July 28, 2023 No Comments  

FeaturedCleveland-based Biotech Celloram Inc. Strikes Landmark Licensing Deal with FrenchBiotech GENFIT to Propel its lead asset CLM-022 in Liver Disease Treatment

Celloram Inc., a dynamic biotech startup based in Cleveland, Ohio and developing novel
medicines for cancer and immune disorders, announced today a groundbreaking licensing
agreement with French biotech GENFIT SA to advance Celloram’s first-in-class inflammasome
inhibitor, CLM-022. The agreement grants GENFIT exclusive global rights to develop CLM-022
in liver disease indications.
“This exclusive licensing agreement with GENFIT aims to expand our inflammasome inhibitor
platform into liver disease indications for the first time,” said Tej Pareek, Ph.D., Celloram CEO.
“We believe that GENFIT has the potential to rapidly advance the development of this class of
inhibitors, ultimately bringing therapies and hope to a large population of patients who
desperately need life-saving treatments. We are thrilled to work alongside GENFIT, a leading
biopharmaceutical company, to bring this potential life-saving treatment to patients worldwide.”
As part of this agreement, GENFIT will not only add to its arsenal of drug candidates for liver
disease, but also gain access to Celloram’s scientists and medicinal chemistry expertise to
help synthesize and validate CLM-022 as GENFIT advances on its goal to secure an IND for
future clinical trials.
In recognition of this transformative collaboration, Celloram Inc. is eligible to receive up to €160
million in clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments, which will further fuel its
mission to deliver cutting-edge solutions for critical medical challenges. Celloram co-founders,
Dr. John Letterio and Dr. Seong-Jin Kim, jointly stated, “Our vision at Celloram Inc. has always
been driven by a passion for revolutionizing patient care by creating safer, more effective
therapies. With this licensing agreement, we are one step closer to realizing Celloram’s vision
and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with GENFIT.”


About Liver Disease
Liver disease is a progressive deterioration of liver functions lasting more than six months,
involving synthesis of clotting factors, detoxification, and bile excretion. The process entails
inflammation, destruction, and regeneration of liver parenchyma, often leading to fibrosis and
cirrhosis. Etiologies are diverse, encompassing toxins, prolonged alcohol abuse, infections,
autoimmune diseases, and genetic/metabolic disorders. The global liver disease treatment
market size is predicted to be worth 25.8.3 billion USD by 2028 from 14.1 billion USD in 2023
to grow at a CAGR of 11.72% in forecasted period. Increasing cases of acute and chronic liver
diseases, including liver cancer, are driving the demand for advanced liver disease diagnostics
and treatments.


About Celloram Inc.
Celloram Inc. is a forward-thinking biotech startup based in Cleveland, Ohio, driven by the
vision to harness innovative science and revolutionize patient care. Their experienced
leadership team, including co-founders Dr. John Letterio and Dr. Seong-Jin Kim, CEO Dr. Tej
Kumar Pareek, VP and chief scientific Program Directors Dr. Seunghwan Lim and Dr. Liraz
Levi are committed to delivering cutting-edge solutions to unmet medical needs.
Celloram Inc. is also gearing up to open its Series A funding round in the coming months,
offering an opportunity for visionary investors to join forces in the pursuit of transformative
innovations. This funding will further catapult Celloram Inc.’s pioneering research and
development efforts, taking their pipelines to new heights.


About GENFIT.
GENFIT is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients
with rare and severe liver diseases characterized by high unmet medical needs. GENFIT is a
pioneer in liver disease research and development with a rich history and strong scientific
heritage spanning more than two decades. Thanks to its expertise in bringing early-stage
assets with high potential to late development and pre-commercialization stages, today
GENFIT boasts a growing and diversified pipeline of innovative therapeutic and diagnostic
solutions. Its R&D pipeline covers acute on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), hepatic
encephalopathy (HE), cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), urea cycle disorders (UCD), organic
acidemias (OA) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Beyond therapeutics, GENFIT’s pipeline
also includes a diagnostic franchise focused on NASH and ACLF. GENFIT has facilities in Lille
and Paris (France), Zurich (Switzerland) and Cambridge, MA (USA).


Contact:
For further information, please contact:
Celloram Inc. Tej Kumar Pareek, CEO tejpareek@celloram.com, +1 (216) 375-6691

Disclaimer: This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Celloram Inc.
and GENFIT’s potential collaboration and the development of CLM-022. These statements are
based on current expectations and assumptions and involve inherent risks and uncertainties,
which could cause actual outcomes to differ materially from those anticipated in these forwardlooking statements.
Note to Editors: This press release is provided for informational purposes only and should not
be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell securities or engage in any other
transaction. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

August 29, 2022  

Celloram presents its Protexi technology at the 2nd Annual Global NeoAntigen Vaccine Summit in Boston, MA

Dr. Seungwhan Lim, VP and Directior of Scientific Operations, Cell Therapy Division, presented at the Global NeoAntigen Vaccine Summit in Boston, MA on August 17-18, 2022. Also in attendance were industry leaders in the cancer vaccine development space, including Janseen R&D, Moderna and Genetech. The NeoAntigen Vaccine Summit serves as an opportunity for industry experts to trade up-to-date clinical and commercial developments in next-generation cancer vaccine platforms.

Celloram’s Protexi technology is an innovative cancer vaccine that provides personalized cell therapy by helping to activate the patient’s own immune response against cancer cells. Protexi utilizes personalized tumor-specific antigens, called neoantigens, that are created from genomic analyses of the patient’s tumor. These antigens are then loaded into expanded autologous mature dendritic cells to help trigger the patient’s own immune system response against the tumor. Together in combination with immune modulators, Protexi forms the basis of next-generation cancer vaccines designed to target difficult to treat tumors, including therapy-resistant, immune-cold and inoperable tumors for which survival rates remain unacceptably low.    

October 16, 2020  

Celloram successfully closes its 8M Seed Series Round

Celloram successfully closed its $8M Seed Series Round, securing funds to advance its mission of developing safer and more effective treatments for cancer, immune and metabolic disorders. Seed Series investors include MedPacto Inc., Theragen Etex, and Winvest, among others.

Celloram’s research pipelines focus on both innovative cell therapies and novel small molecule therapeutics, with primary indications including difficult-to-treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). The Seed Series funds will allow Celloram to expand its research team and facilities and provide continued support of the development of novel therapies for these critical disease indications.

January 7, 2020  

Celloram is awarded $0.2M DOD Grant to improve Post-Trauma-Induced Osteoarthritis

Celloram was awarded a $0.2M grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to improve post-trauma induced osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a leading cause of mobility-related disability and is usually induced by the gradual wearing-down of joint cartilage over time. Post-trauma induced osteoarthritis, or PTOA, is a subtype of osteoarthritis that develops after joint injury and therefore disproportionality effects a young population.

Many PTOA cases recover within 6 months, but some cases can develop into chronic disease. The activation of inflammatory mechanisms is thought to play an important role in the progression of acute to chronic disease, so early interventions are of interest. Celloram hopes that by applying its innovative cell therapy technologies that work with the power of the immune system, we can develop early-intervention therapies to treat this debilitating chronic condition.

January 3, 2020  

Dr. Liraz Levi joins as VP and Director of Scientific Operations, Small Molecule Program

Dr. Liraz Levi joins Celloram as VP and Director of Scientific Operations of our Small

Molecule Program. Dr. Levi completed her Ph.D. at The Hebrew University of

Jerusalem and previously served as a principal investigator in the Case Comprehensive

Cancer Center at Case Western Reserve University.

Dr. Levi’s research began with an interest in dietary nutrients and how they affect

molecular processes in the body. Her research has since expanded into how fatty acids

and other small molecules can enhance or disrupt the processes that regulate cancer

cells and metabolic diseases.

Dr. Levi is a welcome and valued addition to Celloram and our Small Molecule Program.

January 3, 2019  

Dr. Seunghwan Lim joins Celloram as VP and Director of Scientific Operations of our Cell Therapy Program

Dr. Seunghwan Lim joins Celloram as VP and Director of Scientific Operations of our Cell Therapy Program. Dr. Lim completed his Ph.D. in cancer biology and therapeutics development at SUNY Upstate Medical University and his postdoctoral training at the National Cancer Institute, NIH and Case Western Reserve University.

His research interests largely focus on cellular signaling events, specifically the TGF-β signaling pathway. TGF-β is a multifunctional cytokine that plays an important role in regulating malignant cancer behaviors.

“With over 20 years of research experiences, I feel like I have to use this knowledge to develop something more special that can save some lives” says Dr. Lim.

We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lim to Team Celloram.