04Jan
16Dec
In a World First, a Patient’s Antibody Cells Were Just Genetically Engineered
Our B cells help prevent us from getting sick. Their job is to make antibodies, immune system proteins that fight off viruses and other foreign invaders. And they make a lot of antibodies—thousands of them every second. What if these antibody factories could be harnessed to make other things the body needs? That’s the idea behind a trial launched by Seattle-based biotech company Immusoft. The company announced today that its scientists have genetically programmed a patient’s B cells and put...
16Dec
Researchers Genetically Program B Cells to Treat Genetic Disorder
A Seattle-based biotech company is conducting a trial using genetically programmed B cells to treat a genetic disorder called mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I). The disorder causes a lack of an essential enzyme that breaks down long-chain sugars in the body. This enzyme deficiency leads to life-threatening symptoms, including cloudy eyes, respiratory problems, cognitive issues, and enlarged organs. Patients with MPS I currently receive weekly infusions of the missing enzyme, but Immusoft, the biotech company conducting the trial, aims to...
16Dec
Immusoft Administers the First Engineered B Cell in a Human Clinical Trial
Immusoft of CA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Immusoft Corporation (“Immusoft”), a clinical-stage cell therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare diseases, today announced the first patient dosed with engineered B cell therapy ISP-001 in a Phase 1 trial in MPS I, at M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center. MPS I is a rare, genetic disease that affects the body’s ability to produce the enzyme alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA), which is an essential enzyme that helps...
28Mar
Immusoft Acquires Exclusive, Worldwide Rights to Intellectual Property for Genome Edited Primary B Cells from the University of Minnesot
Immusoft, a clinical-stage cell therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare diseases, today announced that it has successfully closed a license with the Regents of the University of Minnesota for the exclusive, worldwide rights to intellectual property (IP) for compositions of matter and methods to make and use genome edited primary B cells. The parent patent application is titled, “Genome Edited Primary B cell and Methods of Making and Using.” The IP includes proprietary methods that...
28Jan
Immusoft Awarded $8M in Funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for MPS I Clinical Program
Immusoft of CA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Immusoft Corporation, a clinical-stage cell therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare or genetic diseases, announced today that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded the company an $8M grant. This funding will support a Phase I study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ISP-001 (for delivery of alpha-L-iduronidase, or IDUA) in MPS I a rare, childhood genetic disease. The Investigational New Drug Application for...
02Sep
Immusoft Announces FDA Clearance of IND Application for ISP-001 for MPS I, the First Engineered B Cell Therapy to Enter into Clinical Trials
Immusoft, a clinical-stage cell therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for ISP-001 in the treatment of MPS I. The open IND enables Immusoft to initiate a Phase 1 clinical study. This milestone is both significant for Immusoft and historic in the field of cell and gene therapies, as ISP-001 will be the first engineered B...
30Nov
Immusoft Receives $4M in Funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM)
Immusoft of CA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Immusoft Corporation, a cell therapy company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare diseases, announced today that the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) has awarded the company a $4M grant to support the development of its ISP-002 (for delivery of iduronate sulfatase) program in mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II), an inherited disease for which patients have limited options. MPS II is a rare genetic disease in children, which causes...
24Nov
Stem Cell Agency Board Invests in Therapy Targeting Deadly Blood Cancers
Hematologic malignancies are cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymph nodes and include different forms of leukemia and lymphoma. Current treatments can be effective, but in those patients that do not respond, there are few treatment options. Today, the governing Board of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved investing $4.1 million in a therapy aimed at helping patients who have failed standard therapy. The CIRM Board also approved investing $44,101,935 in 11 projects as part of...
14Oct