Pulmatrix has proposed a merger agreement with Cullgen, a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company applying its proprietary targeted protein degradation uSMITE™ platform to discover and advance therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.  

Cullgen utilizes its proprietary technology platform, uSMITE™, featuring novel E3 ligands, to build the next generation of targeted protein degraders and degrader-antibody conjugates (DACs).

In 2023 Cullgen completed a Series C financing led by AstraZeneca-CICC Venture Capital Partnership, and also announced a strategic partnership with Astellas Pharma Inc.

At the effective time of the merger, the executive officers of the combined company will be led by Ying Luo, PhD Cullgen’s Chairman and CEO. The Cullgen Board of Directors will be supplemented by one representative of Pulmatrix. 

Ying Luo, Ph.D., commented, “I’m delighted to announce this planned merger with Pulmatrix, which comes at a pivotal moment in the evolution of our company as we advance our pipeline of targeted protein degraders into clinical development for cancer and other diseases.  Listing on Nasdaq will help fuel our growth and enable us to unlock the full potential of our technology platform, including our plans to develop and advance degrader-antibody conjugates and additional targeted protein degraders into the clinic.”

Peter Ludlum, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Pulmatrix, added, “Following a thorough evaluation of strategic alternatives, the Pulmatrix board of directors and management team believe that this anticipated transaction represents an opportunity to deliver value to our stockholders. We anticipate that this merger will allow our stockholders to participate in Cullgen’s promising research and development activities and also provide a benefit in the form of a potential dividend component immediately prior to the close of the merger. Prior to transaction closing, we will attempt to increase cash available for the special dividend by divesting corporate assets including PUR1800, PUR3100, and the patent portfolio for iSPERSE™.”

Cullgen currently has three degrader programs that are in or about to initiate Phase 1 clinical testing.  CG001419 is a first-in-class, selective, clinically active, oral pan-TRK degrader that is being studied in two separate clinical trials—one for solid tumors, and the other for the treatment of acute and chronic pain.  With respect to the cancer trial, Cullgen has dosed ten patients thus far with no observed dose-limiting toxicity, treatment-related serious adverse events or grade ≥ 3 treatment related adverse events.   Regarding the pain trial, Cullgen recently received HREC (Australia) approval to begin enrolling patients to evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic characteristics of CG001419 in healthy volunteers. Cullgen anticipates enrolling the first patient in early 2025. This program aims to provide a new non-opioid non-NSAID analgesic which can fulfill unmet medical needs in the field of pain.

Cullgen is also evaluating CG009301, a GSPT1 degrader for the treatment of blood cancers including relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML), higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS), and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cullgen has received IND allowance from the China CDE for this product candidate and Cullgen anticipates dosing the first patient in the first quarter of 2025.  CG009301 also has the potential to be used for the treatment of solid tumors harboring MYC amplification.

In addition to these three clinical programs, Cullgen is also advancing several other targeted protein degraders and DACs, predominantly for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disease, including a program targeting a cell cycle protein that has been partnered with Astellas Pharma Inc.