In July 2020, the clinical-stage biotech Tevogen Bio (Metuchen, N.J.) announced its plans to use its proprietary T-cell therapy to treat COVID-19.
Now, the company has announced that it has received funding from HMP Partners, a team of physician-investors, to advance what it terms an “investigational curative” therapy.
Tevogen will use the funding to support clinical trials for the therapy.
The company filed an investigational new drug application with the FDA in October 2020.
The company’s TVGN-489 therapy consists of allogenic lab-grown virus-specific T cells that it hopes will recognize and destroy COVID-19-infected calls.
HMP Partners believes the therapy could be effective against COVID-19 variants. “We believe it’s imperative to create a curative treatment that is not expected to be compromised by mutations,” said HMP CEO Dr. Manmohan Patel in a statement. “Unmodified virus-specific T-cells are well established as being effective and safe at treating viral infections, which is why we are supporting Tevogen’s efforts to develop a much-needed COVID-19 cure.”
The company continues to seek government funding to prepare for the therapy’s eventual manufacture.
Tevogen initially launched intending to cure cancer, but the pandemic convinced it to focus on fighting COVID-19.