On October 5, 2021 Silverback Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBTX) ("Silverback"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary ImmunoTAC technology platform to develop systemically delivered, tissue targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, chronic viral infections, and other serious diseases, reported that the Company will participate in the H.C. Wainwright Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Conference on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 (Press release, Silverback Therapeutics, OCT 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234590847]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Laura Shawver, Ph.D., Silverback’s Chief Executive Officer, and Valerie Odegard, Ph.D., Silverback’s President and Chief Scientific Officer, will participate in a fireside chat on Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at 10:30 a.m. ET (7:30 a.m. PT). The live webcast of the presentation will be available on Silverback’s investor relations website.

On October 5, 2021 Proscia, a leading provider of digital and computational pathology solutions, reported that it has released study results on new technology that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically detect melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, with a high degree of accuracy (Press release, Proscia, OCT 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234590846]). The findings illustrate the promise of AI to deliver faster diagnoses, improve patient outcomes, and optimize laboratory economics in the routine practice of pathology.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Proscia’s prospective study, conducted at Thomas Jefferson University and the University of Florida, demonstrated the real-world performance of the AI on an uncurated set of 1,422 sequential skin biopsies. The technology correctly identified invasive melanoma and melanoma in situ with a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 91%. It also classified basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma with an AUC of .97 and .95, respectively, accounting for a combined 97% of all skin cancers. This study validated the results of a multi-site retrospective study of 12,784 images, which will be presented during the Computational Challenges in Digital Pathology Workshop at the 2021 International Conference on Computer Vision1.

"The performance of Proscia’s technology in detecting melanoma and other malignant skin diseases is impressive," said Dr. Kiran Motaparthi, Director of Dermatopathology and Clinical Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Florida. "This is an exciting development as pathologists increasingly look to unlock new sources of value from artificial intelligence."

In addition to the prospective and retrospective studies, Proscia is conducting additional research to demonstrate the potential benefits of AI in dermatopathology, including:

Delivering faster results to patients. AI that automatically identifies melanoma alerts the pathologist to these high-risk cases, flagging them for earlier diagnosis. As the volume of skin biopsies continues to rise amid a declining pathologist population, this detection could help to ensure that patients with the most clinically impactful diagnoses are prioritized so that they can begin treatment sooner.
Driving consistency in the diagnosis of difficult melanoma cases. In addition to being the most lethal skin disease, melanoma is among the most challenging to diagnose, leading to interobserver variability among pathologists2. The ability of AI to distinguish melanoma from benign mimickers could serve as an adjunctive aid to the pathologist, increasing diagnostic accuracy and improving patient outcomes.
Optimizing laboratory productivity to enhance profitability. More than 15 million skin biopsies are taken annually in the United States3, each of which may display one of hundreds of diagnoses. AI that classifies and distinguishes melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer could enable laboratories to optimize case distribution among specialists and non-specialists, resulting in efficiency gains that make it possible to process more case volume and partially overcome the impact of declining reimbursements.
"Proscia’s technology represents a significant advancement in our work on skin pathology," said Julianna Ianni, Ph.D., Proscia’s Vice President of AI Research & Development. "Our AI not only identifies melanoma, a difficult diagnosis, but also accounts for the high degree of variation in disease to push the boundaries of deep learning in medicine. In doing so, it holds great promise to help pathologists deliver faster, more consistent diagnoses and improve patient outcomes."

The AI validated in the study expands upon the technology that powers Proscia’s DermAI application*. Available on the Concentriq digital pathology platform, DermAI provides an AI-based classification for every skin case to drive efficiency and quality gains. The application’s performance was demonstrated in one of pathology’s most comprehensive studies to date, and it continues to be validated and deployed as part of Proscia’s ongoing work in AI. The company is also collaborating with leading academic and commercial laboratories, including LabPON, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Unilabs, University Medical Center Utrecht, and University of California, San Francisco, to accelerate the adoption of AI in pathology.

To learn more about Proscia’s prospective study, join Julianna Ianni along with collaborators Dr. Kiran Motaparthi and Dr. Jason Lee for a webinar, "Automated Detection of Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer with Artificial Intelligence: Prospective Study & Real-World Impact," on November 9th at 1PM ET.

Related Resources

Product Spotlight: Proscia DermAI
Video: Leading dermatopathologists speak about DermAI
Discussion: Sean Grullon, Proscia’s Lead AI Scientist, on the retrospective study
Overview: Proscia’s platform + AI approach
*DermAI is available for research use only.

On October 5, 2021 Aulos Bioscience, an immuno-oncology company working to revolutionize cancer care through a potentially best-in-class, computationally evolved IL-2 human antibody, reported the planned presentation of preclinical data on its lead investigational therapy, AU-007, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper)’s (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 36th Annual Meeting (Press release, Aulos Bioscience, OCT 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234590845]). The SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) meeting will run Nov. 10-14, 2021, in Washington D.C., as well as virtually.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"We believe in the potential of our initial clinical candidate, AU-007, as a novel cancer treatment that could meaningfully impact the lives of patients with its highly differentiated approach to harnessing the power of IL-2 to eradicate solid tumors," said Aron Knickerbocker, Aulos Bioscience’s chief executive officer. "We look forward to presenting preclinical data at the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting and to initiating clinical testing in patients with cancer by year end."
Abstract ID

Poster Number and Title

Presenting Author

14867

704: The computationally designed human antibody, AU-007, mediates human immune activation by endogenous IL-2, while uniquely breaking the IL-2 auto-inhibitory loop and preventing Treg expansion

Yanay Ofran, Ph.D.

Biolojic Design and Aulos Bioscience

The poster will be presented in the Poster Hall at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021. It will also be available as an ePoster on display on the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2021 virtual meeting platform from 7 a.m. EST on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, until the virtual meeting platform is closed on Jan. 9, 2022.

About AU-007
AU-007 is a computationally evolved, human IgG1 monoclonal antibody that is highly selective to the CD25-binding portion of IL-2. With a mechanism of action unlike any other IL-2 therapeutic in development, AU-007 leverages the body’s own IL-2 to reinforce anti-tumor immune effects. This is achieved by preventing IL-2 secreted by T effector cells from binding to trimeric receptors on T regulatory cells while still allowing IL-2 to bind and expand effector cells. This prevents the negative feedback loop caused by other IL-2 based treatments and biases the immune system towards activation over suppression. AU-007 also prevents IL-2 from binding to trimeric receptors on vasculature and pulmonary endothelium, which may significantly reduce the vascular leak syndrome and pulmonary edema associated with high-dose IL-2 therapy.

On October 5, 2021 CytRx Corporation (OTCQB: CYTR) ("CytRx" or the "Company"), a specialized biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development for the oncology and neurodegenerative disease categories, reported that Steven A. Kriegsman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CytRx, is scheduled to present at the Virtual LD Micro Main Event XIV, which is being held from October 12-14, 2021 (Press release, CytRx, OCT 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234590844]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Mr. Kriegsman’s virtual presentation will be available for on-demand viewing throughout the conference. Interested parties can view the presentation here.

As a reminder, CytRx joined the LD Micro Index in 2021.

On October 5, 2021 Exo Therapeutics, Inc., a small molecule drug discovery and development company with a pioneering technology to address intractable pharmaceutical targets, reported the completion of a $78 million Series B financing (Press release, Exo Therapeutics, OCT 5, 2021, View Source [SID1234590843]). New investor, Nextech Invest, led the oversubscribed round with participation from BVF Partners, L.P., Samsara Biocapital, Morningside and Casdin Capital. Existing investors Newpath Partners, Novartis Venture Fund, CRV and 6 Dimensions Capital also participated in the financing. Proceeds will be used to advance therapeutic candidates in oncology and inflammation derived from the company’s proprietary ExoSightTM platform towards proof-of-concept and into the clinic. The proceeds will also be used to expand Exo’s pursuit of new targets with the ExoSight platform. As part of the financing, Thilo Schroeder, PhD, Partner at Nextech Invest, and Kanishka Pothula, Managing Director at BVF Partners, L.P., have joined Exo’s Board of Directors.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Exo is building a deep pipeline of drug candidates that bind exosites, distal and unique binding pockets that reprogram enzyme activity for precise and robust therapeutic effect. Focusing on exosites overcomes the common challenges of competitive binding and off-target activity that occur with active site and allosteric modulators, potentially yielding better therapeutic windows, greater selectivity and fewer side effects. Exo’s approach also creates the opportunity to discover first-in-class candidates directed at novel targets across a wide range of diseases.

"Exo is well positioned to capitalize on the tremendous opportunity that exosites represent," said Michael Bruce, PhD, CEO of Exo Therapeutics. "With the support of our world-class investor syndicate and foundational work by professors David Liu and Alan Saghatelian, and their former student Juan Pablo Maianti, we are equipped to expand our ExoSight platform, discover new exosite targets and advance our initial programs towards the clinic. Exo was formed with the mission of developing impactful new medicines that act by targeting exosites, and with this financing we are now one step closer to achieving that goal."

"I am thrilled to work with Exo on building a robust pipeline of exosite-targeting therapeutics," said Schroeder. "The company’s initial work has shown compelling results on how exosites can unlock traditionally challenging targets and modulate them with precision and potency. We are particularly enthusiastic about Exo’s platform, which is poised to significantly expand the number and diversity of targets that they can pursue."

"Exo has made rapid progress in the past year both in building an accomplished scientific team and on their four initial programs in oncology and inflammation," said Pothula. "We are proud to support Exo during this pivotal stage of the company’s de