Avenge Bio, Inc.

NATICK, Mass. and QUINCY, Mass., Nov. 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avenge Bio, Inc. ("Avenge" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company developing the LOCOcyte™ Immunotherapy platform for the precision administration of potent immune effector molecules to treat solid tumors, today announced Michael Heffernan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Piper Sandler 35th Annual Healthcare Conference in New York. In September 2023, Avenge Bio received FDA Fast Track designation for AVB-001. AVB-001 is an encapsulated cell product engineered to produce native human interleukin-2 (hIL-2) and is delivered intraperitoneally (IP) to patients. Avenge is currently enrolling patients in a First-in-Human, Phase 1/2, multicenter clinical trial (NCT05538624) designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AVB-001. The Company has advanced through multiple dose levels in a dose escalation cohort and expects to initiate a Phase 2 dose expansion trial in 1H 2024. Presentation Details: Date: Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Location: The Lotte New York Palace | Harlem Track | Kennedy 2, 4th Floor Time: 10:30-10:50 AM ET About LOCOcyte™ Platform Our LOCOcyte™ allogeneic cell-based immunotherapy platform enables potent localized modulation of the immune system which also precipitates a systemic immune response, allowing us to treat previously intractable cancers. The technology leverage three unique advantages: Potent immune effector molecules are generated by synthetically engineering allogeneic cells creating a ready-to-use therapy, Therapy is localized in proximity to the primary tumor site and generates innate and adaptive immune response, and The immunomodulator trains the patient's immune system generating a robust immune response that seeks and eradicates distal metastasis without systemic toxicity. About Avenge Bio Avenge Bio, Inc. ("Avenge") is an oncology-focused biotechnology company developing transformative cell-based immunotherapeutic products for the treatment of intractable solid tumors by incorporating its LOCOcyte™ platform. The LOCOcyte™ platform leverages proprietary engineered cells delivered to the local tumor environment that generate high concentrations of immune effector molecules in proximity to the tumor. This initiates a robust, local, and durable systemic immune response while avoiding toxicities associated with systemic immunotherapies. Avenge's most advanced product candidate, AVB-001, produces native IL-2 immunotherapy and is initially being studied in metastatic peritoneal cancers such as ovarian cancer. Avenge has additional pipeline candidates for the treatment of a wide range of cancers including pancreatic, lung and breast cancers. Avenge was founded in 2019 base upon technology developed in the laboratory of Omid Veiseh, Ph.D. and has an exclusive license from Rice University for this technology. To learn more about Avenge visit: and follow us on LinkedIn , X, or Instagram. SOURCE Avenge Bio, Inc.

NATICK, Mass. and QUINCY, Mass., Oct. 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Avenge Bio, Inc. ("Avenge" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company developing the LOCOcyte™ Immunotherapy platform for the precision administration of potent immune effector molecules to treat solid tumors, today announced their poster presentation at the Society of Immunotherapy of Cancer 38th Annual Meeting (SITC 2023) on November 1-5, 2023, in San Diego, California. In September 2023, Avenge Bio received FDA Fast Tack designation for AVB-001. AVB-001 is an encapsulated cell product engineered to produce native human interleukin-2 (hIL-2) and is delivered intraperitoneally (IP) to patients. Avenge is currently enrolling patients in a First-in-Human, Phase 1/2, multicenter clinical trial (NCT05538624) designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AVB-001. The Company has advanced through multiple dose levels in a dose escalation cohort and expects to initiate a Phase 2 dose expansion trial in 1H 2024. Abstract #: 1045 Poster Title: Overcoming immunosuppressive tumors by stimulating the adaptive and innate immune systems Presenting Author: Guillaume Carmona, PhD Location: Exhibit Halls A and B1 Date: Friday, November 3, 2023 Time: 9:00 AM-7:00 PM PDT The poster will present how a single administration of either AVB-001 or AVB-002, engineered to produce native human IL-2 or native human IL-12 respectively, demonstrated complete responses as monotherapy and provided sustained eradication in various mouse tumor models. In addition, the poster will also present the commonalities and differences between AVB-001 and AVB-002 in modulating the innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune response. The poster will be available on the Presentations and Publications section of following the conference. About LOCOcyte™ Platform Our LOCOcyteTM allogeneic cell-based immunotherapy platform enables potent localized modulation of the immune system which also precipitates a systemic immune response, allowing us to treat previously intractable cancers. The technology leverages three unique advantages: (1) Potent immune effector molecules are generated by synthetically engineering allogeneic cells creating a ready-to-use therapy, (2) Therapy is localized in proximity to the primary tumor site and generates innate and adaptive immune response, and (3) The immunomodulator trains the patient's immune system generating a robust immune response that seeks and eradicates distal metastasis without systemic toxicity. About Avenge Bio Avenge Bio, Inc. ("Avenge") is an oncology-focused biotechnology company developing transformative cell-based immunotherapeutic products for the treatment of intractable solid tumors by incorporating its LOCOcyte™ platform. The LOCOcyte™ platform leverages proprietary engineered cells delivered to the local tumor environment that generate high concentrations of immune effector molecules in proximity to the tumor. This initiates a robust, local, and durable systemic immune response while avoiding toxicities associated with systemic immunotherapies. Avenge's most advanced product candidate, AVB-001, produces native IL-2 immunotherapy and is initially being studied in metastatic peritoneal cancers such as ovarian cancer. Avenge has additional pipeline candidates for the treatment of a wide range of cancers including pancreatic, lung and breast cancers. Avenge was founded in 2019 base upon technology developed in the laboratory of Omid Veiseh, Ph.D. and has an exclusive license from Rice University for this technology. To learn more about Avenge visit: and follow us on LinkedIn , X, or Instagram. SOURCE Avenge Bio, Inc.

Pictured: A park in Houston with skyscrapers in the background/iStock, TomasSereda Last month, Rice University in Houston announced the launch of its Biotech Launch Pad, a new biotech accelerator. The philanthropically-funded Launch Pad will bring together researchers at the Texas Medical Center with a national network of experienced industry executives, additional funding sources and 15,000 square feet of accelerator space. As a biotech accelerator, the Rice Biotech Launch Pad needs to work closely with clinicians to better understand the medical problems faced by their patients, said Omid Veiseh, an associate professor of bioengineering at Rice and faculty director for the Biotech Launch Pad. The new accelerator is the university’s first large-scale initiative designed to usher internally-discovered technologies from concept through clinical studies to commercialization, while bringing Houston to the forefront of medical innovation ecosystems in the U.S. It is the brainchild of Veiseh and Paul Wotton, co-founders of Avenge Bio and other companies commercializing technology developed at Rice, including in Veiseh’s lab. “We want to accelerate the technology coming out of Rice’s labs into the market and help people live better lives,” said Paul Cherukuri, vice president of innovation at Rice and chief innovation officer of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad. Cherukuri added that the goal is to get these technologies from development into the clinic within five years. As he put it, “This is acceleration writ large.” “With this mindset, we think we can increase the impact the university can have on a faster timescale, and reduce the overall cost of bringing products to market,” Veiseh said. To achieve its goals, the Launch Pad needs to engage with potential investors and venture capital firms in the beginning stages of these projects, Veisaeh said. The Launch Pad’s external advisory board largely comprises people from VC and business development. “What we are trying to do is engage seasoned entrepreneurs, and people that have been CEOs and in business development, with these projects earlier on,” Cherukuri said, adding that he believes the VC community has an interest in Houston and the discoveries and clinicians at Rice. “By organizing this effort more, we can create conduits for startups through this bioaccelerator, and build the infrastructure needed for them to be successful,” he said. To date, researchers making innovative discoveries in Houston have not engaged the VC and business communities as well as they could have, Cherukuri said. Veiseh explained that bringing VC, industry and clinicians into the conversation while new technology is being developed can get it to patients more quickly. Instead of handing off technologies as they are developed, these parties are brought together at the beginning to more holistically plan for ultimate real-world applications. By having resources in one place and a critical mass of people to create communities, the Rice Biotech Launch Pad seems poised for success going forward, said Glennis Mehra, director of Biolabs@NYULangone. To be successful, accelerators must be in tune with local network needs and specific founder needs, she added, and “Having equipment, lab space, networks and community are all pretty vital.” On September 26, the Biotech Launch Pad announced an early boost: a $45 million award from the Advanced Research Products Agency for Health, the funding agency for health and biomedical research set up by the Biden-Harris administration. The ARPA-H grant will fund development of the Targeted Hybrid Oncotherapeutic Regulation (THOR) project. This project involves Veiseh and other scientists at Rice and elsewhere representing multiple disciplines, including electrical engineering, materials science, synthetic biology, immunology and oncology. Its aim is to develop a minimally invasive implant, dubbed HAMMR, that will sense biomarkers and deliver specific doses of drugs to help the body better respond to immunotherapy treatment of peritoneal and other solid tumors. Cherukuri noted that the Rice Biotech Launch Pad builds on a foundation of local medical innovation that goes back to Michael DeBakey, the heart surgeon at Baylor who developed the artificial heart. “Houston has a long history and a culture of driving innovation,” he said. Charlotte LoBuono is a freelance science writer based in New Jersey. Reach her at lobuono2@verizon.net.