NEW YORK – Coeptis Pharmaceuticals said on Wednesday that it has inked two exclusive codevelopment agreements with VyGen-Bio for technologies to improve the treatment of CD38-related cancers with cell therapies.
Specifically, Coeptis, a subsidiary of Vinings Holdings headquartered in Wexford, Pennsylvania, has garnered from VyGen-Bio rights to codevelop CD38-GEAR-NK, an autologous cell therapy designed to protect CD38-positive natural killer cells from being destroyed by CD38 monoclonal antibodies. Coeptis has paid VyGen-Bio an undisclosed fee for the exclusive option to develop the treatment, which is initially being advanced for multiple myeloma, and has until the end of this year to exercise the option.
The second option agreement grants Coeptis codevelopment rights to a CD38 in vitro diagnostic VyGen-Bio is developing to identify patients who are likely to benefit from anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies alone or in combination with the CD38-GEAR-NK therapy. Coeptis has paid VyGen-Bio an undisclosed fee for the exclusive codevelopment rights to the diagnostic and has until Dec. 31 to exercise the option.
"The option agreements with VyGen-Bio … may offer the potential to vastly improve the treatment of CD38-related cancers, including multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia, by identifying those patients who are most likely to benefit from anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies and then potentially 'super charging' a patient's immune system by protecting CD38-positive NK cells from destruction by anti-CD38 monoclonal antibodies," Coeptis CEO Dave Mehalick said in a statement.
VyGen-Bio, a subsidiary of cell therapy-focused drug discovery firm Vycellix, has been developing the CD38-GEAR-NK therapy and the diagnostic using the GEAR-NK platform, which was discovered by Karolinska Institute scientists.