SPARKS, MD--(Marketwired - January 04, 2016) - Reflecting the STaRT™ of something big in immunotherapy, Commence Bio, Inc. today announced the completion of its corporate name change transition from WibiWorks Therapeutics, Inc. The company is deploying its proprietary Stimulated Toll-like Receptor Technology [STaRT] to create breakthrough cellular immunotherapy platforms for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Commence also launched a new website providing convenient access to the published work demonstrating the safety and efficacy of its MSC1 and MSC2 cell therapies in seven pre-clinical models of disease. The Company plans to launch its first research-use products via the website during H2 2016.
Thomas Isett, CEO and Co-founder of Commence Bio, said, "We're very pleased to begin the new year under our new name that describes a new beginning for the use of mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] as immunotherapies. The STaRT technology gives MSCs a breakthrough role in immuno-oncology, while creating safe, more potent MSC immunotherapies for inflammatory diseases."
"We're building on momentum from 2015 when we established our manufacturing strategy and made our first FDA submission," said Isett. "We're looking forward to advancing into the clinic in 2016 with CMB-200, an MSC2 immunotherapy for the treatment of clinically isolated syndrome/acute optic neuritis -- often the first sign of multiple sclerosis."
Commence Bio will be attending the RESI conference in San Francisco, CA, on January 12, 2016.
About Commence Bio
Commence Bio, Inc., is a pre-clinical stage biotechnology company founded on the vision that cancer and inflammatory diseases can be optimally treated by rebooting patients' immune systems with a new class of medicinal stem cells: MSC1 & MSC2. Through the use of proprietary Stimulated Toll-like Receptor Technology [STaRT], adult, allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells [MSCs] are transformed into powerful immunomodulators that migrate to the sites of dysfunction and -- via a multi-pronged effect -- re-awaken appropriate immune responses. MSC1 & MSC2 have proven to be safe, potent, efficacious immunotherapies in seven pre-clinical models of disease, including ovarian cancer, demyelinating diseases (i.e. multiple sclerosis and Krabbe disease), acute lung injury/ARDS, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetic neuropathic pain.
About STaRT -- Stimulated Toll-like Receptor Technology
STaRT is inspired by nature in that it utilizes mimetics for the body's wound-healing signals to program mesenchymal stem cells [MSC] as either anti-tumor (MSC1) or anti-inflammatory (MSC2) phenotypes. With the favorable safety profile of naïve MSCs and their appreciable anti-inflammatory properties as a starting point, STaRT 32 applies stimulation of Toll-Like Receptor 3 [TLR3] within naïve MSCs to create MSC2s -- a uniform, more potent population of cells with enhanced immunomodulatory properties. STaRT 41 involves stimulation of TLR4 to create MSC1 cells, a breakthrough use of MSCs as a new cancer immunotherapy that safely re-awakens innate and adaptive immune responses.
Contact Information:
Tom Isett
tom@commencebio.com