Xenetic Biosciences Extends Research Collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute

On November 1, 2024, Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: XBIO) entered into a Second Amendment to Research Funding and Option Agreement with The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). This amendment extends the term of the original agreement for an additional twelve months and provides additional funding of up to approximately $400,000 to support ongoing research aimed at advancing the pre-clinical development of Xenetic’s DNase oncology platform technology.

The research funding will be disbursed by Xenetic to Scripps Research on a monthly basis, with an initial payment of about $65,000 upon the execution of the Amendment and subsequent monthly payments of approximately $65,000 over a five-month period. The Amendment does not alter any other terms of the Original Agreement.

The full text of the Amendment will be filed by Xenetic with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2024.

In a press release issued on November 7, 2024, Xenetic Biosciences announced the extension of its collaboration with TSRI. The companies are focusing on advancing the combination of systemic DNase and CAR T-cell therapies. Research conducted at TSRI has shown that co-administration of DNase I with CAR T cells leads to a significant reduction in tumor burden, metastatic foci, and improved survival rates, emphasizing the potential of DNase I as an adjunctive treatment to enhance therapeutic responses in patients undergoing CAR-T cell therapy.

Xenetic’s DNase-based oncology platform targets neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) actively involved in cancer progression by promoting cancer spread and immunosuppression. The company aims to leverage this platform to improve the efficacy of existing treatments like immunotherapy, adoptive cell therapy, and chemotherapy in preclinical animal models.

James Parslow, the Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Xenetic Biosciences, expressed gratitude for the ongoing collaboration with Scripps and highlighted efforts to broaden the utility of their proprietary platform technology. Under the terms of the agreement, Xenetic holds an option to acquire an exclusive license to any new intellectual property arising from the DNase research program and intends to advance its DNase-based oncology program towards Phase 1 clinical development for treating pancreatic carcinoma and other solid tumors.

This collaboration underscores Xenetic Biosciences’ commitment to advancing innovative immuno-oncology technologies to address challenging oncology indications effectively.

The press release attached to the report, filed as Exhibit 99.1, is furnished as part of Regulation FD Disclosure and is not considered filed unless expressly incorporated by reference in future filings.

This article was generated by an automated content engine and was reviewed by a human editor prior to publication. For additional information, read Xenetic Biosciences’s 8K filing here.

Xenetic Biosciences Company Profile

Xenetic Biosciences, Inc is a biopharmaceutical company focused on progressing XCART, a personalized CAR T platform technology engineered to target patient-specific tumor neoantigens. The Company is initially advancing cell-based therapeutics targeting the unique B-cell receptor on the surface of an individual patient’s malignant tumor cells for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas.