BioEclipse Therapeutics

About BioEclipse Therapeutics

BioEclipse Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing immunotherapies for refractory and recurrent cancers. The company was co-founded as ConcentRx in 2006 by Pamela Contag, Ph.D., who serves as CEO, and was rebranded as BioEclipse Therapeutics in 2016. Contag, a microbiologist and immunologist with over 25 years of experience, previously co-founded Xenogen, a biophotonics imaging company that went public and was later acquired. Her expertise in innate immunity from her postdoctoral work at Stanford University's School of Medicine informed the development of BioEclipse's core technology.

The company's primary business is the development of a proprietary therapeutic platform that combines two components: cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells and an oncolytic virus. This multi-mechanistic approach is designed to overcome the limitations of using these agents as stand-alone therapies. The CIK cells are intended to locate tumors and deliver the oncolytic virus, which then selectively infects and destroys cancer cells. This process aims to not only eradicate primary tumors and metastatic disease but also to stimulate a durable, long-term immune response to prevent cancer recurrence. The company's technology is based on patents exclusively licensed from Stanford University.

BioEclipse's lead drug candidate, CRX100, is an autologous therapy delivered intravenously to treat a broad range of solid tumors. In April 2020, the U.S. FDA cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application, and a Phase 1 clinical trial for CRX100 in patients with advanced solid tumors began in March 2021. The company is also developing CRX200, a lower-cost, allogeneic version of the therapy that is IND-ready. The company's business model is focused on advancing its drug candidates through clinical trials to gain regulatory approval. BioEclipse has raised capital through funding rounds, including a Series A-1 round in June 2019 that raised $7.7 million and a grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) for nearly $8 million. It targets patients with advanced cancers, such as ovarian cancer, who have limited treatment options due to resistance to standard-of-care therapies.