On September 10, 2020 Ziopharm Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZIOP), reported that Laurence Cooper, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Ziopharm, is scheduled to participate in two upcoming conferences (Press release, Ziopharm, SEP 10, 2020, View Source [SID1234569923]):

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H.C. Wainwright 22nd Annual Global Investment Conference
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Time: 9:00 a.m. ET (presentation)

Cantor Virtual Global Healthcare Conference
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2020
Time: 1:20 p.m. ET (fireside chat)
To access the live webcast presentations, or the subsequent archived recordings, please visit the "Investors" section of the Ziopharm website at www.ziopharm.com.

On September 10, 2020 AIM ImmunoTech Inc. (NYSE American:AIM) reported that the company will be presenting at the H.C. Wainwright Annual Global Investment Conference, being held virtually on September 14-16, 2020 (Press release, AIM ImmunoTech, SEP 10, 2020, https://aimimmuno.com/press-release/aim-immunotech-to-present-at-the-h-c-wainwright-22nd-annual-global-investment-conference-on-september-14th/ [SID1234569678]).

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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Thomas K. Equels, Chief Executive Officer of AIM ImmunoTech, is scheduled to present on Monday, September 14 at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The presentation will be webcast live on the conference event platform, which can be accessed here.

On September 10, 2020 Immatics N.V. (NASDAQ: IMTX; "Immatics"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company active in the discovery and development of T cell redirecting cancer immunotherapies, reported an update on its fourth ACTengine cell therapy program, IMA204 (Press release, Immatics Biotechnologies, SEP 10, 2020, View Source [SID1234569534]). IMA204 is designed to address a novel target, COL6A3 exon 6, which is highly expressed in the stroma of a large number of solid tumors. Immatics will discuss the IMA204 preclinical data at the Hanson Wade CAR-TCR Digital Week on September 14th.

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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Preclinical data highlights:

Exon 6 of the protein COL6A3 is predominantly expressed in the tumor stroma of multiple solid cancers including pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, gastric cancer, sarcoma, esophageal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, squamous head & neck cancer, colorectal cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and others with prevalence estimates in these cancer types in the range of 40-80%.
The tumor stroma target of IMA204 is an HLA-A*02-associated peptide derived from COL6A3 exon 6 with high copy numbers per cell identified by Immatics’ proprietary mass spectrometry platform, XPRESIDENT.
Over 90 different wild-type TCRs to this peptide were systematically evaluated using Immatics’ platform, XCEPTOR. After TCR characterization, engineering and validation, two affinity-enhanced TCR candidates were selected.
Both TCR candidates demonstrated promising preclinical properties including high avidity (sub-nanomolar EC50) and specificity towards target-positive tumor cells based on XPRESIDENT-guided screening for off-target toxicity and cross-reactivity.
In additional preclinical studies done in close collaboration with Jim Riley, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, both product candidates showed tumor eradication in vitro and in vivo at physiological target expression levels.
One of the two TCR candidates showed full CD8-independent target recognition and engaged both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells without the need for CD8 co-transduction. Based on recent studies Immatics believes that the additional activation of CD4+ T cells is potentially favorable for induction and maintenance of anti-tumor responses against solid cancers.
After completion of ongoing final evaluation of the target and both TCR candidates, Immatics expects to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the IMA204 program in 2021.
Steffen Walter, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer at Immatics, commented: "Solid tumors develop a complex microenvironment where the tumor stroma plays a crucial role in tumor initiation, progression and metastasis by providing a protective defense layer against the body’s immune system. Taking apart the tumor’s defense network with novel and highly potent TCRs directed against the tumor stroma presents a promising opportunity to address hard to treat solid cancers."

About Immatics’ IMA204 Program
Immatics’ fourth ACTengine IMA204 program targets the tumor stroma and is designed to disrupt the tumor microenvironment. The rigid stroma and the immunosuppressive microenvironment of solid tumors pose a significant challenge for T cell accessibility and activity and targeting this compartment could provide a novel approach for many solid tumors. Immatics has selected two product candidates for its IMA204 program following the initial discovery of a novel stroma-associated peptide-HLA complex target using Immatics’ proprietary XPRESIDENT platform and the design of the right affinity-enhanced TCRs using its XCEPTOR platform. The target is present in high copy numbers in the tumor stroma and is part of the COL6A3 exon 6 protein, an extracellular matrix component that is expressed predominantly by tumor stroma cells but to a far lower extent in a few healthy tissues.

About Immatics’ ACT Programs
Immatics’ clinical product class ACTengine is a personalized approach for patients with advanced solid cancers. The patient’s own T cells are genetically modified to express a novel proprietary TCR against the cancer target that is then infused back into the patient. ACTengine programs IMA201, IMA202 and IMA203 are already in clinical studies for solid tumor indications, both in the US and in Germany. Immatics’ latest proprietary ACTengine manufacturing processes are designed to generate cell product candidates within a six day manufacturing window and to deliver highly proliferative T cells, with the capability to infiltrate the patient’s tumor and function in a challenging solid tumor microenvironment. The process is designed to rapidly produce younger, better-persisting T cells capable of "serial" killing tumor cells in vitro. Immatics is further advancing the ACT concept beyond individualized manufacturing with its product class ACTallo which is being developed to generate "off-the-shelf" cellular therapies.

On September 10, 2020 PDL BioPharma, Inc. ("PDL" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: PDLI) reported that its Board of Directors has approved the separation of LENSAR, Inc. ("LENSAR"), a majority owned subsidiary of PDL, from PDL in the form of a dividend involving the distribution of all outstanding shares of LENSAR common stock owned by PDL to holders of PDL common stock (Press release, PDL BioPharma, SEP 10, 2020, View Source [SID1234565158]). Under the terms of the distribution:

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LENSAR common stock is expected to be distributed on October 1, 2020 to PDL stockholders of record as of 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on September 22, 2020, the record date for the distribution.
PDL stockholders will receive 0.075879 shares of LENSAR common stock for every one share of PDL common stock held by such holders (after giving effect to a one-for-nine reverse split of LENSAR’s common stock effected on September 9, 2020).
"The decision by the PDL Board of Directors to spin off LENSAR is the result of the comprehensive strategic process conducted in partnership with our financial advisors at SVB Leerink," commented Dominique Monnet, PDL’s President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are excited about LENSAR’s growth potential as an innovation leader in cataract surgery and its opportunities as a well-capitalized, publicly traded company."

"PDL has been an incredibly supportive parent to LENSAR at a critical time during the execution of our growth strategy," said Nicholas T. Curtis, LENSAR’s Chief Executive Officer. "We believe the decision to fund the development of our GEN2 device ALLY will prove to have long-term impact on the way cataract surgery is thought of and performed globally. We are excited to move forward and take the company to the next level as an independent company with the aspiration of becoming the technology leader in both the premium and conventional cataract surgery markets."

Immediately after the distribution is completed, LENSAR will be an independent, publicly traded company, and "regular-way" trading of LENSAR’s common stock will begin the first trading day after the completion of the distribution. The LENSAR stock is expected to be listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market ("Nasdaq") under the symbol "LNSR."

SVB Leerink is serving as financial advisor to PDL in connection with the spin-off of LENSAR.

Distribution of LENSAR Shares to PDL Stockholders

As stated above, PDL stockholders of record as of 5:00 p.m., Eastern time on September 22, 2020 (the "record date") will be entitled to receive 0.075879 shares of LENSAR common stock for every one share of PDL common stock held by such holders.

No action is required by PDL stockholders to receive the shares of LENSAR common stock in the distribution. PDL stockholders will not be required to pay for the LENSAR shares or to surrender any shares of PDL stock. The distribution will be made in book-entry form.

Fractional shares of LENSAR common stock will not be distributed. Fractional shares of LENSAR common stock that would otherwise be distributed to PDL stockholders will be aggregated and sold in the public market by the transfer agent. The aggregate net proceeds of these sales will be distributed ratably as cash payments to the stockholders who would otherwise have received fractional interests. PDL stockholders should consult their tax advisors with respect to U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of the distribution.

Trading of PDL and LENSAR Common Stock

There is currently no market for LENSAR’s common stock. LENSAR expects its common stock to begin trading on a "when-issued" basis shortly before the September 22, 2020 record date under the ticker "[LNSRV]." "When-issued" trading of LENSAR common stock will continue until the distribution occurs. LENSAR "when-issued" trades will settle after the distribution date with newly issued shares of LENSAR.

Beginning shortly before the September 22, 2020 record date and continuing through the distribution date, it is expected that there will be two ways to trade PDL common stock – either with or without the right to receive shares of LENSAR common stock in the distribution. Stockholders who sell their shares of PDL common stock in the "regular-way" market (that is, the normal trading market on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbol "PDLI") after the record date and on or prior to the distribution date will be selling their right to receive shares of LENSAR common stock in connection with the distribution. It is anticipated that stockholders may also trade their shares of PDL common stock ex-distribution (that is, without the right to receive the shares of LENSAR common stock in the distribution) during that period under the symbol "[PDLIV]."

Investors are encouraged to consult with their financial advisers regarding the specific implications of buying or selling PDL or LENSAR common stock prior to the distribution date.

The completion of the distribution is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions, including, among the others described in the Information Statement included in the Form 10 filed by LENSAR, the declaration by the SEC of the effectiveness of the Form 10, the LENSAR common stock being accepted for listing on the Nasdaq exchange and final approval by the PDL Board of Directors that the distribution remains in the best interest of PDL and its stockholders and that the distribution is still advisable.

Conference Call and Webcast

Dominique Monnet, PDL’s President and CEO, and Nick Curtis, LENSAR’s CEO, will hold a joint conference call to discuss this announcement and provide a business update on LENSAR at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time today, Thursday, September 10, 2020. Slides to accompany the conference call will be available in the Investor Relations section of View Source." target="_blank" title="View Source." rel="nofollow">View Source

To access the live conference call via phone, please dial 866-777-2509 from the United States or 412-317-5413 internationally. The conference ID is 10147821. A telephone replay will be available for one week beginning approximately one hour after the completion of the call and can be accessed by dialing 877-344-7529 from the U.S., 855-669-9658 from Canada or 412-317-0088 internationally. The replay passcode is 10147821.

To access the live and subsequently archived webcast of the conference call, go to the Investor Relations section of View Source and select "Events & Presentations."

On September 10, 2020 Aileron Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ALRN) reported that Manuel Aivado, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, will give a corporate presentation at the upcoming H.C. Wainwright Virtual Global Investment Conference, including an update on the company’s efforts to advance chemoprotection for patients with p53-mutated cancers regardless of cancer type or chemotherapeutic drug (Press release, Aileron Therapeutics, SEP 10, 2020, View Source [SID1234565070]).

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The presentation is scheduled for September 14, 2020 at 02:00 pm ET.

A live webcast of the presentation will be available under the Investors and Media section of Aileron’s website at View Source A replay of the live webcast will be archived on Aileron’s website for 30 days following the event.