(Rehovot, Israel and New York, NY, January 6, 2019)—Yeda Research and Development Co. Ltd., the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Deerfield Management Company, a healthcare investment firm, today announced the development of an extensive translational research initiative. The research collaboration, Deerfield’s first outside the USA, is expected to catalyze the development of transformative treatments toward clinical validation for cures for diseases and improved quality of life.

Up to $130 million of initial funding will be made available by Deerfield to support the initiative over 10 years through a newly launched company called Orchard Innovations, LLC. Deerfield will additionally provide its operational, managerial and developmental know-how to further cutting-edge drug research spanning a range of areas in medicine, including difficult-to-treat and rare illnesses.

Gil Granot-Mayer, Yeda’s CEO, said, “We highly value the commitment, deep understanding and proficiency in early-stage development processes which Deerfield brings to our collaboration. Deerfield’s capabilities, together with Yeda’s commercial and translational expertise and the pioneering multi-disciplinary basic science of the Weizmann Institute, produce a rare synergetic relationship which we are confident will lead to scientific and therapeutic breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity.”

Orchard Innovations, LLC, a private company wholly owned by affiliates of Deerfield, will support R&D projects out of the Weizmann Institute of Science throughout various stages of drug exploration and advancement. Starting early 2020, Yeda will submit proposals on projects for consideration by a committee comprising scientific leadership representing the Weizmann Institute of Science, Yeda and Deerfield.  

“Whether its Weizmann’s groundbreaking discoveries that led to the development of novel drugs for multiple sclerosis, immunotherapies that cure certain previously incurable cancers, or its dominance in medical innovation, the Institute is consistently on the cutting edge of meaningful and impactful innovations,” said James E. Flynn, managing partner at Deerfield. “We are delighted to partner with and leverage the knowledge of the Weizmann Institute in our mutual goal to advance healthcare worldwide. Deerfield’s enhanced capabilities, with the upcoming launch of our new innovation campus at 345 Park Avenue South in New York City, are also expected to be an important source of added value for Weizmann.”

Accepted projects will include a development plan aimed at achieving Investigational New Drug (IND) readiness. Deerfield will provide funding and development support for accepted projects, and promising projects that achieve IND-enabled status may be eligible for additional backing from Deerfield.

Under the terms of the agreement, Orchard Innovations, LLC would receive a licensetointellectual property developed under Deerfield-supported projects at the Weizmann Institute of Science.

About the Weizmann Institute of Science

The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world’s top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.

About Deerfield Management

Deerfield is a healthcare investment management firm committed to advancing healthcare through investment, information and philanthropy.

About Yeda

Yeda Research and Development Company Ltd. is the commercial arm of the Weizmann Institute of Science. Yeda currently manages approximately 500 unique patent families and has generated the highest income per researcher compared to any other academic technology transfer operation worldwide. Through the years, Yeda has contributed the commercialization of a number of groundbreaking therapies, such as Copaxone, Rebif, Tookad®, Erbitux®, Vectibix®, Protrazza®, Humira®, and recently the CAR-T cancer therapy Yescarta®.

-####-

Contact:

Tamir Huberman, [email protected], 972-8-9349282

Karen Heidelberger, [email protected], 212-551-1600 

Real-time feature of Acutus’ AcQMap results in improved patient outcomes

A clinical trial investigating Acutus’ AcQMap showed that this novel imaging and mapping system safely guided cardiac ablation resulting in a 12-month freedom from recurrent atrial fibrillation (AFib) in 73 percent of patients with persistent atrial fibrillation.

The results, published in the July 1, 2019 issue of the Journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology were first reported earlier this year in a late-breaking trial at the 24th Annual AF Symposium in Boston.

Known as UNCOVER-AF, the trial prospectively studied the safety and efficacy of the AcQMap in 127 patients at 13 sites in Europe and Canada – 98 percent of whom achieved a normal heartbeat upon completion of the procedure.

Characterized as an irregular heartbeat, AFib is the most common type of heart arrhythmia and could greatly increase a person’s risk of developing a severe stroke. Cardiac ablation is a procedure that can reduce the risk, yet traditional ablation procedures often fail to achieve long-term absence of AFib, resulting in repeat ablation procedures.

With its precision ultrasound and high definition re-mapping capabilities, AcQMap helps inform physicians in real time who can strive to improve outcomes by checking their work after each ablation.

Adapted from Acutus’ news release: Publication of UNCOVER AF Study in Circulation Demonstrates Impact of Charge Density Mapping During AF Ablation

Acutus has been a Deerfield portfolio company since 2016.  

Farapulse PFA shown as potential alternative to existing ablation procedures

A method of non-thermal field ablation demonstrated safety and efficacy in clinical trials comparing outcomes of the modality to those seen with traditional thermal approaches in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, or episodic AFib.

The results of the first-in-human trial were reported in an online early version of the manuscript that is slated to publish in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Called pulsed field ablation (PFA), the alternate modality was shown to successfully target heart tissue without damaging adjacent structures like the esophagus or phrenic nerve – a shortcoming of standard ablation therapies, including radiofrequency (via heat) and cryotherapy (by way of freezing).

In 81 patients, 100% of pulmonary veins (PV) were specifically isolated with three minutes of PFA time per patient. Furthermore, long-term remapping procedures demonstrated that the rates of durable PV isolation improved with successive waveform modifications with the most optimized PFA group demonstrating 100% durability.

The rate of primary safety events was low at 1.2%, and with no subsequent primary adverse events during follow-up.

Farapulse has been a Deerfield portfolio company since 2017.