Y-mAbs Announces Update on SADA Technology and New Preclinical SADA Construct

On July 14, 2020 Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Y-mAbs") (Nasdaq: YMAB) a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, antibody-based therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, reported that Brian H. Santich, PhD, from Memorial Sloan Kettering ("MSK") will present an update on the Company’s SADA technology platform at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging ("SNMMI") Virtual Annual Meeting on July 14, 2020 (Press release, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, JUL 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234561861]). The SADA technology was licensed by the Company from MSK and Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT") earlier this year.

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Dr. Santich will present how the SADA technology’s 2-step payload delivery can be achieved in an in-vitro setting, where tumors were shown to shrink or completely disappear, while other tissues were spared. No clearing agent was needed, and no significant toxicity to bone marrow, kidneys or liver tissues was observed. We believe that the SADA technology may allow for rapid clearance of the compound, while maintaining high target uptake, and thereby causing less immunogenicity. In addition, the SADA technology appears to be modular, whereby any DOTA-modified radioactive payload combined with any therapeutic antibody seems possible.

"We are excited about the prospects of SADA technology, and this far we have four SADA targets in pre-clinical development. This includes our new construct, B7-H3 SADA, which we intend to use for the treatment of prostate cancer," stated Thomas Gad, Founder, Chairman and President.

Dr. Claus Moller, Chief Executive Officer, continued, "We look forward to further advancing the SADA technology, and plan to submit the first IND for a SADA construct in 2021. We have high hopes to see Liquid RadiationTM transform today’s cancer treatments."

Researchers at MSK including Dr. Santich, developed the SADA technology for radioimmunotherapy, which is exclusively licensed by MSK to Y-mAbs. Dr. Santich has intellectual property rights and interests in the technology, and as a result of this licensing arrangement, MSK has institutional financial interests in the technology and Y-mAbs.

Orgenesis to Collaborate with Educell to Conduct Clinical Validation of Cell Therapies Using Orgenesis’ Proprietary POCare Technologies for the Generation and Expansion of T-Cells

On July 14, 2020 Orgenesis Inc. (NASDAQ: ORGS) ("Orgenesis" or the "Company"), a pioneering global biotech company committed to accelerating commercialization and transforming the delivery of cell and gene therapies (CGTs), reported that it has entered into a Collaboration Agreement with Educell Ltd., a premier European cell therapy company (Press release, Orgenesis, JUL 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234561860]). Under the agreement, the parties plan to conduct one or more collaborative cell-based research projects aligned with local medical centers.

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The companies will leverage the Orgenesis Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) Biotech Platform which includes point of care (POCare) Networks, POCare Therapeutics and a POCare Technologies suite of proprietary and in-licensed technologies that have been engineered to create customized processing systems. The agreement is part of the Orgenesis strategy of growing and expanding the POCare Network, which includes leading hospitals and research institutes around the world. The first collaboration under the agreement will focus on the clinical development of CAR-T and whole cell-based vaccine platform for use in cancer immunotherapies.

Vered Caplan, CEO of Orgenesis, stated, "This latest collaboration with Educell expands our activities in Europe and we believe that it should help us launch our therapies into additional European hospitals, as well as help Educell commercialize their therapies around the world. We also believe that this collaboration reinforces the significant value proposition and flexibility of our CGT Biotech Platform. We look forward to benefiting from the expertise of Educell as we seek to expand our automated T-cell culturing approach into clinical validation and commercialization phases."

Dr Miomir Knežević, CEO of Educell, commented, "We are excited to team with Orgenesis to potentially advance these breakthrough therapies into clinical trials using cutting edge technologies. This collaboration reflects our commitment to bringing new, effective and affordable cell and gene therapy products to cancer patients worldwide while highlighting Educell’s ability to ensure safety in the process and help to reduce overall manufacturing costs."

Together, the companies are working to address significant unmet market needs for producing novel cell therapies in a cost effective, high quality and scalable manner. The joint clinical development program seeks to provide safe, simplified, and cost-effective processing in an automated and controlled environment from start to finish with minimal operator intervention.

Celsion Corporation to Hold Conference Call to Discuss OPTIMA Study on Wednesday, July 15, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time

On July 14, 2020 Celsion Corporation (NASDAQ: CLSN) reported that it will host a conference call and webcast on Wednesday, July 15 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time to discuss its current observations about the results of the OPTIMA Study and the Company’s next steps (Press release, Celsion, JUL 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234561858]).

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To access the conference call, interested parties may dial 1-800-367-2403 (Toll-Free/North America) or 1-334-777-6978 (International/Toll) 10 minutes before the call is scheduled to begin using the Conference ID 1879551. The conference call will be webcast via the Investors page on the Company’s website at View Source The call will be archived for replay through July 29, 2020. The replay can be accessed at 1-719-457-0820 or 1-888-203-1112 using Conference ID 1879551. Approximately two hours following the live event, an audio replay of the conference call will also be available on the Company’s website for 90 days.

Vor Biopharma Appoints Dr. Christopher Slapak as Chief Medical Officer

On July 14, 2020 Vor Biopharma, an oncology company pioneering engineered hematopoietic stem cells (eHSCs) for the treatment of cancer, reported it has appointed Christopher Slapak, MD, as Chief Medical Officer (Press release, Vor BioPharma, JUL 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234561856]). Dr. Slapak has more than 20 years of leadership experience in oncology drug development and previously led global clinical development for all early-stage oncology compounds for Eli Lilly and Company.

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"As Vor rapidly advances to become a clinical-stage company, it is wonderful for Christopher to commit to this full-time role leading the development of our oncology therapeutics," said Robert Ang, MBBS, MBA, Vor’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Dr. Slapak has served as Vor’s Interim Chief Medical Officer since July 2019 as part of his work as an independent consultant advising on scientific and medical aspects of oncology drug development. For more than 20 years, he held leadership roles at Eli Lilly and Company, including positions as Distinguished Lilly Scholar and Vice President, Early Phase Research. He oversaw the global clinical development of all early-stage oncology compounds for Lilly and ImClone (which was acquired by Lilly in 2008), including the successful early-stage development of abemaciclib (Verzenio).

Dr. Slapak received his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency in internal medicine. After fellowship training in hematology and oncology at Tufts/New England Medical Center, Dr. Slapak was appointed Instructor and then Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School. He is board certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology and currently has a joint appointment as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

"Vor’s approach to engineering hematopoietic stem cells that are invulnerable to targeted therapies is a major innovation in stem cell transplantation," Dr. Slapak said. "Acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and our lead indication, constitutes a major unmet medical need – more than 20,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed annually and less than 30% survive five years after diagnosis. By rendering healthy blood and bone marrow cells invisible to CD33-targeted therapies, we hope to provide long-term remissions for these patients, ultimately improving and prolonging life."

Nkarta Announces Closing of Upsized Initial Public Offering and Exercise in Full of Underwriters’ Option to Purchase Additional Shares

On July 14, 2020 Nkarta, Inc. (Nasdaq: NKTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered natural killer (NK) cell therapies to treat cancer, reported the closing of its initial public offering of 16,100,000 shares of common stock, including the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to 2,100,000 additional shares of common stock, at a public offering price of $18.00 per share (Press release, Nkarta, JUL 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234561855]). The aggregate gross proceeds from the offering were $289.8 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Nkarta. All shares in the offering were offered by Nkarta. Nkarta’s common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on July 10, 2020 under the ticker symbol "NKTX."

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Cowen, Evercore ISI, Stifel and Mizuho Securities acted as joint book-running managers for the offering.

A registration statement relating to these securities was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and became effective on July 9, 2020. The offering was made only by means of a prospectus, copies of which may be obtained from Cowen and Company, LLC, Attn: Prospectus Department, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, Attn: Prospectus Department, by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (833) 297-2926; Evercore Group L.L.C., Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 55 East 52nd Street, 36th Floor, New York, New York 10055, by telephone at 888-474-0200, or by email at [email protected]; Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Attention: Prospectus Department, One Montgomery Street, Suite 3700, San Francisco, CA 94104 or by telephone at (415) 364-2720 or by email at [email protected]; Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Attention: Equity Capital Markets, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10020, or by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (212) 205-7600.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.