Amidst a backdrop of industry-wide hurdles like inflation, talent scarcities, and stringent regulatory landscapes, Nona Biosciences is showing great promise as an emerging global leader in biotechnology. On November 28th, the Cambridge, Massachusetts company celebrated ‘Nona Innovation Day’, marking an impressive first year of pioneering advancements and growth.
With the theme, “Harnessing Advanced Technologies for Therapeutic Breakthroughs”, the event saw the congregation of nearly a hundred guests from the industry, well-known scientific research institutions and investment institutions. With guest panels and speakers from key partners ranging from Harvard Medical School to Verseau Therapeutics, on topics ranging from application cases of CAR-T therapy to “Key Technologies Driving Next-Generation Therapeutic Innovation,” the event shone an optimistic light on a company on the rise, providing a window into a year of exciting developments, and ambitious goals for the future.
Dr. Jingsong Wang, Chairman of Nona Biosciences, shared insights into the company’s ambitious vision during his address.
Utilizing our world-leading platform, we strive to work alongside partners to expedite the R&D of antibody-based therapies. Our ultimate goal is to bring better and faster therapeutic options to patients worldwide.”
Dr. Jingsong Wang, Chairman, Nona Biosciences
Dr. Wang acknowledged the challenges within the industry, yet maintained an optimistic outlook. “This is an exciting era of bioscience innovation, and we’re enthusiastic about the potential our collaborative efforts hold in driving significant breakthroughs.”
Nona Biosciences’ quickly growing presence in the global biotech landscape can in part be attributed to its collaborative efforts. Powered by its ‘Idea to IND’ (I to I™) suite, the company offers a comprehensive range of technology solutions that span from target validation and antibody discovery all the way through to preclinical research, lending itself to a diverse array of applications in oncology and beyond. With its broad serving solutions, the company serves an eclectic and growing mix of partners – from academic researchers and budding startups to seasoned biopharmaceutical giants. “With ‘Idea to IND’ (I to I™), we aim to leverage our ecosystem of technological solutions with biotech leaders to innovate and transform healthcare for the better,” states Dr. Wang, highlighting the company’s long-term collaborative vision.
Bridging idea to IND with innovative harbor mice® technology
Behind Nona Bioscience’s ‘Idea to IND’ solutions, the engine propelling its innovation lies in the Harbour Mice® technology platform. Producing fully human monoclonal antibodies in both H2L2 and HCAb formats, the revolutionary system is the world’s premier clinically validated HCAb platform. Boasting an extraordinary range of applications in the realm of antibody development, from crafting multi-specific antibodies to advancing ADC, CAR-T, and mRNA therapies, Harbour Mice® brings exciting implications to the future development of oncology and biosciences as a whole, with the potential to reshape the medical landscape in years to come.
Key milestones and partnerships
Since its inception, Nona Biosciences has wasted no time carving out a reputation as a forerunner in the field. The company has successfully secured over 65 patents with robust global intellectual property protection, and has achieved collaboration with more than 50 leaders from industry and academia, validating the efficacy and strength of its Harbour Mice® technology platform. The technology’s implementation in over 200 discovery programs demonstrates its versatility and effectiveness, and with more than 18 projects that utilize this technology having progressed to IND or clinical stages, the platform is already demonstrating great impact and future potential in the biotech field.
Seeking advances in oncology through innovative approaches and diverse collaborations
Nona Biosciences’ innovation in oncology and beyond spans from discovery to clinical research approval. This includes a broad range of functional characterization with diverse in vitro assays, extending beyond immuno-oncology to encompass various therapeutic areas, and enhanced antibody discovery through the adoption of high throughput screening methods.
The company also places significant emphasis on in vivo pharmacology, utilizing over 30 mouse models for early Mechanism of Action (MOA) research. A part of its diverse efforts includes protein engineering, aimed at developing new molecular properties and innovative treatments. Furthermore, the expansion of Nona Bioscience’s technology to the Harbour HCAb PLUS™ platform has allowed it to embrace a wide array of new modalities.
Nona’s expertise covers a wide range of therapeutic areas, allowing for the company to quickly strengthen its strong standing in the biopharmaceutical industry through the establishment of several significant collaborations. Nona’s expertise in a variety of therapeutic areas has led to significant collaborations with well-known organizations like Moderna and Mythic Therapeutics amongst other innovative institutions, and most recently, a landmark exclusive license agreement with Pfizer Inc., announced on December 14th.
Leveraging its Harbour Mice® technology, Nona’s partnership with Moderna focuses on discovering and developing nucleic acid-based immunotherapies, an area of growing importance in genetic medicine, while the collaboration with Mythic Therapeutics focuses on building ADCs, an emerging approach in targeted cancer treatments.
Additionally, Nona and Dragonfly Therapeutics have collaborated on the development of Natural Killer (NK) cell engagers, representing an exploration into new immunotherapy methods for cancer treatment, while the partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in CAR-T therapy development further highlights Nona Biosciences’ involvement in innovative cancer treatment technologies. These collaborations, while diverse in their focus, highlight Nona Biosciences’ role in contributing to advancements in various areas of oncology research.
Finally, Nona Biosciences latest partnership with Pfizer focuses on the development and commercialization of its MSLN-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), HBM9033. With the fully human monoclonal antibody (mAb) derived from the Harbour Mice® platform, HBM9033 is designed to target human MSLN, a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) overexpressed in a range of solid tumors. The specialized design of the mAb offers enhanced effectiveness and safety across different preclinical tumor models with varying MSLN expression levels, making HBM9033 a potentially top-tier therapeutic choice worldwide.
Looking towards the future in biomedicine
With its first-year anniversary event, the Nona Innovation Day showcased exciting developments to come for Nona Biosciences. Within the backdrop of current industry challenges, the company continues to have its sights set forward with the upcoming release of its updated Harbour Mice® platform in 2024, further demonstrating its continued innovation and leadership in the frontiers of biotech and oncology.
With its advanced platforms and continued strategic partnerships, look for Nona Biosciences to continue paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in biomedicine, and to solidify its position as a key contributor and innovator in the global biotech industry.
