KAHR Medical Raises $18 Million in Private Funding Round

PR83019

JERUSALEM, Feb 26, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Funds will be used for advancing the Company's next generation immuno-oncology

drug candidates, including lead anti-CD47 product for the treatment of solid

tumors through Phase I/II study in addition to advancing preclinical pipeline

KAHR Medical [https://kahr-medical.com/ ] Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company

developing a novel drug platform based on bi-functional, immunotherapeutic

fusion proteins known as Dual Signaling Proteins ("DSP") today announced that

it has raised US$18 million from a global syndicate of leading investors.

Completion of the financing round is subject to customary closing conditions

and is expected to occur early next month.

The round was led by Flerie Invest AB, Oriella Limited, Hadasit Bio-Holdings

(HBL), Pavilion Capital and Mirae Asset Venture Investment. Proceeds will be

used for advancing the Company's next generation immuno-oncology drug

candidates including the clinical development of the Company's lead product,

DSP107, an anti-CD47 therapy for the treatment of solid tumors through a Phase

I/II study and the preclinical advancement of additional pipeline projects.

In September 2019, KAHR Medical announced a clinical collaboration with Roche

to evaluate KAHR Medical's lead program, DSP107, a SIRPa-41BBL DSP, in

combination with Roche's PD-L1-blocking checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab

(Tecentriq®) in patients with advanced NSCLC who are refractory to existing

immune checkpoint inhibitors. KAHR Medical expects to begin a Phase I/II trial

in H2 2020 at leading sites in the US to evaluate DSP107 as a monotherapy and

in combination with atezolizumab, following the filing of an Investigational

New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food Drug Administration (FDA).

"We are grateful to our existing investors for their continued support and are

pleased to welcome Oriella, a prominent private equity and technology investor

in Israel, with an expanding focus on life sciences," said Yaron Pereg, Ph.D.,

CEO of KAHR Medical. "We are also proud to have Pavilion Capital join our

investor base. Pavilion Capital brings a track record of success and expertise

in the biopharmaceutical sector. We look forward to using this funding for

advancing our next-generation immuno-oncology pipeline for the benefit of

patients, who are non-responsive or refractory to existing immunotherapies."

"We are excited to lead this financing round for KAHR Medical together with

other distinguished investors," said Thomas Eldered, Chairman of Flerie Invest

AB. "Despite advances in the treatment of cancer, there is still a clear need

for additional therapies to broaden the patient population that will respond to

cancer immunotherapies. We look forward to supporting KAHR Medical in

developing effective treatments for cancer patients."  

Mr Vincent Tchenguiz, a British entrepreneur and beneficiary of the trust that

owns Oriella commented, "We recognize the strength of KAHR Medical's

proprietary platform and believe that the company's products have the potential

to offer unique value to patients suffering from cancer. We are keen to work

with the Company as it matures, and we look forward to helping it fulfil its

mission of bringing new therapies to cancer patients."

Timothy Low, Head of Healthcare Investments, Pavilion Capital, said, "We are delighted

to join KAHR Medical's syndicate of investors, and believe the company has a tremendous

opportunity to contribute new targeted therapies to the field of immuno-oncology."  

Michel Habib, CEO of HBL, stated, "HBL has been supporting KAHR Medical since

its inception and we are very pleased with the company's impressive development.

We are proud to continue to support the company together with other existing and

new global investors and look forward with anticipation to the beginning of clinical trials."

About DSP107 and the Phase I/II study

DSP107 targets CD47-overexpressing tumors, simultaneously blocking macrophage

inhibitory signals and delivering an immune costimulatory signal to tumor

antigen-specific activated T-cells.  CD47 is overexpressed on many cancer cells

and binds SIRPa on immune phagocytic cells to produce a "don't eat me" signal.  

DSP107 binds CD47 on cancer cells, blocking interaction with SIRPa and thus

blocking the "don't eat me signal".  Simultaneously, DSP107 binds 41BB on T-cells,

stimulating their activation. These activities lead to targeted immune activation

through both macrophage and T-cell mediated tumor destruction. In combination

with atezolizumab, DSP107 has the potential to enhance anti-tumor immune response.  

The planned Phase I/II study will evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics (PK)

and pharmacodynamics (PD) of DSP107 in advanced solid tumors. The safety and

preliminary efficacy of both DSP107 monotherapy and combination therapy with

atezolizumab will be evaluated in patients with advanced NSCLC who are refractory

to PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. KAHR Medical will be the sponsor of the study and Roche

will provide the clinical supply of atezolizumab.

About KAHR Medical

KAHR Medical develops the next generation of immuno-oncology drug candidates

for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. Its proprietary technology enables

the construction of targeted bi-functional biological drugs generated by fusion of

the active extracellular domains of a TNF-SF ligand and a type-I membrane protein.

DSPs have two functional ends, which can simultaneously block and/or activate two

reinforcing biological signals resulting in a synergistic outcome.  The unique DSP

composition ensures target activation and increased potency by assembling a high

multimer protein structure which is essential for activation of the TNF receptor family.

For more information, please visit https://kahr-medical.com/.

Company contact:

Tsipi Haitovsky

Global Media Liaison

KAHR Medical  

+972-52-5989-892

Tsipihai5@gmail.com

SOURCE: KAHR Medical