Antisoma, Inc.

December 1, 2015 By Mark Terry , BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff CRISPR Therapeutics is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, and has research and development operations in Cambridge, Mass. where the company’s focus is on developing gene editing technology called CRISPR-Cas9. CRISPR stands for clustered, regularly interspaced palindromic repeats. With Cas9, or CRISPR-associated protein 9, the technology platform is a way to turn a bacterial defense mechanism against viruses into a tool to edit genes. The technology was discovered by UC Berkeley professor Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier professor Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany. Doudna went on to found Caribou Biosciences , which in 2015 developed a collaboration agreement with the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Mass. Caribou then founded another firm, also in Cambridge, Intellia Therapeutics . Charpentier sold her part of the rights of the CRISPR-Cas9 platform to CRISPR Therapeutics . “CRISPR-Cas9 is a breakthrough in our ability to treat serious diseases,” Lundberg said in a statement in April 2015, “and we are now focused on translating this discovery into important new therapies for patients.” Company Leadership Rodger Novak —founder, chief executive officer and director. A former professor at the Vienna Biocenter in Austria , before CRISPR he was global head of Anti-Infectives Research & Development for Paris-based Sanofi . Prior to that, he founded Nabriva Therapeutics and served as its chief operating officer. Bill Lundberg —chief scientific officer. Previously the vice president and head of Translational Medicine at Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. , Lundberg has also held senior positions at Taligen Therapeutics , Antisoma , Xanthus , Wyeth and Genzyme . Emmanuelle Charpentier —scientific founder. She is a professor at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and Hannover Medical School , Germany, and the Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine at Umea University , Sweden. She is one of the co-discoverers of CRISPR technology. Craig Mello —scientific founder. He is a Nobel prize-winning researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute , the Blais University Chair in Molecular Medicine, and co-director of the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the University of Massachusetts Medical School . Chad Cowan —scientific founder. He is an associate professor at Harvard University in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology , and at Massachusetts General Hospitals , with appointments in the Center for Regenerative Medicine , the Cardiovascular Research Center and the Center for Human Genetics Research . Company Financing In April 2014, announced it raised $25 million in a Series A investment from Versant Ventures . In April 2015, the company announced the closing of a Series A and Series B financing round totaling $89 million, including $35 million in new funding in the Series A round and $29 million in the Series B. The oversubscribed Series A and Series B rounds were led by strategic investors, SR One and Celgene , respectively. New investors included New Enterprise Associates and Abingworth , as well as the company’s founding investor, Versant Ventures . Pipeline Currently, the company is using its platform to treat non-germline (somatic) cells at the molecular level. As such, it is working on a portfolio of potential candidates, both in cells inside the body ( in vivo ) and in ex vivo (outside the body) treatments where specific cells are removed, edited using the technology, and delivered back into the patient. So far, the company is focusing on hemoglobinopathies, such as sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia, some forms of immunodeficiencies, and immune approaches to cancer treatment. It is also working with Vertex on developing therapies for sickle cell disease. Its in vivo approach has the potential to be used for diseases of the liver, eye and lung, as well as others. Market Competition CRISPR Cas9 is considered revolutionary technology, and as such is likely, at some level, to be used by many companies and institutions. Other companies that are directly controlling the technology include Caribou Biosciences , which has formed a strategic alliance with DuPont , and Novartis . Caribou also formed Intellia Therapeutics , which is active in this area. The CRISPR-Cas9 technology has been the focus of several patent lawsuits. Doudna and Charpentier published the first paper describing the technology. However, Feng Zhang , a researcher at the MIT - Harvard Broad Institute filed a broad U.S. patent claim on the technology. Another company involved is Editas Medicine , in Cambridge, Mass. Editas was founded by Doudna with Zhang and George Church . Dollars and Deals On Oct. 26, 2015, CRISPR announced it had entered into a strategic research collaboration with Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals . The two companies plan to evaluate the use of CRISPR-Cas9 across multiple diseases where targets have been validated through human genetics. The collaboration will initially focus on cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease. What to Look For The recent deal with Vertex is scheduled to run for four years, and allows Vertex the option of acquiring up to six programs, with the development costs shared between the two companies. CRISPR retains the U.S. commercialization rights for sickle cell disease. But the company’s focus is also on cystic fibrosis. “Our mission is to provide transformative gene-based medicine for patients,” Lindberg told BioSpace in an exclusive statement. “We will leverage any technology available to treat serious diseases in ways similar to traditional and established gene therapy methods. There are many scientists and researchers using CRISPR-Cas9 to edit genes, but we have a terrific opportunity to use our technology platform to develop a portfolio of therapies for several unmet medical needs.” Check out the full list of the top 20 life science startups: NextGen Bio “Class of 2016.” View the top 30 life science startups in 2015: NextGen Bio “Class of 2015.”

Antisoma plc (LSE:ASM; USOTC:ATSMY) announces that the resolutions put to today’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) of Antisoma’s shareholders were passed with the support of over 89% of votes cast. These included a resolution to acquire Xanthus Pharmaceuticals Inc., and, by association, the fundraising linked with the acquisition. Full details of the proxy voting are available on Antisoma’s website at Copies of the resolutions passed at the EGM today are available for inspection at the UK Listing Authority’s Document Viewing Facility, which is situated at: The Financial Services Authority 25 The North Colonnade Canary Wharf London E14 5HS Tel: +44 (0) 20 7066 1000 A further announcement will be made regarding admission of the shares issued in connection with the acquisition and fundraising and the completion of the transaction. Enquiries: Antisoma plc Tel: +44 (0)7909 915 068 Glyn Edwards, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Elger, Director of Communications Buchanan Communications Tel: +44 (0)20 7466 5000 Mark Court/Lisa Baderoon/Rebecca Skye Dietrich Piper Jaffray Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20 3142 8700 Neil Mackison Rupert Winckler Background to the acquisition and fundraising On 16 May, Antisoma announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire private US oncology company Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in an all-share deal valued at GBP 26.8 million (USD 52.2 million) and that it had simultaneously executed a fundraising providing, before expenses, an additional GBP 20.9 million to the Enlarged Group. Further details are available in the press release of 16 May. Notes and disclaimers Piper Jaffray, which is authorised and regulated in the UK by the Financial Services Authority, is acting as financial adviser and broker to Antisoma in connection with the proposals and no-one else and will not be responsible to anyone other than Antisoma for providing the protections afforded to clients of Piper Jaffray nor for providing advice in relation to the proposals nor any other matter referred to in this announcement. Words and expressions used in this announcement will have the same meaning as defined in the prospectus and circular that has been sent to shareholders. This document does not constitute an offer or invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities of Antisoma and no part of it shall form the basis of or be relied upon in connection with any contract or commitment whatsoever. The information contained herein is not for publication, distribution or release in or into the United States. The material set forth herein is for informational purposes only and is not intended, and should not be construed, as an offer of securities for sale in the United States. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or the laws of any state or other jurisdiction, and may not be offered or sold within the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable laws of any state or other jurisdiction. There is no intention to register any portion of the securities described herein in the United States. This document is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted. Certain matters discussed in this statement are forward looking statements that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties may be associated with product discovery and development or licensing activities, including statements regarding the clinical development programmes, the expected timing of clinical trials and regulatory filings, out-licensing opportunities, and funding requirements. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Xanthus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today presented preclinical data further supporting the potential for Symadex™ to reverse the clinical and pathological signs of multiple sclerosis (MS), including new data demonstrating increased spinal cord remyelination. The study was presented by Dr. Stephen J. Karlik, Ph.D., Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario and researchers from Xanthus at a meeting of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada in Banff, Canada.