BioTheryX to Present at the 2021 Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference

On May 25, 2021 BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving medicines, reported that the company will present virtually at the 2021 Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, June 1st, 2021 at 1:30 pm ET (Press release, BioTheryX, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580578]). A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed here and will be made available on the company’s website under the Events section.

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Robert Williamson, President and CEO, will present an overview on the company’s targeted protein degradation platform, its clinical stage oncology pipeline, and the management team will participate with him in 1x1s with investors.

QIAGEN Partners With Mirati Therapeutics Inc. to Develop KRASG12C Companion Diagnostic for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

On May 25, 2021 QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE:QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard:QIA) reported a global collaboration with Mirati Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:MRTX) to continue developing a tissue-based KRAS companion diagnostic to identify patients with cancers that have a KRASG12C mutation who may benefit from treatment with adagrasib, Mirati’s investigational, highly selective and potent oral small molecule inhibitor of KRASG12C (Press release, Qiagen, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580577]).

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The agreement initially focuses on a companion diagnostic test for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and allows for further development of tests for other Mirati oncology programs.

The planned companion diagnostic would expand upon QIAGEN’s therascreen KRAS testing portfolio based on real-time qualitative PCR for the QIAGEN Rotor-Gene Q MDx instrument, a member of the modular QIAsymphony family of automation solutions, and builds upon the Company’s nearly decade of experience in KRAS companion diagnostic test development and commercialization. QIAGEN and Mirati have previously partnered for the development of a companion diagnostic.

"We are pleased Mirati recognizes the success of QIAGEN’s therascreen platform and continues to partner with us to develop a tissue-based companion diagnostic to identify patients who may benefit from adagrasib. QIAGEN’s experience and expertise in developing diagnostic solutions for Precision Medicine are well-suited to evaluate patients with non-small cell lung cancer," said Jean-Pascal Viola, Senior Vice President and Head of QIAGEN’s Molecular Diagnostics Business Area. "Our collaboration with Mirati is a demonstration of QIAGEN’s capabilities as a preferred partner of pharmaceutical and biotech companies for the creation of companion diagnostics."

The therascreen-based companion diagnostic detects KRASG12C, a genetic mutation that is one of the most common KRAS alterations linked to cancer. The RAS gene family is the most frequently mutated oncogene in human cancer, with KRAS being the most prevalent driver mutation in NSCLC.

QIAGEN is a pioneer in Precision Medicine and the global leader in collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to co-develop companion diagnostics, which detect clinically relevant genetic abnormalities to provide insights that guide clinical decision-making in diseases such as cancer. QIAGEN has an unmatched depth and breadth of technologies from next-generation sequencing (NGS) to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for companion diagnostic development. QIAGEN has nine PCR based companion diagnostics that are FDA approved, including therascreen EGFR for non-small cell lung cancer, therascreen KRAS for colorectal cancer, therascreen FGFR for urothelial cancer, therascreen PIK3CA for breast cancer based on tissue or plasma samples and the therascreen BRAF kit for colorectal cancer.

Currently, QIAGEN is working under master collaboration agreements with more than 25 companies to develop and commercialize companion diagnostic tests for their drug candidates – a deep pipeline of potential future products to advance Precision Medicine for the benefit of patients. QIAGEN is partnering with Illumina to broaden the availability and use of NGS-based in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) kits, including companion diagnostics, for patient management.

Cellaria Inc Launches New Cell Lines to Support the Development of Personalized Therapies for Lung Cancer

On May 25, 2021 Cellaria Inc (Wakefield, MA, USA), a scientific innovator with breakthrough tools for cancer research, now offers five stable, reported that fully authenticated lung cancer cell models to support the development of more effective and targeted drug therapies (Press release, Cellaria, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580576]). Lung cancer was responsible for around 1.80 million deaths globally in 20201, more than any other cancer, making it an important area of clinical research. Each Cellaria model is securely linked to a well-defined patient tumor enabling the in vitro study of disease progression and drug response in a specific patient biology with defined genetic and epigenetic characteristics. Such studies accelerate progress towards better therapies for specific patient populations.

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Cellaria’s lung cancer cell models are all derived from tumors associated with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for around 85% of lung cancer cases. In recent years considerable progress has been made towards optimizing treatment for different subtypes of NSCLC with the targeting of specific genetic mutations proving particularly productive. Cellaria’s new lung cancer models – Bastion, Boulder, Pincer and Throne – join Jacket (an existing model), to provide a diverse patient cohort for the extension of such studies. All the patients within the cohort were over 60 years of age and had a history of smoking, but they exhibited notable, clinically significant differences including:

Documented variation in consumption and duration of smoking
Comorbidities – Throne had a previous diagnosis melanoma
Throne and Jacket have a KRAS genetic mutation, Pincer, Boulder and Bastion did not.
All Cellaria models are extremely stable and supplied with a Certificate of Analysis, to support optimal application. In addition, Cellaria produces drug response reports showing data for three baseline relevant treatments. For the lung cancer cohort this report includes results for etoposide and cisplatin and for two targeted treatments: 1) larotrectinib which is prescribed for patients with a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase (NRTK) gene fusion and 2) erlotinib, which is prescribed for patients with a KRAS mutation. Detailed information such as this makes it straightforward to use Cellaria models effectively from the outset to implement reproducible and relevant research and maximize the benefit of in vitro studies.

"With the increase in availability of targeted therapeutics like larotrectinib and erlotinib, patient-specific models are adding essential utility," comments David Deems President and Founder, Cellaria Inc. "Jacket has mutations that make the patient a candidate for either larotrectinib or erlotinib. This unique patient-derived model enables the interrogation of each drug’s performance with the model to determine differences."

To find out more about the new lung cancer models view our product overviews here.

1 WHO Cancer Fact Sheet Detail. 3rd March 2021. Available to view at: View Source

Legend Biotech to Present at the Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference

On May 25, 2021 Legend Biotech Corporation (NASDAQ: LEGN) ("Legend Biotech"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel cell therapies for oncology and other indications, reported it will present at the Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference on June 3, 2021 at 9:30 am ET (Press release, Legend Biotech, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580575]). This webcast will be available to investors and other interested parties by accessing the Legend Biotech website at View Source

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Geneoscopy Announces Publication of Peer-Reviewed Article Highlighting Effective Noninvasive Screening Test for Colorectal Cancer Prevention

On May 25, 2021 Geneoscopy Inc. reported publication of the peer-reviewed article, "Multitarget Stool RNA Test for Noninvasive Detection of Colorectal Neoplasias in a Multicenter, Prospective, and Retrospective Cohort", which presents the results of its multifactor RNA-FIT test in Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology (Press release, Geneoscopy, MAY 25, 2021, View Source [SID1234580574]). The article reports high sensitivity of the company’s noninvasive, at-home diagnostic screening test to successfully detect colorectal neoplasms, including advanced adenomas, in average-risk individuals within the intended use population for colorectal cancer screening. The promising data was previously presented by Dr. Erica Barnell, Geneoscopy’s co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, at the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) 2020 Annual Meeting.

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In comparative analysis versus colonoscopy findings, the RNA-FIT assay demonstrated 95% sensitivity for colorectal cancer, 62% sensitivity for advanced adenomas, and 25% sensitivity for other non-advanced adenomas with an 85% specificity for no findings on a colonoscopy. The prospective study included 1,305 average risk patients and was supplemented with a 22-patient retrospective cohort of patients who were diagnosed with advanced adenomas or colorectal cancer but were sampled prior to treatment or surgical resection. All patients were evaluated with the RNA-FIT assay and an optical colonoscopy.

The RNA-FIT assay was evaluated under a robust study design. Samples were collected from individuals across all 48 contiguous United States and individuals were evaluated at over 600 different endoscopy sites. The study design will be replicated in Geneoscopy’s CRC-PREVENT Clinical Trial, which is currently underway.

"Colorectal cancer can be prevented with early detection of advanced adenomas. Screening compliance is key, and simple, at-home collection kits are emerging as an attractive option. However, it is critical that a diagnostic test has the necessary sensitivity to identify clinically relevant lesions early," commented Dr. Barnell. "We are pleased to share results of this study and look forward to building upon this body of evidence to support the use of Geneoscopy’s RNA-FIT assay as a valuable noninvasive tool to help prevent cancer through routine colorectal cancer screening."

Responsible for over 50,000 deaths annually, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer related death in the United States.1 Disease progression begins with polyps that may or may not develop into cancer over time. Early detection and treatment are crucial to improve survival; however, the majority of newly diagnosed patients suffer from advanced disease. Colonoscopy remains the gold-standard for CRC screening in the US, yet this method is frequently met with patient aversion due to its required bowel preparation, sedation, and associated discomfort, which results in low patient compliance. Currently available noninvasive screening methods lack sufficient levels of sensitivity to effectively and reliably detect both early-stage CRC and high-risk precancerous lesions, including advanced adenomas which are a precursor in up to 70% of CRC cases.

The article is currently available online and is scheduled to be published in the May 2021 issue.