Orgenesis Inc., a global biotech company working to transform the delivery of cell and gene therapies (CGTs), has entered into an agreement to acquire the assets of Tamir Biotechnology, Inc., including ranpirnase, TamirBio’s broad spectrum anti-viral platform. The acquisition will be completed for total consideration of approximately $16.8 million. Orgenesis plans to combine ranpirnase with its co-developed Bioxome technology for enhanced payload delivery directly to cells.

TamirBio is a clinical stage anti-viral therapeutics company developing a new class of prophylactic and therapeutic drugs for the treatment of viruses and other pathological conditions.  TamirBio’s lead asset, ranpirnase, a ribonuclease (RNase), is a member of the superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the degradation of RNA, and mediate the regulation of cell proliferation, maturation, differentiation, and cell death. It is a potential candidate for the development of therapeutics for life-threatening diseases, including viral and autoimmune diseases, that require anti-proliferative and apoptotic properties.

TamirBio’s first target is the human papilloma virus (HPV) and the company’s lead asset, topical ranpirnase, was evaluated in a phase I/II trial targeting genital warts. The phase I/II study demonstrated clear clinical effect of ranpirnase and additional clinical trials are currently being planned.

Orgenesis and TamirBio plan to combine ranpirnase with Bioxomes, which have demonstrated the ability to fuse with cell membranes and deliver an intracellular cargo. Bioxomes can carry selected therapeutic cargo inside the target cells when loaded with predesignated genetic material, proteins, signaling molecules and drugs, as these mimic the natural membrane fusion capacity of exosomes. Orgenesis and TamirBio believe the combination of the two platforms will result in enhanced efficacy and anti-viral results.