Cytonus Therapeutics to Present Preclinical Data for Systemically Delivered Oncolytic Virus Program for Treating Metastatic Cancers at AACR 2022

On April 5, 2022 Cytonus Therapeutics Inc. (Cytonus), a biotechnology company developing therapeutic products for targeted delivery in vivo, reported that their CSO, Dr. Richard Klemke Ph.D., will present the preclinical progress made on Cytonus’ lead Cargocyte product candidates at the annual AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) meeting in New Orleans (Press release, Cytonus Therapeutics, APR 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234611476]).

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Cargocytes loaded with an Oncolytic Virus (CA-OV-VSV) are engineered to actively home, migrate, and penetrate into tumor micrometastatic foci, hours after intravenous administration.

Dr. Klemke will share data demonstrating striking infiltration of engineered Cargocytes into solid tumors in in vivo models of metastatic Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), localizing and shielding the company’s proprietary Oncolytic Virus construct from immune neutralization and clearance.

Abstract #378: Bioengineering enucleated cell vehicles for tumor targeted intravenous delivery of oncolytic viruses

Session: Nanoparticles and Other Novel Strategies for Drug Delivery, on 4/10/2022.

Session Start Time:

1:30:00 PM

Session End Time:

5:00:00 PM

Location:

Poster Section 24, Poster Board #14

These results highlight the capabilities of Cytonus’ innovative Cargocyte platform in addressing solid tumor penetration challenges. Importantly, Cargocytes offer localized delivery of potent immunotherapies in a controlled manner to enhance their safety profile.

"Oncolytic Viruses are an exciting new option for fighting cancers. However, the immune system is very good at identifying and rapidly neutralizing viruses administered intravenously which greatly limits their anti-cancer efficacy," said Dr. Remo Moomiaie-Qajar, M.D. co-founder and CEO of Cytonus Therapeutics. "Our Cargocyte platform can shield oncolytic viruses from an immune attack and deliver the virus deep into the tumor microenvironment within hours after systemic administration."

"The majority of current therapeutic approaches utilizing oncolytic viruses are relegated to direct intra-tumoral administration. However, cancer is a systemic disease and can spread to multiple sites in the body. Solutions that address the systemic spread of cancer are sorely needed," said Dr. Moomiaie-Qajar, M.D. "Cargocytes are specifically engineered for systemic administration and can deliver viruses to multiple cancer locations in a precise and eloquent way without over burdening the body with large amounts of free virus."

"Our unique approach has been recognized as a vertical move in science from numerous granting organizations including the NIH and California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). We are looking to bring our lead candidate CA-OV-VSV to the clinic within a year."

About Cargocyte

Cargocyte products are derived from enucleated cell lines and are uniquely engineered with specific disease targeting molecules to safely transport therapeutic payloads intravenously and deep into difficult-to-reach target tissues. Cargocytes can deliver and actively produce the therapeutic agent of choice on-site in a controlled, predictable, and safe manner. The proprietary Cargocyte technology is a first-in-class therapeutic platform with numerous potential medical applications across unmet therapeutic areas. Cytonus is developing a broad and deep pipeline of bioengineered Cargocytes for targeted delivery of a wide range of therapeutic modalities including Protein, Peptides, RNAs, ASOs, small molecule drugs, viruses, and gene editing agents.

Alpine Immune Sciences Announces Company Presentation and Update on AACR Investor Event

On April 5, 2022 Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALPN), a leading clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on developing innovative treatments for cancer and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, reported the company will participate in a company presentation at the 21st Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, April 13th, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT (Press release, Alpine Immune Sciences, APR 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234611474]).

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Alpine will host a virtual investor event on April 12th, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. ET, to coincide with the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. The meeting will commence 30 minutes later than previously announced and will begin at 6:30 p.m. ET.

A live webcast of both events will be available online in the investor relations section of the company’s website at View Source A replay of each presentation will be available on the company website for 90 days following the webcast.

Agilent Companion Diagnostic Expands CE-IVD Mark for PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx to Include Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

On April 5, 2022 Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) reported it has expanded CE-IVD marking in the European Union for its PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx as an aid in identifying esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients for treatment with Bristol Myers Squibb’s PD-1-targeted immunotherapeutic OPDIVO (nivolumab), in combination with fluoropyrimidine and platinum-based chemotherapy or OPDIVO in combination with YERVOY (ipilimumab) (Press release, Agilent, APR 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234611473]). These combined treatments provide new hope for patients diagnosed with these cancers.

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Esophageal cancer is the seventh most common cancer and the sixth leading cause of death from cancer worldwide, with approximately 600,000 new cases and over 540,000 deaths in 2020. The two most common types of esophageal cancer are squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, which account for approximately 85% and 15% of all esophageal cancers, respectively, though esophageal tumor histology can vary by region and country.

PD-L1 is a critical biomarker for response to anti-PD-1 therapies, including the immunotherapeutic agent OPDIVO based on the Phase 3 CheckMate-648 trial results. When used in conjunction with PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx as a companion test, first-line treatment with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy or in combination with YERVOY provides PD-1-directed treatment to demonstrate superior overall survival when compared to chemotherapy alone in patients with unresectable advanced, recurrent, or metastatic previously untreated esophageal squamous cell carcinoma with tumor cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1%.

"With the CE marking of expanded use in Europe of our PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx assay, Agilent enables pathologists the increased capability to identify patients with ESCC for first-line treatment with OPDIVO in combination with chemotherapy or YERVOY (ipilimumab)," said Sam Raha, president of Agilent’s Diagnostics and Genomics Group. "We greatly value our relationship with Bristol Myers Squibb, and are committed to continuing developing and commercializing market-leading companion diagnostic products."

Agilent is the worldwide leader in partnering with pharmaceutical companies to develop IHC-based diagnostics for targeted cancer therapy. With the expansion of PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx, Agilent continues to set the standard and lead with innovation, quality, and ease of implementation—furthering their ongoing commitment to fight cancer and enable new discoveries.

Agilent Companion Diagnostic Expands CE-IVD Mark for PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx to Include Muscle-Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma (MIUC)

On April 5, 2022 Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) reported CE-IVD marking in the European Union for its PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx immunohistochemical assay to extend the use of the test to patients diagnosed with muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma (MIUC) who have tumor cell PD-L1 expression ≥ 1% for adjuvant treatment with OPDIVO (nivolumab), a PD-1-targeted immunotherapeutic from Bristol Myers Squibb (Press release, Agilent, APR 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234611472]).

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Urothelial carcinoma is the 10th most common cancer worldwide, with over 500,000 new cases and approximately 212,000 deaths in 2020.1 The rate of relapse with distant occurrence is approximately 50% in patients with MIUC.2

PD-L1 is a biomarker for response to anti-PD-1 therapies, including OPDIVO. The expanded use of PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx helps physicians in the EU identify MIUC patients for adjuvant treatment with OPDIVO.

When used in conjunction with PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx as a companion test, OPDIVO provides the first and only PD-1-directed treatment approach that can help reduce the risk of disease recurrence and offers new hope for patients diagnosed with MIUC.

"Agilent supports pathologists with products that provide accuracy and reliability in PD-L1 testing," said Sam Raha, president of Agilent’s Diagnostics and Genomics Group. "We are pleased that this now includes the treatment of MIUC for adjuvant treatment with OPDIVO."

This new indication CE-marking for PD-L1 IHC 28-8 pharmDx in the EU expands the current treatment options for urothelial cancer patients to include MIUC patients whose tumor cells express PD-L1 ≥ 1% and are high-risk of recurrence after undergoing radical resection, for the adjuvant treatment with OPDIVO. The new labeling builds on Agilent’s previous successes in growing the clinical applicability of therapeutic biomarker analysis, further cementing the company’s position as a provider of diagnostic assays that deliver high quality and ease of implementation.

References

1. View Source
2. John Michael DiBianco, Arvin K George, Daniel Su, Piyush K Agarwal. Managing noninvasive recurrences after definitive treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer or high-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Curr Opin Urol. 2015 Sep;25(5):468-75

PathAI and GlaxoSmithKline Sign Multi-Year Agreement to Accelerate Research and Drug Development

On April 5, 2022 PathAI, a global leader in AI-powered pathology, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), reported a strategic multi-year partnership to accelerate scientific research and drug development programs in oncology and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) by leveraging PathAI’s technologies in digital pathology including the use of PathAI’s AIM-NASH tool (Press release, GlaxoSmithKline, APR 5, 2022, View Source [SID1234611471]).

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"GSK’s world-leading AI/ML capability, including our dedicated in-house hub in London, is applying a predictive and data-driven approach to drug discovery and clinical trials with the aim of improving the success rates of new medicines. We look forward to leveraging both PathAI’s expertise and models to advance GSK’s proprietary AI models and focus on designing better models to deliver improved treatment options for patients with cancer and NASH," said Kim Branson, SVP Global Head of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at GSK.

"Our partnership will combine GSK and PathAI’s AI and platform engineering teams to scale algorithm development and enable the discovery of new insights that can be rapidly integrated into clinical trials," said Andrew Beck, CEO and Co-founder of PathAI. "With our combined efforts, we aim to harness the power of machine learning to predict which patients will benefit from therapies in key high need areas."