On October 5, 2022 AbCellera (Nasdaq: ABCL) reported a presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 37th Annual Meeting, to be held virtually and at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center from November 8 to 12, 2022 (Press release, AbCellera, OCT 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234621740]).

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"T-cell engagers have tremendous potential as precision oncology therapeutics by redirecting cancer-killing T cells to specific tumor targets," said Bo Barnhart, Ph.D., VP, Translational Research at AbCellera. "We’re looking forward to presenting new data further validating our extensive CD3 panel and T-cell engager program and demonstrating how we’ve leveraged our OrthoMabTM bispecific platform to address key technological challenges that hinder discovery of effective and scalable CD3 T-cell engagers."

On October 5, 2022 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, reported that introduced the Thermo Scientific Glacios 2 Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscope (Cryo-TEM), a powerful microscope with new automation and high-resolution imaging capabilities designed to help cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) researchers of varying experience levels accelerate structure-based drug discovery (Press release, Thermo Fisher Scientific, OCT 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234621739]). This advanced, fast and cost-efficient method for drug design may enable customers to accelerate the pace of research for debilitating disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, as well as research for cancer and gene mutations.

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The Glacios 2 Cryo-TEM includes automation features designed to extend accessibility to a range of cryo-EM techniques, including single particle analysis, cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED). Additional highlights include fringe-free imaging for the acquisition of more usable images per foil hole, increased throughput compared to other commercially available optical alignment solutions and a new enclosure and hardware improvements built to offer enhanced performance compared to prior models.

This next generation solution can generate <2 angstrom 3D reconstructions and produce images faster than its predecessor. These capabilities can help users of all experience levels increase productivity at a time when rapid innovation and emerging cryo-EM applications are placing increasing demands on expert microscopists.

"Using the Glacios 2 Cryo-TEM, we developed a workflow that enables us to determine structures of small, asymmetric complexes at high resolution and with high throughput," said Basil Greber, principal investigator for The Greber Laboratory at the Institute of Cancer Research and beta user of the new Glacios 2 Cryo-TEM. "Uncovering such structures provides us with detailed insight into inhibitor binding and suggests a mechanism for target selectivity in cancer therapeutics that we are currently testing."

The new system also includes Thermo Scientific Smart EPU Software, which contains components needed for automated data acquisition, including microscope alignment and readiness assistance, plus an open API to allow for the development of solutions tailored to a user’s needs.

"As the demand for cryo-EM continues to surge, automated, high-throughput instruments are critical to advancing life science research around the world—especially in the fast-paced pharmaceutical and biotech industries," said Trisha Rice, vice president and general manager of life sciences at Thermo Fisher Scientific. "The Glacios 2 Cryo-TEM meets these needs by delivering high-quality structures quickly, taking some of the pressures away from microscope operation and giving time back to the scientists to focus on their groundbreaking research."

For pharma and biotech companies, the Glacios 2 Cryo-TEM offers high-throughput screening and imaging to enable the routine structure generation of druggable targets, including key targets of <120 kDA in size. For labs with growing demand for cryo-EM, the Glacios 2 solution helps increase accessibility to near atomic resolution structures, while improving ease-of-use and reproducibility across a variety of workflows.

On October 5, 2022 Massive Bio, a leader in AI-powered cancer clinical trial enrollment, reported a strategic partnership with Perthera.ai, a pioneer in connecting oncologists and patients with biomarker-based therapy options. Perthera.ai’s patented ranked therapy recommendations complement Massive Bio’s screening and analysis to empower more cancer patients to find an appropriate clinical trial (Press release, Massive Bio, OCT 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234621738]).

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Less than three percent of cancer patients today are matched and enrolled in a clinical trial. By combining the advanced computational methods and artificial intelligence capabilities of both companies, more physicians and patients will be able to confidently access the benefits of investigational precision oncology treatments from FDA-approved and novel therapies that are specific to patients’ unique molecular and genetic biomarkers. Perthera.ai combines multi-omic testing results (DNA, RNA, IHC and phosphoproteomics) to advise oncologists and their patients and simplify the decision-making process to increase the chance that the best therapy is used the first time.

"We are excited to partner with Massive Bio to leverage the most advanced science and technology to help as many cancer patients as possible," said Albert Kelley, CEO of Perthera.ai. "Increasing access to genomic and multi-omic testing and patient-trial matching solutions is the best way to advance cancer care for all. We believe in collaboration where it can help more patients and by combining forces with Massive Bio, we can improve data acquisition and the accuracy of patient-trial matching."

"Our mission is to create hope and empower cancer patients by helping them find their best treatment options, which often requires access to clinical trials," said Selin Kurnaz, co-founder and CEO of Massive Bio. "By combining Perthera.ai’s focus on biomarker-based algorithms with our AI-powered clinical trial matching platform, we can create more options for patients and physicians to find the best trials. We can also pursue additional innovations together around real-world data, biomarker discovery, and diagnostic and commercial collaborations with industry stakeholders."

Dr. Arturo Loaiza-Bonilla, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Massive Bio, added: "We are excited to expand our data sets and leverage our technologies and combined networks to offer more precise treatment paths, which will have an immediate and positive impact to identify more treatment options for more patients."

On October 5, 2022 Agenus (NASDAQ: AGEN), an immuno-oncology company with an extensive pipeline of therapeutics designed to activate the immune response to cancers and infections, reported it will host an in-person and virtual Research & Development event ("The Road Taken") on Saturday, November 12, 2022, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET at the Prudential Tower in Boston, MA (Press release, Agenus, OCT 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234621737]).

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The Road Taken will feature both key opinion leaders at the forefront of immunotherapy development for cancer and Agenus’ expanding leadership team. During the event, speakers will highlight recent developments within the Agenus clinical-stage pipeline of novel immunotherapy programs, study details involving botensilimab, a multi-functional Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 which activates innate and adaptive immune responses, opportunities to combine Agenus pipeline assets to overcome immuno-oncology resistance and strategies to reach commercialization as rapidly as possible.

Featured speakers will include:

Michael Atkins, MD, Deputy Director & Professor, Acting Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology MedStar Georgetown University Hospital; SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Breelyn Wilky, MD, Director of Sarcoma Medical Oncology, Deputy Associate Director for Clinical Research University of Colorado Medicine; Principal Investigator/Presenter C-800 Study
Steven O’Day, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Agenus
Joseph Grossman, MD, VP and Head of Exploratory Medicines, Agenus
Patricia Carlos, Chief Regulatory, Quality, and Safety Officer, Agenus
The scientific program will take place from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET and will be followed by a reception from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

The event will be webcast live and institutional investors and research analysts are invited to attend in person. Individuals interested in attending the event in person should contact Agenus Investor Relations at [email protected]. The webcast will be available on the Investors section of the Agenus website at investor.agenusbio.com. To register for the webcast, please click here. Following the webcast, an archived version will be available on the Agenus website.

On October 5, 2022 ChemoCentryx, Inc., (Nasdaq: CCXI), reported two upcoming poster presentations for CCX559, the Company’s investigational, highly potent, orally administered PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 37th Annual Meeting, held November 8-12, 2022, in Boston, MA (Press release, ChemoCentryx, OCT 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234621736]).

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ChemoCentryx Poster Presentations at SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) 37th Annual Meeting (November 8-12, 2022):

Results From an Ongoing Open-Label, Multicenter, Phase 1 Trial of CCX559, an Orally Administered Small Molecule PD-L1 Inhibitor, in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Abstract Number: 769
Location: Hall C
Presentation Time: November 10, 2022, 11:40 a.m. – 1:10 p.m. ET
Poster Viewing Time: November 10, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. ET

The Small Molecule PD-L1 Inhibitor CCX559 Preferentially Accumulates in Tumors, Resulting in Depletion of Cell-Surface PD-L1 in a Murine Preclinical Model

Abstract Number: 499
Location: Hall C
Presentation Time: November 10, 2022, 11:40 a.m. – 1:10 p.m. ET
Poster Viewing Time: November 10, 2022, 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. ET

About CCX559

CCX559 is a highly potent orally administered small molecule PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor. Preclinical characterization has demonstrated that CCX559 blocks binding to PD-1 and CD80, and prevents PD-L1 inhibition of T cell activation. CCX559, when orally administered in animal models, demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy, including the ability to induce complete responses.

The PD-L1/PD-1 interaction is one of the major immune checkpoints that limits the ability of effector T cells to destroy cancer cells. As a potential next generation therapy, an orally administered small molecule inhibitor of PD-L1 could have advantageous properties compared to approved monoclonal antibodies, such as better penetration into solid tumors, reduced immunogenicity, lack of Fc-mediated side effects and convenience of oral administration.

During 2021, ChemoCentryx initiated a first-in-human Phase I dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, PK, and PD of CCX559 in patients with various types of advanced cancer. In early 2023, the Company plans to advance CCX559 into a Phase Ib/II clinical trial to measure anti-tumor effects of CCX559 more directly.