On November 12, 2021 Senti Bio, a leading gene circuit company, reported results from SENTI-401, one of its preclinical stage oncology programs, that aims to more precisely target tumors while sparing healthy cells (Press release, Senti Biosciences, NOV 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234596740]). The poster presentation, which is on display starting today at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper), describes preclinical data from SENTI-401, a Logic Gated allogeneic, chimeric antigen receptor natural killer (CAR-NK) cell therapy development program for the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC). The results support the Company’s vision of using gene circuits to create next-generation, "smart" cell and gene therapies with computer-like logic in human cells.

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Targeting of tumor-associated antigens, such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), can result in severe clinical toxicities due to the killing of healthy epithelial cells whose cell surfaces also express CEA. This includes toxicity risk to cells in the colon and gastrointestinal tract as well as the lungs. SENTI-401 is designed to incorporate logic gating to target and kill CEA-expressing tumor cells, while preventing the killing of CEA-expressing healthy epithelial cells. The SENTI-401 NOT GATE pairs a CEA-targeting activating-CAR (aCAR) with an inhibitory-CAR (iCAR) that recognizes a safety antigen (SA) uniquely expressed in certain healthy gastrointestinal and lung epithelial cells. The SA was identified and validated through Senti Bio’s proprietary Bioinformatics-Driven Antigen Pairing (B-DAP) discovery platform. The poster highlights the SENTI-401 development program’s NOT GATE gene circuit technology as follows:

Killing of colorectal cancer cells:

Generated, tested and optimized anti-CEA CAR constructs for optimal performance in NK cells using Senti Bio’s Design-Build-Test-and-Learn (DBTL) platform.
Evaluated CAR-NK cells for anti-tumor activity, and demonstrated potent killing of CEA-expressing CRC target cells in vitro. A single dose of these CAR-NK cells also demonstrated anti-tumor activity in a human CRC xenograft model, reducing tumor burden in >33% of the treated mice.

Preservation of healthy cells:

iCAR suppressed aCAR mediated killing (p<0.05) in a SA-dependent manner without diminishing aCAR-mediated anti-tumor activity.
V-set and Immunoglobulin Domain Containing 2 (VSIG2), a membrane protein, was identified as the SA via Senti Bio’s B-DAP discovery platform and validated in healthy tissue samples. VSIG2 is uniquely expressed in CEA-positive healthy cells but not in tumor cells.
Used Senti Bio’s DBTL platform to evaluate multiple iCAR designs that utilize inhibitory domains that can selectively prevent CAR-mediated killing in an SA-dependent manner.

"Existing cancer therapies generally target only a single tumor-associated antigen, which means that they can only be used safely and effectively where that antigen is expressed primarily on tumor cells," said Alba Gonzalez, PhD, presenter of the abstract and Associate Director, Research at Senti Bio. "What is so exciting about our Logic Gating platform is the potential to advance a highly novel approach to CAR-NK based therapy that may more precisely treat colon cancer, and other solid tumors, with a reduced risk for on-target, off-tumor toxicities, thereby offering the potential to increase the therapeutic window and provide meaningful benefit to patients."

The abstract (Poster #116) is available on the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) website. The poster is available on the Senti Bio website.

About Logic Gating and NOT GATE Gene Circuits
Logic Gating gene circuits are designed to enable cell and gene therapies to control their therapeutic activity in response to the presence or absence of multiple disease biomarkers. NOT GATE gene circuits are one type of Logic Gates that are designed to widen the therapeutic window by enabling killing of cancer cells while preserving healthy cells. The NOT GATE functions by recognizing Safety Antigens on the cell surface, or antigens that are selectively expressed on healthy cells and not on cancer cells, thus limiting on-target, off-tumor killing. By protecting healthy cells, the NOT GATE has the potential to enable more effective on-target, on-tumor killing of tumor cells that express tumor-associated antigens.

On November 12, 2021 Kymera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KYMR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing targeted protein degradation (TPD) to deliver novel small molecule protein degrader medicines, reported that new preclinical data from its STAT3 degrader program at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper)’s (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 36th Annual Meeting, taking place from November 10 – 14, 2021 in Washington, D.C. and virtually (Press release, Kymera Therapeutics, NOV 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234596080]).

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The results reveal Kymera’s potent and selective STAT3 degraders exhibited anti-tumor activity in multiple preclinical animal models of solid and hematologic malignancies that respond poorly to immunotherapies. Administration of a tool STAT3 degrader, KTX-201, led to molecular and cellular changes in the tumor microenvironment that were predictive of favorable responses to checkpoint inhibition. Consistent with these findings, KTX-201 sensitized these tumors to anti-PD1 treatment when administered in combination, leading to durable anti-tumor responses and development of long-term immunological memory.

"These encouraging findings underscore the potential power of targeted protein degradation (TPD) to address a range of cancers driven by STAT3, an undruggable transcription factor with effects on both tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment," said Jared Gollob, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Kymera Therapeutics. "We believe our novel data offer critical insights into the antitumor activity of Kymera’s STAT3 degraders, particularly their potential to synergize with immunotherapies such as checkpoint blockade – which only work in a small percentage of patients – thereby providing a rationale for selectively degrading STAT3 to sensitize cancers to immune checkpoint inhibition in the clinic."

STAT3 is a transcription factor activated through a variety of different cytokine and growth factor receptors via Janus kinases (JAKs), as well as through oncogenic fusion proteins and mutations in STAT3 itself. Long considered an "undruggable" target, STAT3 hyperactivation is prominent in numerous liquid and solid tumors, including clinically aggressive lymphomas. Kymera is developing selective STAT3 degraders for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors, as well as autoimmune diseases and fibrosis. Kymera’s STAT3 degraders have previously demonstrated strong anti-tumor effects in mouse xenograft and syngeneic models of liquid and solid cancers.

"Research presented to date on Kymera’s STAT3 degraders has bolstered our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the anti-tumor and immunomodulatory effects associated with STAT3 degradation," said Nello Mainolfi, PhD, Co-Founder, President and CEO, Kymera Therapeutics. "We are eager to advance KT-333, a first-in-class selective STAT3 degrader for liquid and solid tumors into Phase 1 clinical trials by the end of 2021."

Additional Research Highlights:

Treatment of CT-26 (colorectal cancer) and A20 (B-cell lymphoma) tumor-bearing mice with a STAT3 degrader resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition compared to controls, with loss of STAT3 protein in both tumor cells and TME.
Treatment of CT-26 and A20 tumor-bearing mice with a STAT3 degrader led to a decrease in M2 polarized macrophages and concomitant increases in M1 polarized macrophages and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes.
Gene expression profiling of STAT3 degrader-treated CT-26 tumors showed marked increases in proinflammatory genes including T cell and M1 macrophage activation markers, compared to controls.
Induction of an Ifnγ-responsive gene signature (Ifnγ, Stat1, Cxcl9, Cxcl10, Ido1) in CT-26 tumors showed that STAT3 degradation results in a T cell inflamed phenotype associated with responsiveness to immune checkpoint therapy.
On-treatment tumors showed an upregulation of genes such as Pdl1, Ctla4, Lag3 which reflect T cell activation as well as counterregulatory mechanisms.
STAT3 degradation in combination with anti-PD1 resulted in robust synergy in the CT-26 model with 60% complete responses and development of immunological memory as confirmed by tumor rechallenge studies.
Studies are underway to ascertain the applicability of this combination therapy in different tumor immune contextures, and to elucidate the mechanistic basis of synergy.
Presentation at SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting:

Title: Targeted STAT3 Degradation Leads to Remodeling of an Immunosuppressive Tumor Microenvironment and Subsequent Sensitization to Immune Checkpoint Therapy
Abstract Number: 603
Session Time: 7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021
Location: Poster Hall (Hall E), Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
Presenter: Joyoti Dey, Associate Director, Translational Medicine, Kymera Therapeutics

On November 12, 2021 Biosight Ltd., a pharmaceutical development company developing innovative therapeutics for hematological malignancies and disorders, reported the initiation of a Phase 2 trial to evaluate aspacytarabine (BST-236), Biosight’s proprietary antimetabolite, as a second line treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (Press release, Advaxis, NOV 12, 2021, View Source;soc_trk=ma [SID1234595728]). The multi-center study will be conducted across 18 leading U.S. and Israeli sites including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

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"Biosight has built a strong foundation of compelling data that suggests that aspacytarabine may serve as a more tolerable and effective standard of care treatment for patients with AML," said Dr. Ruth Ben Yakar, Chief Executive Officer of Biosight. "The initiation of this multi-center, U.S. based, Phase 2 study is an important step forward in the development of aspacytarabine, seeking to address unmet needs in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory AML and MDS. We are proud to be continuing our momentum in the clinic and look forward to collaborating with leading academic medical centers as we progress the study."

Eytan Stein, M.D., Hematologic Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and lead investigator of the study said "I’m encouraged by the results from Biosight’s Phase 2b trial to be presented at the 63rd American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. The efficacy achieved in a challenging population, across key measures including complete remission and MRD (-) rates, duration of response and overall survival, are noteworthy. Furthermore, these results were particularly impressive as they were achieved with a favorable safety and tolerability profile in patients who are unfit for intensive chemotherapy. Patients with relapsed or refractory AML and MDS have limited treatment options and poor prognoses, with many patients unable to tolerate intensive chemotherapy. I look forward to leading this new Phase 2 study to evaluate the potential of aspacytarabine which may ultimately become the standard of care for relapsed or refractory MDS and AML patients for whom currently there are no effective treatments."

The Phase 2 open label multi-center study will assess the safety and efficacy of BST-236 as a single agent in adult patients unfit for standard therapy with AML or higher-risk (HR)MDS who fail to respond to, or have relapsed following, first line therapy. A similar study in patients with relapsed/refractory AML and MDS is ongoing in collaboration with the European cooperative group, Groupe Francophone des Myélodysplasies (GFM). Approximately 40 adult patients with relapsed and/or refractory AML and approximately 40 adult patients with relapsed and/or refractory HR MDS will be enrolled into the two studies. Primary endpoints include complete remission (CR) rate in AML patients and Overall Response Rate (ORR) in MDS patients, with ORR defined as the proportion of patients who achieve a CR or partial response (PR) per proposal for modification of the International Working Group (IWG) criteria for MDS, 2006.

About Aspacytarabine (BST-236)

Aspacytarabine is a novel proprietary anti-metabolite. It is composed of cytarabine covalently bound to asparagine, acting as a pro-drug of cytarabine. Cytarabine has served as the backbone of AML therapy for over 45 years due to its superior efficacy. However, it is associated with severe bone marrow, gastrointestinal, and neurological toxicities, which significantly limit its use, especially in older and medically compromised patients. Due to its unique pharmacokinetics and metabolism, aspacytarabine enables high-dose therapy with lower systemic exposure to free cytarabine and relative sparing of normal tissues. As such, aspacytarabine may serve as a new therapy for AML and other hematological malignancies and disorders, including for older adults who are unfit for intensive therapy.

Aspacytarabine was granted FDA Fast Track Designation for treatment of AML patients unfit for standard chemotherapy, and FDA and EMA Orphan Drug Designations, which entitle Biosight to seven and ten years of market exclusivity in the U.S. and Europe, respectively, upon aspacytarabine marketing approval for the treatment of AML in each territory.

Interim results from an ongoing Phase 2b study evaluating aspacytarabine as a single-agent first-line AML therapy demonstrate safety and single-agent activity, and additional studies are ongoing to evaluate aspacytarabine as a second line treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory MDS or AML. For more information regarding the Phase 2b clinical study of BST-236, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.

On November 12, 2021, Shattuck Labs, Inc. presented at the 2021 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Presentation, Shattuck Labs, NOV 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234595579]).

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On November 12, 2021 Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA / OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf" or the "Company"), a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis, reported that entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tryke Companies ("Tryke") (dba as Reef Dispensaries), a privately held vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, in a cash and stock transaction valued at approximately US$286 million (Press release, Curaleaf Holdings, NOV 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234595546]).1 The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to customary approvals and conditions.

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Under the terms of the agreement, Curaleaf will pay US$40 million in cash at closing, with a remaining US$75 million in cash to be paid in equal installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the closing. The stock portion of the transaction, which consists of 17 million subordinate voting shares of Curaleaf ("Curaleaf Shares"), will also be paid in three equal installments on the first, second and third anniversaries of the closing. An incremental earnout of up to 1 million Curaleaf Shares may be paid in 2023 based on the business exceeding certain EBITDA targets for the year 2022.

Founded in Arizona in 2014, Tryke has focused on growing and producing the finest and most consistent cannabis products on the market. The company helped pioneer Nevada’s legal cannabis market from its inception in 2015, and continues to lead the industry in Utah where it has worked since 2019 to help establish the state’s medical cannabis program. Tryke has refined processes to craft an ever-evolving selection of products and brands at multiple price points. The company’s dispensaries have served more than 7.6 million customers, offering a wide variety of in-house and third-party flower, concentrates, vape cartridges, edibles, topicals and CBD products. Upon closing, Curaleaf will assume ownership of Tryke’s extensive portfolio of processing licenses and expects to significantly expand its cultivation capacity from 30,000 square feet to over 80,000 square feet over the next three years.

Boris Jordan, Founder and Executive Chairman of Curaleaf, said, "On Behalf of the Board of Directors and management team, I look forward to welcoming Tryke to the Curaleaf family as we expand our offerings and operations and bolster our competitive position in three key growth markets. We believe that Tryke represents a unique opportunity to join forces with another industry leading pioneer that shares Curaleaf’s commitment to legalization and expansion. This strategically and financially compelling transaction will expand our US presence by bringing additional premium products to our consumers and retailers in Nevada, Arizona and Utah, all while yielding meaningful benefits for all of our stakeholders. We expect the acquisition to be immediately accretive to our EBITDA margins and free cash flow generation upon closing."

1 Based on the closing price of Curaleaf’s subordinate voting shares on the OTC market as of November 5, 2021.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Tryke and, as a combined entity, we will continue to deliver significant value for our consumers and retailers in Arizona, Nevada and Utah," said Adam Ryan, Chief Executive Officer of Tryke Companies. "As a part of Curaleaf’s growing network of dispensaries, Tryke is excited to bring its full suite of multi-price point products to an expanded base of consumers across the country. We are excited to join forces with the industry leader at such a pivotal moment in the United States’ legalization efforts. We share Curaleaf’s optimism for the future and are excited to become investors alongside the Company’s talented leadership team."

Compelling Strategic and Financial Benefits

·Enhances Curaleaf’s operations in Arizona, Nevada and Utah: Tryke currently owns and operates six heavily trafficked dispensaries under the Reef brand, with two retail stores in Arizona and four in Nevada, including the Phoenix metropolitan area, Las Vegas strip and North Las Vegas. The company’s products are sold in over 50 additional locations across its footprint.

·Enriches Curaleaf’s product offerings: Tryke currently offers a wide variety of in-house and third-party flower, concentrates, vape cartridges, edibles, topicals and CBD products at a range of price points. Tryke’s product portfolio is highly complementary to Curaleaf’s, allowing the Company to offer consumers and retailers in Arizona, Nevada and Utah an even broader selection of premium cannabis products.

Improves Curaleaf’s margins and free cash flow generation: Tryke has a strong financial profile, with a history of delivering significant revenue growth and compelling EBITDA margins in excess of 35%. Tryke is expected to record nearly US$110 million in full year 2021 revenue. Curaleaf expects the acquisition will be immediately accretive to the Company’s EBITDA margins and free cash flow generation.

The closing of the transaction is expected to occur in the second half of 2022 subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of approval from the applicable state regulators, including the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board.

Transaction Advisors

In a separate press release to be issued today after the market closes, Curaleaf will announce its financial results for the third quarter of 2021, and it will be available at View Source

Conference Call & Webcast

Curaleaf will hold a conference call today, November 8, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss this announcement, as well as its third quarter 2021 results. Investors who wish to participate in the call should dial 1-888-317-6003 (U.S.) or 1-866-284-3684 (Canada) or 1-412-317-6061 (International) approximately 15 minutes before the call begins and provide conference ID number 2599473.