CAGE Bio Inc., a biotechnology company and TAGCyx Biotechnologies Inc., a biotechnology company developing DNA aptamer drugs based on its proprietary artificial nucleic acid base pair technology, announce the execution of a license agreement for development of TAGX-0003 for the targeted treatment of alopecia areata and vitiligo by dermatological application. TAGX-0003 is a DNA aptamer possessing potent interferon gamma (IFNg) antagonistic activity developed by TAGCyx. TAGX-0003 has shown effectiveness in a humanized animal model of alopecia areata. Applying CAGE Bio's innovative proprietary ionic liquid formulation technology to TAGX-0003, both parties confirmed TAGX-0003 could possibly penetrate into the skin enabling a non-invasive, efficacious and safe treatment for dermatological diseases in which IFNg is implicated. Under this agreement, CAGE Bio will receive an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize the drug, excluding Japan, and TAGCyx will receive an upfront payment, development and sales milestone payments and sales related royalties. Alopecia and vitiligo present a significant social burden affecting the lives of millions of people and represent multi-billion-dollar global market opportunities. PeptiStar Inc., a technology-based contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) for peptide and oligonucleotide APIs, will manufacture TAGX-0003 for the development and possible future commercialization. Dr Nitin Joshi, CEO of CAGE Bio stated "There is a critical unmet need for easy-to-use treatment options for highly visible diseases such as alopecia and vitiligo. We are excited to partner with the TAGCyx and Peptistar teams to develop an innovative, first-of-its-kind approach to improve the lives of patients struggling with the medical and social burdens of these conditions. We believe that bringing the DNA-aptamer science from TAGCyx together with our ionic liquid platform will help us accomplish this goal." Dr. Chizuko Koseki, CEO of TAGCyx said "We were impressed to see the results that our very potent mid-size DNA aptamer penetrated into hair follicles in the human skin when formulated in CAGE Bio's innovative ionic liquid formulation technology under a research collaboration. I am pleased we could execute the license agreement with CAGE Bio based on results from our earlier research collaboration and the project will be progressed to clinical trial stage by CAGE Bio. We believe TAGX-0003 will be an efficacious and safe treatment for Alopecia Areata patients. We have selected PeptiStar as our partner CDMO to manufacture TAGX-0003, as we are convinced by their excellent facility and oligonucleotide production capability of the team." Dr. Yutaka Kameyama, CEO of PeptiStar said "We are pleased to support this project as the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing CDMO in collaboration with CAGE Bio and TAGCyx. Process development and manufacturing of TAGX-0003 will be implemented in our facilities in Osaka, Japan. We have cGMP production facilities for oligonucleotides with advanced equipment, technologies, and quality management system for manufacturing and scaling-up the production of TAGX-0003 to support all stages of the product." CAGE Bio, based in San Carlos, California and Fort Worth, TX, is a clinical stage startup company exploiting its proprietary ionic liquid formulation platform to develop products for infection, inflammation, and immunology. TAGCyx, based in Tokyo, Japan, is a biotech company exploiting its proprietary Xenoligo technology platform, allowing high functional oligonucleotide drug discovery. PeptiStar, based in Osaka, Japan, is a CDMO for peptide and oligonucleotide APIs. PeptiStar is a technology-based company that provides its customers with high value-added services through its innovative manufacturing technologies.
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