Exacis Biotherapeutics Announces Strategic Partnership With CCRM For Specialty Manufacturing Of Services And Investment For Development Of iPSC-Derived mRNA-Engineered NK Cells

On November 9, 2021 Exacis Biotherapeutics, Inc., a development-stage immuno-oncology company working to harness the immune system to cure cancer, reported initiation of a strategic partnership with Toronto-based Centre for Commercialization of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM) for specialty manufacturing services related to the development of Exacis’ innovative, iPSC-derived mRNA-engineered NK cell products to treat cancer (Press release, Exacis Biotherapeutics, NOV 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234594837]). The partnership also includes a cash investment into Exacis by CCRM Enterprises Holdings Ltd., the for-profit venture investment arm of CCRM, which will be used to fund operations.

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Exacis CEO Gregory Fiore, MD, commented, "We welcome CCRM as a key partner to allow us to rapidly advance our virus-free manufacturing processes to make novel NK cell products that are engineered for performance and to avoid rejection. CCRM is a recognized leader in iPSC-derived cell therapy development and manufacturing and we are thrilled to have them as a partner. Their confidence in Exacis is evidenced by the accompanying investment, by CCRM Enterprises Holdings Ltd., underscoring the unique value proposition offered by Exacis’ differentiated platform and approach to cell therapies. We look forward to partnering with CCRM’s CDMO experts to apply our mRNA based technologies to develop best-in-class products to treat challenging hematologic and solid tumors."

Cynthia Lavoie, PhD, President and CIO of CCRM Enterprises Inc. added, "We are pleased to support Exacis by way of an investment, and with our sector expertise and specialized infrastructure. This is a successful model that we have employed in the past to support promising technologies and together we will develop leading cell therapy products that utilize the substantial potential of the Exacis platform as it advances its iPSC-derived cell programs.

GlycoMimetics to Present at Two Upcoming Healthcare Investor Conferences

On November 9, 2021 GlycoMimetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLYC), reported that Chief Executive Officer Harout Semerjian will present an overview of the company at the upcoming Stifel 2021 Virtual Healthcare Conference on Monday, November 15 and the Jefferies London Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, November 17 (Press release, GlycoMimetics, NOV 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234594836]). Both presentations will be available on the Company’s website, under the Investors tab. Details are as follows:

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Stifel 2020 Virtual Healthcare Conference
November 15-17, 2021
GlycoMimetics presentation: Monday, November 15, 3:20 p.m. (ET)

Jefferies London Healthcare Conference
November 16-19, 2021
GlycoMimetics presentation: Wednesday, November 17, 11:20 AM GMT (6:20 AM ET)

Lantern Pharma to Participate in Two Upcoming Investor Conferences

On November 9, 2021 Lantern Pharma (NASDAQ: LTRN), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company using its proprietary RADR artificial intelligence ("A.I.") platform to transform the cost, pace, and timeline of oncology drug discovery and development, reported that management will be participating in two upcoming investor conferences (Press release, Lantern Pharma, NOV 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234594835]).

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Q4 Investor Summit
Panna Sharma, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lantern Pharma, is scheduled to present virtually at the Q4 Investor Summit on Tuesday, November 16th at 11:00 am Eastern Time. The presentation will be webcast live and can be accessed at: View Source and on the investor relations section of Lantern’s website at View Source Mr. Sharma will also be participating in one-on-one meetings with qualified members of the investor community throughout the conference.

To register for the conference, please visit www.investorsummitgroup.com.

Torrey Hills Capital 6th Annual Emerging Growth Conference
David Margrave, Chief Financial Officer of Lantern Pharma will be participating in one-on-one meetings with investors throughout the Torrey Hills Conference being held on November 17, 2021 at the Morgan Run Club and Resort in Rancho Santa Fe, California.

Please contact Anthony Allocca at [email protected] if interested in arranging a one-on-one meeting with Mr. Margrave during the event.

Blueprint Medicines and Zai Lab Announce Strategic Collaboration and License Agreement for BLU-945 and BLU-701 in Greater China

On November 9, 2021 Blueprint Medicines Corporation (NASDAQ: BPMC) and Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB; HKEX: 9688) reported an exclusive collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of BLU-945 and BLU-701 for the treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) -driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan (Press release, Blueprint Medicines, NOV 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234594834]). Discovered by Blueprint Medicines, BLU-945 and BLU-701 are investigational next-generation EGFR inhibitors with first-in-class potential.

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By combining Blueprint Medicines’ precision therapy expertise with Zai Lab’s development capabilities and established lung cancer franchise in Greater China, the collaboration aims to accelerate global development of BLU-945 and BLU-701 while addressing significant medical needs in China, where 40-50 percent of patients with NSCLC are believed to harbor EGFR mutations.1,2,3 Blueprint Medicines will retain all rights to BLU-945 and BLU-701 in the rest of the world.

"With deep development and commercial expertise in oncology across a broad portfolio including multiple precision therapies for lung cancer, Zai Lab is the ideal partner to help us bring to China our vision for transforming the care of patients with EGFR-driven lung cancer," said Jeff Albers, Chief Executive Officer of Blueprint Medicines. "Through this collaboration, we will also propel forward our development program for BLU-945 and BLU-701 with a broad clinical trial footprint in Greater China that complements our development efforts."

"We are excited to enter into this collaboration with Blueprint Medicines, a leader in precision medicine, to bring forward two potential first-in-class EGFR inhibitors exquisitely designed to treat or prevent on-target resistance," said Dr. Samantha Du, Founder, Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer of Zai Lab. "With more than 800,000 newly diagnosed lung cancer patients annually, one of the highest EGFR mutation rates in the world, and with no available therapies to address on-target resistance to early-generation EGFR therapies, we believe we have a tremendous opportunity to improve patient care in China." 1-4

While targeted therapies have improved treatment for patients with EGFR-driven NSCLC, resistance inevitably emerges, with the T790M and C797S mutations being highly common on-target resistance mechanisms. Designed to address these challenges, BLU-945 and BLU-701 have the potential to be used either as a monotherapy or in combination, together or with other agents, to overcome or prevent on-target resistance across multiple lines of treatment. In addition, this collaboration enables opportunities to combine BLU-945 or BLU-701 with other Zai Lab lung cancer drug candidates to address off-target resistance mutations.

BLU-945 is a selective, potent EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor with activity against EGFR activating mutations combined with the T790M and C797S resistance mutations. It is highly selective over wild-type EGFR and off-target kinases, highlighting its potential to enable tolerable combinations. BLU-945 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 1/2 SYMPHONY trial in patients with previously treated EGFR-driven NSCLC (NCT04862780). BLU-701 is a selective, potent EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor with activity against EGFR activating mutations combined with the C797S resistance mutation. It has shown significant central nervous system (CNS) penetration in preclinical studies, which is meaningful because in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with baseline brain metastases, up to 40 percent of disease progressions involve CNS metastases.5

Subject to the terms of the agreement, Blueprint Medicines will receive an upfront cash payment of $25 million and will be eligible to receive up to $590 million in potential development, regulatory and sales-based milestone payments, and tiered royalties on a product-by-product basis ranging from the low-teens to mid-teens on annual net sales of BLU-945 and BLU-701 in Greater China, subject to adjustment in specified circumstances. In addition, Zai Lab will be responsible for all the development costs for BLU-945 and BLU-701 occurring in Greater China and will receive the rights to develop and exclusively commercialize BLU-945 and BLU-701 in the region.

About EGFR-Driven NSCLC in China

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer type and the leading cause of cancer death in China.1 Annually, there are more than 800,000 new cases of lung cancer in China, of which approximately 85 percent are NSCLC.1,6 EGFR mutations are more common in China than in the United States, occurring in 40-50 percent of NSCLC patients.1 Third-generation EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including osimertinib, are commonly prescribed in China and have emerged as the standard of care for the first-line setting. However, resistance inevitably emerges, leading to disease progression. There are no approved therapies for patients with disease progression following third-generation EGFR treatment.

About BLU-945 and BLU-701

Derived from Blueprint Medicines’ proprietary research platform, BLU-945 and BLU-701 are investigational next-generation EGFR non-covalent tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Both treatments are specifically designed to provide comprehensive coverage of the most common activating and on-target resistance mutations, spare wild-type EGFR and other kinases to limit off-target toxicities and enable a range of combination strategies, and treat or prevent central nervous system metastases. BLU-945 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 1/2 SYMPHONY trial in patients with previously treated EGFR-driven NSCLC (NCT04862780). In addition, Blueprint Medicines plans to initiate a Phase 1/2 trial of BLU-701 in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Rubius Therapeutics to Participate in Jefferies London Healthcare Conference

On November 9, 2021 Rubius Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: RUBY), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that is genetically engineering red blood cells to create an entirely new class of cellular medicines called Red Cell Therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported that Pablo J. Cagnoni, M.D., president and chief executive officer, will provide a corporate update at the Jefferies London Healthcare Conference via a virtual presentation, which will be available to view on the conference website on November 18-19, 2021 (Press release, Rubius Therapeutics, NOV 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234594833]).

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The recorded audio presentation will be available within the Investors & Media section of the Rubius Therapeutics website on November 18th beginning at 8:00 a.m. GMT/3:00 a.m. ET. An archived replay will be accessible for 90 days following the event.