Biotech cluster: Clover begins a clinical trial, Ergo Medical expands

An application announces the establishment of Integra Holdings, a holding and R&D company in the field of biotechnology

Clover Pharma announces the recruitment of the first patient in the USA, at the White Plains Medical Center in the state of New York, for a phase 2 clinical trial of the drug TL-118 for the treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer. TL-118 is an anti-angiogenic drug, meaning a drug that inhibits the blood supply to cancerous tumors, thereby damaging and neutralizing them.

Clover Pharma's phase 2 clinical trial is already underway in four leading medical centers in Israel: the Sourasky Tel Aviv Medical Center, the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tsirifin and the Rambam Hospital in Haifa. 80 patients diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer and who have not yet received chemotherapy will participate in the experiment. The patients will be assigned to one of the two experimental arms, each of which will include 40 patients. The control group receives only standard chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer, while the other group is treated with TL-118 in addition to chemotherapy.

Dr. Dan Costin, Director of the Oncology and Hematology Institute, Medical Director of the Cancer Research Center at White Plains Hospital and Principal Investigator of the TL-118 clinical trial at the White Plains Center, said, “We are pleased to offer this innovative treatment to our pancreatic cancer patients. Unfortunately, the prognosis of metastatic pancreatic cancer is very poor and we are constantly looking for a new and effective drug that can prolong the lives of patients. The anti-angiogenic drug TL-118 has shown outstanding effectiveness in preclinical trials, a promise we hope will translate into significant benefit for people suffering from metastatic pancreatic cancer."

Dr. Dan Goldstaub, Chief Operating Officer of Clover Pharma, said, "We welcome the entry of the first center in the US into the trial. The experiment is progressing as planned and we are satisfied with the rate of recruitment. In Israel, 15 patients have already been recruited and we believe that the center in the USA will further speed up the pace of recruiting patients for the trial. We are monitoring the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the product and are satisfied with the data collected so far."

TL-118 was first tested in a model of pancreatic cancer in mice, where exclusive treatment with the drug inhibited the development of the cancerous tumor significantly compared to conventional chemotherapy. Furthermore, treatment with TL-118 in combination with conventional chemotherapy completely eradicated pancreatic tumors in all treated animals.

TL-118 inhibits the formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in tumors and thus inhibits the blood supply to them and their development. The product is given in a drinking solution that is taken once a day, and is a combination of several substances, each of which inhibits the angiogenesis process in a different way and independently of the other substances. All these materials are approved by regulatory authorities. The treatment cycles are well timed in order to allow a user-friendly intake and at the same time a synergistic effect of the ingredients of the preparation for safe and effective cancer treatment. So far over 100 patients have been treated with TL-118 for a period of up to 4 years.

The safety of TL-118 was tested in a phase 1 clinical trial at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. 30 patients participated in the trial, and it was found that the preparation was safe to use and well tolerated by cancer patients, and most of the side effects caused by the treatment were minor.

Talatan Pharma is one of the portfolio companies of Integra Holdings, a new holding company that Yisham, the technology commercialization company of the Hebrew University, established in the field of biotechnology.

The Israeli company Argo Medical announces international expansion with the opening of offices in the US and Europe

The Israeli company ARGO Medical Technologies, the leader in exoskeleton technology, announced the opening of new offices in the United States, in Marlborough, Massachusetts, as well as a European office in Berlin, Germany. This significant expansion is being done to support the full-scale launch of the company's products in Europe and to prepare for a future launch in the United States.

The product developed by Argo, called ReWalk, is an exoskeleton suit that allows people with lower limb disabilities and the paralyzed to stand and walk independently and without help. The founder of the company Dr. Amit Gofer, paralyzed in four limbs, was inspired to invent the exoskeleton device as a direct result of his personal knowledge and experience.

Integra Holdings raised $7 million at a pre-money valuation of $25 million

Application, the research and development company of the Hebrew University, announced today the establishment of a subsidiary, Integra Holdings, a holding company focused on biotechnology companies based on inventions of Hebrew University researchers. In addition, Integra Holdings announced today the completion of a first fundraising round of $7 million, based on a value of $25 million before the money.

Integra Holdings focuses on biotechnology companies mainly with products in clinical development stages, characterized by innovation and competitive advantage in their various fields. Integra Holdings' portfolio currently includes companies operating in diverse medical fields such as cancer, Alzheimer's disease, infectious diseases and allergies. The portfolio includes four companies that are in phase 2 of clinical development, three companies starting phase 1 and one company that is in pre-clinical development phases. The companies that currently exist in the portfolio are Allegan, Atox Bio, Avraham Pharmaceuticals, Doxocure, Lipocure, Lipomedix, Omer Therapeutics and Teltan Pharma.

The first fundraising round was led by Invetec, which is financed by a group of private investors from the US and Israel. They also participated in recruiting institutional investors from Israel. The funds raised will be used to promote Integra's portfolio companies, and to add and promote, through implementation, additional promising projects originating at the Hebrew University.

"Integra Holdings, which focuses on the most promising selection of technologies and therapeutic products originating from the Hebrew University, presents a new financing approach to support and develop innovative biotech products," said Yaakov Michlin, CEO of Implementation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Integra Holdings. "Integra will help promote the products of the companies that currently exist in its portfolio, and in the process will continue to take another turn and invest in new projects in the field of life sciences based on the most promising inventions of Hebrew University scientists. This approach will ensure the most comprehensive realization of the business potential of scientific and medical research at the Hebrew University."

"We are very pleased with our first and successful financing round, which reflects the investors' trust in Integra Holdings and its portfolio companies. The companies were chosen very carefully and based on scientific excellence and commercial potential, and therefore we have great confidence in the success of their products", said Dr. Noa Shelah, CEO of Integra Holdings. "Integra is a unique model for promoting science and innovation towards business realization. We will do everything we can to advance Integra's vision to help bring new and better medicines to market."