Orgenesis to acquire assets of Tamir Biotechnology and its anti-viral platform ranpirnase for $19M – Proactive Investors USA & Canada

Orgenesis plans to combine ranpirnase with its Bioxome technology for enhanced payload delivery directly to cells

Inc () has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Tamir Biotechnology Inc including its broad-spectrum anti-viral platform ranpirnase.

The acquisition will be completed for total stock and cash consideration valued at about $19 million based on the value of the stock at closing, according to a statement.

Orgenesis said it plans to combine ranpirnase with its co-developed Bioxome technology for enhanced payload delivery directly to cells.

TamirBio is a clinical stage anti-viral therapeutics company engaged in the discovery and development of a new class of prophylactic and therapeutic drugs for the treatment of viruses and other pathological conditions.

TamirBios ranpirnase, its lead asset, is a ribonuclease (RNase),a member of the superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the degradation of RNA, and mediate several essential biological activities, including the regulation of cell proliferation, maturation, differentiation, and cell death.

Orgenesis said it is a potential candidate for the development of therapeutics for life-threatening diseases, including viral and autoimmune diseases, that require anti-proliferative and apoptotic properties.

TamirBios first target is the human papilloma virus (HPV), the worldwide leading cause of genital warts. The companys lead asset, topical ranpirnase, was evaluated in a Phase I/II clinical trial targeting genital warts. The Phase I/II study demonstrated the clear clinical effect of ranpirnase. Additional clinical trials are currently being planned.

Orgenesis and TamirBio plan to combine ranpirnase with Bioxomes, which have demonstrated the ability to fuse with cell membranes and deliver an intracellular cargo, in a similar manner to natural exosomes.

Bioxomes can carry selected therapeutic cargo inside the target cells when loaded with predesignated genetic material, proteins, signaling molecules and drugs, as these mimic the natural membrane fusion capacity of exosomes. Orgenesis and TamirBio believe the combination of the two platforms will result in enhanced efficacy and anti-viral results.

READ:Orgenesis and ExcellaBio develop a breakthrough manufacturing process for bioxomes

Combining TamirBios broad antiviral platform, ranpirnase, with Bioxomes could result in an enhanced payload delivery into cells, said Orgenesis CEO Vered Caplan.

In independent third-party testing, ranpirnase has shown anti-viral activity in multiple viruses. Additionally, over 1,000 patients have been dosed with ranpirnase in previous cancer/mesothelioma clinical trials. Ranpirnase demonstrated a strong safety and tolerability profile that should help accelerate the approval pathway.

Caplan added: We believe combining ranpirnase with the Bioxome platform has the potential to become a potent and powerful combination given the natural intracellular trafficking abilities of Bioxomes. We look forward to testing a variety of additional anti-viral therapies in the near future.

Jamie Sulley, president of TamirBio, pointed out that ranpirnase has already demonstrated preclinical antiviral activity in such viral diseases as HPV, HIV, Ebola, and SARS.

Not only do we believe Orgenesis will help advance ranpirnase through the clinic using their global development platform, but by combining ranpirnase with the Bioxome technology, we believe we can deliver ranpirnase through a more effective delivery mechanism, Sulley said.

Germantown, Maryland-based Orgenesis is a vertically integrated biopharmaceutical company with expertise in developing advanced cell therapies and manufacturing.

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Orgenesis to acquire assets of Tamir Biotechnology and its anti-viral platform ranpirnase for $19M - Proactive Investors USA & Canada