Extensive IP and Manufacturing, and Regulatory Opportunities
Past Investments
In early 2024, Taran acquired the assets of Humanigen, a NASDAQ-listed company, through a bankruptcy sale. These assets included LENZ, which had already been developed at a cost of more than $500 million . Those past investments provide an unusual opportunity for the new company: completed studies establish the safety profile of LENZ, extensive CMC work has been completed, and an inventory remains of the drug for contemplated trials. In addition, trials for
LENZ in CMML and aGvHD are ongoing, with the majority of funding provided by partner organizations. Prior studies have been completed in CMML, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and as a companion therapy to CAR-T. For more on the trials, see The Products.
Regulatory Opportunity
Taran is pursuing treatments and potential cures for diseases of high unmet medical need including those with relatively small patient numbers, such as JMML, a potentially lethal disease in children that is newly diagnosed in about 100 children a year in the US. Our commitment to these rare and orphan diseases makes us eligible for regulatory benefits intended to encourage work in these areas. For example, if priority review is granted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for JMML and LENZ is first approved in the US in that indication, the approval may include issuance of a transferable Priority Review Voucher, currently changing hands for $100-125MM.
