Tiziana Life Sciences Ltd (NASDAQ:TLSA) said Tuesday it has been invited to present at a major biotechnology conference in Riyadh, underscoring Saudi Arabia’s push to position itself as a global hub for life sciences research and investment.
The Nasdaq-listed biotech will attend the Life Science Innovation Forum, a two-day event hosted Oct. 1–2 at the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences Conference Center. The meeting is backed by J.P. Morgan Asset Management in collaboration with the King Abdullah International Medical Research Center.
The gathering is designed to connect drug developers and research groups with investors and policymakers. Organizers say it supports the country’s National Biotechnology Strategy, which seeks to build an innovation-driven health-care sector and expand investment opportunities. Sessions will include company presentations, panel discussions and networking aimed at spurring partnerships.
Tiziana’s lead drug candidate, foralumab, is a fully human anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody being developed as a nasal spray for conditions involving neuroinflammation.
The company says the intranasal route activates regulatory T cells, a type of immune cell that helps calm excessive immune responses. Delivering the therapy through the nose may also improve safety and convenience compared with traditional intravenous delivery.
Foralumab is currently being tested in patients with non-active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, a form of the disease that is difficult to treat. Fourteen patients have so far been dosed under an expanded-access program, with either stable disease or improvement reported within six months. The company is also running a Phase 2a placebo-controlled study across multiple centres.