On September 30, 2020 DiscoveryBioMed, Inc. (DBM) reported that and excited to be involved in the BIO Alabama Annual Conference to be held virtually from October 5-8 (Press release, DiscoveryBioMed, SEP 30, 2020, View Source [SID1234567813]). There are some great keynote speakers and sessions as well as a one-on-one partnering vehicle that DBM is co-sponsoring for the event. "At the BIO International Convention, DBM takes full advantage of the One on One Partnering vehicle to connect to future potential partners and clients," explained Dr. Erik Schwiebert, CEO and CSO of DBM. "We encouraged a similar vehicle, given the virtual format for the meeting, where connections can be made and/or deepened across the BIO Alabama network and ecosystem."

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In addition, Erik is joining Rachel Lane that leads a scientific writing enterprise called The Written Science for a fireside chat on small business grant programs at the NIH and NSF for life sciences and biotechnology companies. Erik is also going to connect virtually to the Auburn Engineering Club one evening that week to discuss the life sciences and biotechnology career path, DBM, and other topics of interest to Auburn undergraduates. He is also a part of the BIO Alabama Executive Committee and the Planning Committee for this conference.

"Sonia Robinson in particular and the BIO Alabama leadership in general has brought significant new and important energy for our State affiliate and has started many important conversations, including the potential for SBIR-STTR award supplements, to new awardees in the State of Alabama. We need to continue this important momentum for the rest of 2020 and carry it into 2021."

On September 30, 2020 The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research (MFCR) reported that the launch of a new funding program that supports the development of novel cancer therapeutics in areas with high unmet needs (Press release, The Mark Foundation For Cancer Research, SEP 30, 2020, View Source [SID1234567812]). These Drug Discovery Partnership awards are structured to support high-risk, high-reward research and bridge the substantial gap in advancing promising academic discoveries to novel therapies.

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Two projects have been initially selected for funding:

A team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute led by Sara Buhrlage, PhD is developing a best-in-class inhibitor of the USP7 enzyme for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer of the bone and soft tissue that affects children and young adults. USP7 is a deubiquitinating enzyme or "DUB" a class of proteins that regulate cellular protein homeostasis and play an important role in diseases including cancer. Over the past decade there has been much interest targeting DUBs with small molecule therapeutics, however progress has been slow to due to issues with specificity and selectivity. Buhrlage’s lab has discovered a new series of potent and selective USP7 inhibitors that will be optimized preclinically and hopefully bring new therapeutic treatments to the clinic to help treat this devastating childhood cancer. More information on the USP7 project can be found on the MFCR website.
A team at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Institute for Applied Cancer Science (IACS), part of the institution’s Therapeutics Discovery division, led by Philip Jones, PhD is developing what could be the first inhibitor of the transcriptional co-activator CBP/p300 to be tested clinically in genetically defined leukemias. CBP and p300 proteins are both epigenetic regulators that can read and write certain epigenetic marks on histone proteins and have been linked to the development of cancer and other diseases. The IACS team at MD Anderson has discovered a highly selective series of CBP/p300 bromodomain inhibitors and will now focus on preclinical development. More information on the CBP/p300 project can be found on the MFCR website.
MFCR Drug Discovery Partnerships are focused on key milestones along the continuum from target identification to preclinical development and initial regulatory filings. Projects will typically be supported for 1–3 years with budgets aligned to detailed research plans and award payments made based on milestone achievements. For these initial two projects, up to $4.6M total is expected to be awarded over the next two years.

"From our years of combined pharmaceutical industry experience, my Mark Foundation colleagues and I know that the steps needed to develop a new drug from an early academic concept are fraught with challenges," said Ryan Schoenfeld, PhD, Vice President, Scientific Research. "It’s an area of tremendous unmet need with which we are uniquely capable to help. We’re ecstatic to have the opportunity to provide scientific and technical guidance to brilliant scientists so that we can accelerate their ideas into the clinic."

The scientists at MFCR will also take advantage of their experience working with contract research organizations and other industry partners to provide grantees access to state-of-the-art drug discovery and development capabilities.

Since 2017, MFCR has awarded over $95 million in grants to enable innovative basic, translational, and clinical cancer research, including early-stage drug discovery. MFCR also has a growing investment portfolio that includes drug discovery companies Accent Therapeutics (focused on RNA-modifying proteins implicated in cancer) and Verseau Therapeutics (developing macrophage-targeting immunotherapies), as well as liquid biopsy diagnostics companies C2i Genomics and GRAIL.

On September 30, 2020 ImmuPharma PLC (LSE:IMM), (Euronext Growth Brussels: ALIMM) ("ImmuPharma" or the "Company"), the specialist drug discovery and development company, reported its interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2020 (the "Period") (Press release, ImmuPharma, SEP 30, 2020, View Source [SID1234567811]).

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Key Highlights (including post Period review)

Financials

Stable financial performance over the Period
– Cash balance of £2.7m as at 30 June 2020 (31 December 2019: £1.4m)
– Derivative financial asset of £2.5m as at 30 June 2020 (31 December 2019: £2.3m)
– Incanthera financial asset of £1.2 million (£0.7 million at 31 December 2019) and warrants financial asset of £0.5 million (£Nil at 31 December 2019)
– Convertible loan notes of £2.4 million (face value) (£Nil at 31 December 2019)
– Loss for the period of £3m (30 June 2019: £3.9m)
– Share based expense of £1m (30 June 2019: £1m)
– Research and development expenses of £0.9m (30 June 2019: £1.4m)
– Administrative expenses of £1m (30 June 2019: £0.9m)
– Basic and diluted loss per share of 1.69p (30 June 2019: 2.80p)
– £1.5m subscription agreement through the issue of 15,000,000 new ordinary shares – March 2020
– Agreements with 2 specialist US healthcare investors for a total investment of up to $6.3m (£4.94m) – June 2020
– Placing of new ordinary shares of £6.5m (gross) – September 2020
‘Autoimmunity’: LupuzorTM

License and development agreement with Avion Pharmaceuticals progress
– Avion strengthened advisory team for Lupuzor Phase III trial, including collaboration with leading Lupus patient group and formation of Key Opinion Leaders ("KOLs")
– Submission to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for forthcoming international Phase III trial of Lupuzor

Other program developments

Elro and Ureka combined to form Ureka Pharma SAS
Three therapy areas: Cancer, Metabolism and (new) Anti-Infectives (Anti-Viral, Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Fungal) – these programs include:
– Anti-Infective: BioAMP-B (Anti-Fungal) product for lung infections
– Metabolism: BioGlucagon product – rescue therapy for low sugar events in diabetes
– All programs provide future partnering opportunities
Incanthera plc oncology specialist where ImmuPharma held 11.9% shareholding at 30 June 2020, listed on Aquis Stock Exchange ("AQSE", formerly NEX Exchange) in February 2020 – 2 recent progress updates:
– Successful study results for its skin cancer technology, Sol
– Positive data from Sensitisation study
Commenting on the statement and outlook Tim McCarthy, Chairman, said: "Despite the disruptions of Covid -19 pandemic, we have been focused, in collaboration with our partner Avion, on expediting Lupuzor into a new optimised, international Phase III study in Lupus patients. With the SPA now submitted to the FDA, we await final guidance on the protocol of the trial from the FDA, prior to commencing patient recruitment. "We continue to progress our other R&D programs which includes our anti-fungal Bio-AMP-B therapy, which has the potential of progressing quickly through initial bio-equivalence trials. Discussions for potential partnering opportunities continue. These initiatives create further opportunities in the medium to long term.

"In response to strong investor interest this year, we are delighted to welcome new and returning institutional and private investors as part of three successful capital raisings. This has created a robust financial position with an anticipated cash runway until the end of 2023.

"As we move our key asset, Lupuzor into a new international optimised Phase III trial and continue to progress our development pipeline, the investment thesis of ImmuPharma continues to strengthen and we look forward to providing further value enhancing progress updates over the next period to create long term shareholder value for our shareholders.

"In closing, the Board would like to take this opportunity to thank its shareholders, new and longstanding, for their continued support as well as its staff, corporate and scientific advisers and our partners including, CNRS and Avion."

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 596/2014. ("MAR")

On September 30, 2020 IGM Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IGMS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on creating and developing engineered IgM antibodies, reported that the first patient has been dosed in its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating IGM-8444, an IgM antibody targeting the Death Receptor 5 (DR5) protein, in patients with solid cancers and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (Press release, IGM Biosciences, SEP 30, 2020, View Source [SID1234567810]).

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The multicenter, open-label Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate IGM-8444 intravenously administered as a monotherapy and in combination with chemotherapy in patients with relapsed and/or refractory solid cancers and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The key objectives of this trial are to provide an initial assessment of the pharmacokinetics, safety, biomarkers and preliminary efficacy of IGM-8444 both as a single agent and in combination with standard of care chemotherapy. IGM expects to report initial data from this Phase 1 trial in 2021.

"The initiation of this clinical trial is another significant milestone in IGM’s development, as it marks the second program from our proprietary IgM antibody platform to begin clinical development," said Fred Schwarzer, Chief Executive Officer of IGM Biosciences. "We believe that IgM antibodies have the potential to overcome some of the limitations of current IgG-based medicines and deliver new therapeutic options to patients with cancer and other serious diseases, and we hope to pursue a broad clinical development strategy for IGM-8444, including in combination with other targeted oncology drugs."

"DR5 IgM antibodies have the capacity for multivalent binding of DR5 and are designed to more efficiently send an apoptotic signal to the cancer cell and enhance in vitro potency in killing cancer cells compared to IgG antibodies with the same binding units," said Johanna Bendell, M.D., Chief Development Officer, Director, Drug Development Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Tennessee Oncology. "I look forward to working with the IGM team in their pursuit to fully elucidate the potential of this novel therapy."

On September 30, 2020 Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients battling cancer, reported that it has completed the sale of Verastem’s COPIKTRA (duvelisib), a marketed oral inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the first FDA-approved dual inhibitor of PI3K-delta and PI3K-gamma, to Secura Bio, Inc (Press release, Verastem, SEP 30, 2020, View Source [SID1234567809]).

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In consideration for the COPIKTRA assets, Verastem received from Secura Bio $70 million in cash. Additionally, Verastem is eligible to receive up to a total deal value of $311 million if certain regulatory and sales-based milestones are successfully met by Secura Bio and COPIKTRA’s other rest-of-world partners. Verastem will also receive low double-digit royalties on net sales over $100 million in the U.S., Europe and the United Kingdom. Secura Bio has assumed all operational and financial responsibility for COPIKTRA program activities, including commercialization efforts in the United States and Europe, ongoing clinical trials, development and commercialization partnerships with Yakult, CSPC and Sanofi and existing royalty obligations.

Verastem’s sale of COPIKTRA to Secura Bio follows Verastem’s previously announced new strategic direction focused on development of its RAF/MEK inhibitor (VS-6766) and FAK inhibitor (defactinib) program in KRAS mutant (KRASmt) solid tumors. Verastem’s first potential indications for the VS-6766 and defactinib combination will be in low-grade serous ovarian cancer (LGSOC) and KRASmt non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

"This transaction delivers clear benefits for both Verastem Oncology and Secura Bio. At Verastem, we will now focus all of our efforts and resources on development of the VS-6766 and defactinib combination in LGSOC and KRASmt NSCLC," said Brian Stuglik, Chief Executive Officer of Verastem Oncology. "The ongoing Phase 1/2 FRAME study continues to provide encouraging data and we plan to commence registration-directed clinical trials in LGSOC and KRASmt NSCLC by the end of 2020."

MTS Health Partners, L.P and Ropes & Gray LLP acted as advisors to Verastem Oncology on this transaction.

About VS-6766

VS-6766 (formerly known as CH5126766, CKI27 and RO5126766) is a unique inhibitor of the RAF/MEK signaling pathway. In contrast to other MEK inhibitors in development, VS-6766 blocks both MEK kinase activity and the ability of RAF to phosphorylate MEK. This unique mechanism allows VS-6766 to block MEK signaling without the compensatory activation of MEK that appears to limit the efficacy of other inhibitors.

About Defactinib

Defactinib (VS-6063) is an oral small molecule inhibitor of FAK and PYK2 that is currently being evaluated as a potential combination therapy for various solid tumors. The Company has received Orphan Drug designation for defactinib in ovarian cancer and mesothelioma in the US, EU and Australia. Preclinical research by Verastem Oncology scientists and collaborators at world-renowned research institutions has described the effect of FAK inhibition to enhance immune response by decreasing immuno-suppressive cells, increasing cytotoxic T cells, and reducing stromal density, which allows tumor-killing immune cells to enter the tumor.1,2

About the VS-6766/Defactinib Combination

RAS mutant tumors are present in ~30% of all human cancers, have historically presented a difficult treatment challenge and are often associated with significantly worse prognosis. Challenges associated with identifying new treatment options for these types of cancers include resistance to single agents, identifying tolerable combination regimens with MEK inhibitors and new RAS inhibitors in development addressing only a minority of all RAS mutated cancers.

The combination of VS-6766 and defactinib has been found to be clinically active in patients with KRAS mt tumors. In an ongoing investigator-initiated Phase 1/2 FRAME study, the combination of VS-6766 and defactinib is being evaluated in patients with LGSOC, KRASmt NSCLC and colorectal cancer (CRC). Updated interim data from this study presented at the 2nd Annual RAS-Targeted Drug Development Summit in September 2020 demonstrated a 56% overall response rate and long duration of therapy among patients with KRAS-G12 mt LGSOC. Based on an observation of higher response rates seen in NSCLC patients with KRAS-G12V mutations in the study, Verastem will also be further exploring the role of VS-6766 and defactinib in KRAS-G12V NSCLC. The FRAME study was expanded in August 2020 to include new cohorts in pancreatic cancer, KRASmt endometrial cancer and KRAS-G12V NSCLC.