is incorporated in Delaware. Our laboratory and manufacturing facilities and the majority of our 80 employees are located in San Diego, California.