On August 4, 2021 Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR), whose physics-based software platform is transforming the way therapeutics and materials are discovered, and Zai Lab Limited (Nasdaq: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688), an innovative commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company, reported a global discovery, development and commercialization collaboration focused on a novel program in oncology targeting DNA damage response (Press release, Schrodinger, AUG 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234585743]).

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"With an established track record of developing and commercializing therapeutics in oncology, Zai Lab is an ideal partner for Schrödinger on this project," said Karen Akinsanya, Ph.D., executive vice president, chief biomedical scientist and head of discovery R&D at Schrödinger. "Together, we will aim to accelerate and expand our focus on targeted DNA damage response inhibition, which is emerging as an important therapeutic strategy for a broad range of cancers. Additionally, the structure of this collaboration provides us with the opportunity to gain development and commercial expertise and the potential to participate more significantly in the downstream value of the program."

"We are pleased to be collaborating with Schrödinger, a recognized leader in physics-based computational drug discovery," said Alan Sandler, M.D., president and head of global development, oncology, at Zai Lab. "This program will complement our existing discovery efforts in the DNA damage response pathway in addition to potential combinatorial approaches within our pipeline, such as with the PARP inhibitor Zejula."

The research program will be conducted jointly by the Schrödinger and Zai Lab scientific teams. The companies will be responsible for their own research program expenses, and under the terms of the collaboration agreement, Zai Lab will make an upfront payment to Schrödinger to help fund Schrödinger’s share of research costs. Following the selection of a development candidate, Zai Lab will assume primary responsibility for global development, manufacturing and commercialization. The agreement provides Schrödinger co-development and co-commercialization rights in the U.S. If Schrödinger elects to co-fund clinical development of a product candidate under the collaboration, it will be entitled to 50 percent of the profits, if any, from the commercialization of such product candidate in the United States. Schrödinger will also be eligible to receive up to approximately $338 million in preclinical, clinical, regulatory and sales-based milestone payments. Additionally, Schrödinger is entitled to receive royalties on net sales outside the U.S.

On August 4, 2021 PanTher Therapeutics (PanTher), a privately held oncology company revolutionizing the treatment of solid tumors with its proprietary treatment platform designed for direct, localized, and sustained delivery of proven and novel therapeutic agents, reported that it received approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) to open a Phase 1 clinical trial of PTM-101 in Australia (Press release, PanTher Therapeutics, AUG 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234585742]). PTM-101 is being developed for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

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"Pancreatic tumors are notoriously difficult to treat, which is why pancreatic cancer has the highest mortality rate of all major cancers with a 5-year relative survival rate of just 10%," said Laura Indolfi, CEO and Co-Founder of PanTher Therapeutics. "Approval for this first-in-human trial of our lead candidate, PTM-101, brings us one step closer in our journey to deliver effective treatments for the deadliest, most difficult-to-treat cancers."

The company also announced today the appointment of J. Marc Pipas, MD, as Chief Medical Officer and the establishment of its clinical advisory board, composed of key opinion leaders with specific expertise in pancreatic cancer and other solid tumors. Dr. Pipas, a veteran gastrointestinal (GI) oncologist and clinical trialist who has assisted in the development of multiple oncology agents from Phase 1 trials through commercialization, will direct PanTher’s clinical development programs.

Dr. Pipas is a graduate of SUNY-Health Science Center at Syracuse, and completed his Residency at the Medical University of South Carolina, followed by a Fellowship in Medical Oncology at Dartmouth. He spent more than 20 years at Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where he was promoted to Full Professor and served as Director of the GI Oncology Program, and Interdisciplinary Pancreas Cancer Clinic. He also spent several years as Director of the Office of Clinical Research at the Norris Cotton Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Director of the Hematology-Oncology Fellowship program.

Following his academic career, Dr. Pipas joined Merrimack Pharmaceuticals as Vice President, Medical Director, where he was involved in program development of ONIVYDE, which received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for pancreatic cancer and was subsequently sold to Ipsen Pharmaceuticals for $1 billion. Dr. Pipas also served as Executive Medical Director, Clinical Development, for H3 Biomedicine, a subsidiary of Eisai Pharmaceuticals, where he focused his energies on Phase 1 Oncology drug trials in GI and breast cancer.

"PanTher’s unique approach to tackling difficult-to-treat deadly cancers has the potential to change the way oncologists approach patients with solid tumors," said Dr. Pipas. "I am excited to join PanTher at this important moment in the company’s development and look forward to working with the team to capitalize on the strong preclinical data and advance this potentially life-saving platform."

"Dr. Pipas has dedicated his career to bringing new therapies to the clinic, and we are thrilled to have him join the PanTher team," said Indolfi. "He brings a deep commitment to patients that fully aligns with our mission to empower oncologists to treat patients with life-threatening cancers by unlocking a drug’s full potential through targeted treatment at the tumor site."

Dr. Pipas will also chair PanTher’s newly established clinical advisory board, which will play an active role in guiding the company’s long-term strategy and pipeline development. He will be joined by four prominent key opinion leaders with extensive experience in GI oncology:

Thomas E. Clancy, MD, FACS, is co-director of the Pancreas and Biliary Tumor Center and Medical Director of Multispecialty Surgical Oncology at the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in Boston. His clinical interests include GI malignancies, pancreatic and liver tumors, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Clancy is also an Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, where he received his Doctor of Medicine.
Jason Fleming, MD, is chair of the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Fleming’s previous roles include Chief of Pancreas Surgery and Professor with tenure in the Department of Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and scientific and medical advisory board member for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN). Dr. Fleming has received several notable honors for his work, including the President’s Faculty Recognition Award for Outstanding Contribution to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Timothy B. Gardner, MD, is Director of the Gastroenterology & Hepatology Fellowship Program and Director of Pancreatic Disorders at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He is also Medical Director of the Islet Cell Transplant Program and is associate professor of medicine at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. He specializes in gastroenterology and hepatology with particular focus in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), endoscopic ultrasound, liver disease, malabsorptive disease, and pancreatic disease.
Theodore (Ted) Sunki Hong, MD, is an accomplished physician-scientist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he serves as Director of Gastrointestinal Radiation Oncology and Co-Director of the Tucker Gosnell Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Hong conducts research involving targeted therapies for the treatment of GI cancers.

On August 4, 2021 Gennao Bio, a privately held genetic medicines company developing first-in-class, targeted nucleic acid therapeutics, reported that management will participate in the 2021 Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference, being held virtually from August 10-11, 2021 (Press release, Gennao Bio, AUG 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234585741]). The details are as follows:

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Event: 2021 Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference
Panel: So Let it Be (Re)Written – Updates in Gene Modulation
Location: Virtual
Date: Tuesday, August 10, 2021
Time: 9:10 AM ET

Members of the Gennao Bio management team will also host investor meetings during the conference.

A live webcast of the panel discussion will be available on the company’s website at www.gennao.com. A replay of the webcast will also be available for 30 days shortly after the conclusion of the event.

On August 4, 2021 EQRx, a company committed to developing and delivering important new medicines at radically lower prices, and AbCellera (Nasdaq: ABCL), a technology company with a centralized operating system for next-generation antibody discovery, reported a collaboration agreement for the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies (Press release, EQRx, AUG 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234585740]). The collaboration will leverage AbCellera’s AI-powered antibody discovery technology to search and analyze natural immune responses to identify novel antibody drug candidates for multiple targets. The partnership, which spans several therapeutic areas, will help to rapidly expand EQRx’s early-stage pipeline of novel medicines. The deal also includes the option for additional investment from AbCellera at progressive stages of preclinical development, clinical development, and commercialization in exchange for an increased share of product sales. The initial programs will focus on targets in oncology and immunology.

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"This collaboration with AbCellera represents another important step to continue to expand our portfolio as we seek to lead the way in the future of affordable, accessible and high-impact medicines," said Carlos Garcia-Echeverria, Ph.D., chief of Rx creation at EQRx. "AbCellera’s operating system for antibody discovery addresses each step in the process to dramatically improve the cycle time, cost, and probability of success, and we look forward to working together to advance unique clinical candidates against key disease targets."

"AbCellera exists to create value by connecting technology with innovation of all kinds – innovation in biology, in new drug modalities, and in new commercial models. We’re proud to partner with EQRx on their bold mission to reimagine drug development and bring medicines to patients faster and at lower cost," said Carl Hansen, Ph.D., CEO of AbCellera. "This partnership is yet another example of how we can apply our business model, creating greater value and alignment through deals that include the option to invest in programs."

On August 4, 2021 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, reported that Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., the company’s Chief Executive Officer and President will participate in a panel titled Miss Con-GENE-iality – Updates in Gene Tx on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at the Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference at 12:00 PM ET (Press release, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, AUG 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234585739]).

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The live and archived webcast of the presentation will be accessible from the company’s website at View Source The replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.