VERAXA Biotech AG, an emerging leader in designing novel cancer therapies, and Voyager Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company and special purpose acquisition company targeting the healthcare sector, announced that they have entered into a definitive business combination agreement (the “Business Combination Agreement”). The proposed business combination (the “Business Combination”) would create a publicly traded, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of a comprehensive pipeline of next-generation cancer therapies. Upon closing of the transaction, VERAXA Biotech AG is expected to list on NASDAQ under the proposed ticker symbol “VERX.”
VERAXA is advancing a premier drug discovery and development engine for ADCs and other novel antibody-based therapy concepts. Through Bi-Targeted Antibody Cytotoxicity (“BiTAC”), a powerful and scalable proprietary technology platform that enables a highly specific dual-marker approach, the Company is accelerating a pipeline of next-generation cancer therapies that have the potential to expand the therapeutic window of current solid tumor standard of care treatments through improved safety and efficacy profiles.
The Company has recently widened the scope of its AI-enabled technology platform and is now actively pursuing two major drug modalities:
- Next-generation bispecific antibody drug conjugates, BiTAC ADCs and bsADCs, and
- Bi-specific antibodies targeting key immune cells, also called T cell engagers, or TCEs.
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Both therapeutic modalities represent highly active and growing markets within the cancer therapy sector, respectively. The global TCE market is projected to reach $112 billion in 2030 with a CAGR of >44%. Similarly, the global ADC market size is projected to reach $57 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of close to 30%.
“VERAXA is committed to developing and delivering the next wave of safe and highly efficacious cancer therapies. Our platform technologies can be applied to empower multiple therapeutic strategies spanning next-generation antibody-drug conjugates including our BiTAC ADCs and bi-specific BiTAC immune cell engagers,” stated Christoph Antz, Ph.D., CEO and Co-Founder of VERAXA. “Side effects too often limit today’s cancer therapies and prevent doctors from applying optimal dose levels. Our latest platform innovation, the BiTAC format, is designed to specifically address this issue and create first-in-class drug candidates with unprecedented safety and efficacy.”
“Voyager’s mission is to identify innovative healthcare companies positioned for long-term success with strong business models and expansive total addressable markets. VERAXA exemplifies all these compelling characteristics, underscored by a steadfast commitment to bring transformative drug modalities to cancer patients through pursuing strategic global partnerships and advancing its proprietary pipeline,” stated Adeel Rouf, Chief Executive Officer and Director of Voyager Acquisition Corp. “We believe that the rapid change that ADCs and bispecific therapies have delivered and will continue to deliver to cancer therapy creates compelling opportunities for those with the vision to capitalize on them.”
SOURCE: GlobeNewswire