Hackensack Meridian Health Supports Immuno-Oncology Platform

Hackensack Meridian Health recently announced its support of the clinical development of a highly-differentiated immuno-oncology platform from Alloplex Biotherapeutics. 

This investment is Hackensack Meridian Health’s fifth through Bear’s Den. Launched in 2017, Bear’s Den is the health network’s innovation program that seeks to advance medical science by supporting strategic candidates in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology.

The program features a panel of experts, leading physicians, key network executives, venture capitalists, and patent attorneys who meet to evaluate proposals from entrepreneurs.

Over the past four years, Bear’s Den has vetted many products and strategies to streamline care delivery, reduce infections, lower hospital readmissions, and help patients partner in their care with physicians.

“Innovation is in our DNA and we are proud to support this promising new treatment concept,” Robert C. Garrett, FACHE, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, said in the announcement.

“The Bear’s Den is foundational to our efforts to transform healthcare and deliver more value to the communities we serve,” Garrett continued.

Boston-based Alloplex, founded in 2016, has refined cell drug candidates aimed at “training” a patient’s white blood cells to recognize and kill cancer cells.

Suplexa therapeutic cells are an autologous therapy made from activated and reprogrammed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Generally, Suplexa is generated rapidly and in abundance through a robust ex vivo manufacturing procedure to give them the capacity to kill all tumor cells instead.

While Alloplex chose to make the first-generation product autologous for various reasons, there is also a clear path to making a version of these therapeutic cells suitable for administration as an off-the-shelf therapy.

Using a patient’s own blood cells activated through naturally occurring receptors may be better tolerated than using foreign substances while maximizing anti-cancer effects, an Alloplex spokesperson explained.

The company will initiate the first-in-human trial of Suplexa therapeutic cells in Australia in 2022. The trial will enroll patients with various hematologic malignancies and solid tumors.

“Hackensack Meridian Health’s investment represents a significant vote of confidence in our highly-differentiated approach to cellular therapy,” said Frank Borriello, MD, PhD, Alloplex’s scientific founder and CEO.

“We are very appreciative of the investment which not only supports our initial clinical trials but also establishes a foundation for collaboration in the years ahead,” Borriello continued.