FoundationOne®Liquid CDx Receives FDA-Approval as a Companion Diagnostic for EXKIVITY® (mobocertinib) to Identify Patients with EGFR Exon 20 Insertion Mutations in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

On May 3, 2023 Foundation Medicine, Inc., a leader in molecular profiling for cancer, reported that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for FoundationOneLiquid CDx to be used as a companion diagnostic for EXKIVITY (mobocertinib), which is currently FDA-approved for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations as detected by an FDA-approved test, whose disease has progressed on or after platinum-based chemotherapy (Press release, Foundation Medicine, MAY 3, 2023, View Source [SID1234630953]). For full Indication, Important Safety Information and link to the Prescribing Information, please see ‘About Exkivity’ below. FoundationOne Liquid CDx is the only blood-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) test that is FDA-approved to detect EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations to identify patients who may be appropriate for treatment with EXKIVITY.

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Non Small cell Lung cancer is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for 80-85% of lung cancer diagnoses.1 Approximately 1-2% of patients with NSCLC have EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations, which are more common in Asian populations compared to Western populations.2-6

"EGFR exon 20 insertion-positive NSCLC is a rare and historically underdiagnosed disease that requires a targeted treatment approach at the molecular level due to its unique mutation," said Stefanie Granado, head, U.S. Oncology Business Unit, Takeda. "The approval of this indication for Foundation Medicine’s blood-based companion diagnostic test is another important step forward to expand the identification of patients in the U.S. with this rare cancer and improve access for people who may benefit from treatment with EXKIVITY, including those unable to undergo tumor biopsy."

Foundation Medicine’s two FDA-approved tests meet rigorous analytical and clinical validation standards. From a simple blood sample, FoundationOne Liquid CDx analyzes more than 300 cancer-related genes for genomic alterations that cause cancer to grow.

"Cancer is an incredibly complex disease, so it’s critical that oncologists leverage companion diagnostics, which are high-quality, well-validated genomic tests, to inform treatment decisions for their patients," said Mia Levy, MD, PhD, chief medical officer at Foundation Medicine. "We’re proud of the work we’ve done with Takeda to develop blood and tissue-based companion diagnostics for therapies in their precision oncology pipeline, including this recent approval for EXKIVITY."

"People living with rare forms of lung cancer like EGFR exon 20 insertion mutated NSCLC often face limited treatment options," said Danielle Hicks, chief patient officer at GO2 for Lung Cancer. "It’s encouraging to see continued progress toward improving access to new treatment options for patients living with advanced non-small cell lung cancer."

Photocure ASA: Invitation to presentation of first quarter 2023 financial results

On May 3, 2023 Photocure ASA (Photocure) (PHO: OSE) reported that it will announce the first quarter 2023 financial results on Wednesday 10 May 2023 at 08:00 CEST and will present a live webcast at 14:00 CEST the same day (Press release, PhotoCure, MAY 3, 2023, View Source [SID1234630952]).

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The quarterly report and presentation will be published at 08:00 CEST and will be publicly available at www.photocure.com.

The investor presentation will be streamed live and be hosted by Dan Schneider, CEO and Erik Dahl, CFO. The presentation will be held in English and questions can be submitted throughout the event. The presentation is scheduled to conclude at 14:45 CEST.

The streaming event is available through https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20230510_9/.

KaliVir Immunotherapeutics Announces Presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting

On May 3, 2023 KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, Inc., a biotech company developing cutting-edge, multi-therapeutic oncolytic viral immunotherapy programs, reported that its Director of Immunology, Ravikumar Muthuswamy, Ph.D., will present "Novel Oncolytic therapy VET3-TGI restricts TGFβ1 and augments Type-1 immune response in TME, leading to superior therapeutic efficacy in multiple preclinical tumor models," an overview of data on its lead pre-clinical candidate, VET3-TGI, in an oral presentation at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Press release, KaliVir Immunotherapeutics, MAY 3, 2023, View Source;cell-therapy-asgct-annual-meeting-301813498.html [SID1234630951]). The presentation is on Friday, May 19, 2023 at 5:15 PM PST.

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VET3-TGI is based on KaliVir’s unique Vaccinia Enhanced Template (VET) platform, capable of generating potent novel oncolytic vaccinia viruses with modifications to maximize viral replication and to enhance intravenous delivery and spread. VET3-TGI incorporates modifications granting the expression of CXCR3, IL-12 and a TGF-β inhibitor, allowing for efficient trafficking to the tumor, activation of anti-tumor immune responses and inhibition of immunosuppressive activity.

Lytix Biopharma to present at the ‘Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy 2023’, invited by New York Academy of Sciences

On May 3, 2023 Lytix Biopharma – Lytix Biopharma AS ("Lytix") (Euronext Growth Oslo: LYTIX), a Norwegian immuno-oncology company – reported that Dr Øystein Rekdal, CEO in Lytix Biopharma, will give an oral presentation at the `Frontiers in Cancer Immunotherapy 2023′ conference, which is taking place in New York, USA (Press release, Lytix Biopharma, MAY 3, 2023, View Source [SID1234630950]).

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Dr Rekdal has been invited by the New York Academy of Sciences to discuss how tumor-directed strategies enable superior immune-stimulation of `cold’ non-infiltrated tumors, in a joint presentation with Lorenzo Galluzzi, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine. In his presentation, Rekdal will put particular emphasis on the efficacy data achieved in human clinical trials performed with LTX-315 and how oncolytic molecules can address the challenge represented by the modest activity of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients with immunologically `cold’ tumors. The presentation will be performed in Session 9: Cancer Vaccines, on May 3.

"Our technology platform delivers molecules with the potential to recruit immune cells into the tumor microenvironment in support of strong anticancer immunity, solving one of the major hurdles in cancer treatment. We are grateful for being invited by the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) to this conference and to present our clinical data confirming the strong pre-clinical evidence of our proposed solution to the problem of `cold’ tumors in cancer immunotherapy", says Dr. Øystein Rekdal.

Title: `Clinically Viable Tumor-Directed Strategies to Enable Superior Immunostimulation in Cold Neoplasms’

Date and time: Wednesday May 3, 2023, at 14.30-15.00 ET

About the Congress

Over the last 10 years, cancer immunotherapy has seen tremendous scientific development and clinical success. The field of immuno-oncology continues to advance at a rapid pace, with great potential to further revolutionize patient outcomes. The conference provides an opportunity to be part of the leading forum for scientists and clinicians to keep up with the latest trends and developments in the field. At the conference world-renowned leaders in the field like Nobel Laureate Dr. James Allison (University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center), Dr. Nina Bhardwaj (Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai), and Dr. Robert D. Schreiber (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis) will deliver keynote presentations. Speakers from leading biotech and life sciences companies including Enable Medicine, Gritstone Bio, Infinity Pharmaceuticals, and Lytix Biopharma will complement the presentations with evidence from industrial-academic collaborations.

Convergent Therapeutics Announces $90 Million Series A Financing to Advance the Clinical Development of Radiopharmaceuticals for the Treatment of Prostate Cancer and Other Solid Tumors

On May 3, 2023 Convergent Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of next-generation radiopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer, reported the completion of a $90 million Series A financing, led by OrbiMed and RA Capital Management with participation from Invus (Press release, Convergent Therapeutics, MAY 3, 2023, View Source [SID1234630949]). The financing will support the development of a pipeline of novel radioantibodies, including its lead program with CONV01-α, for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.

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Dr. Philip Kantoff, Convergent CEO, and Dr. Neil Bander, Chief Scientific Advisor to Convergent, co-founded the company with technology developed in the Bander Lab and licensed from Cornell University. Dr. Bander is the Bernard & Josephine Chaus Professor of Urologic Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine and is recognized worldwide for his contributions to prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) biology and the related advancement of PSMA directed imaging and therapeutics. Dr. Bander and his colleagues were the first to validate PSMA as a target in cancer.

Dr. Kantoff is the former Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, former Chief of Solid Tumor Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jerome and Nancy Kohlberg Chair Emeritus at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kantoff contributed to the advancement of clinical biomarkers and multiple FDA-approved treatments for prostate cancer over his three decades of work as an academic oncologist.

"While considerable progress has been made in the search for effective treatments for prostate cancer, it continues to be the second leading cause of cancer death in men1, representing a significant unmet need," said Dr. Kantoff. "This financing is an important milestone for Convergent and accelerated development of novel radioantibodies, beginning with CONV01-α. We view this program as a best-in-class, targeted treatment for prostate cancer and will be advancing CONV01-α clinical development over the immediate term. With the founding of Convergent, our focus has been on the amalgamation of world-class expertise to identify and develop new radiopharmaceutical treatments for a wide range of cancers."

Tal Zaks, M.D., Ph.D., Partner at OrbiMed, said, "In our goal of improving healthcare for patients, we believe that Convergent Therapeutics’ radioantibody approach is ideally suited to treat cancer and bring effective breakthrough treatments to patients. We look forward to collaborating with the Convergent team, whose extensive expertise in prostate cancer, foundational leadership in radiopharmaceuticals and patient-focused mindset will be invaluable in taking the company forward."

Jake Simson, Ph.D., Partner at RA Capital Management, added, "We are proud to support Convergent and believe its radioantibody technology is an exciting approach to radiopharmaceuticals that will have significant implications for patients. As we witness encouraging progress in the radiopharmaceutical field with new emerging therapies to treat various types of cancer, we believe that Convergent is well-positioned."

In addition to initiating the next phase of clinical development for CONV01-α, Convergent Therapeutics is pursuing additional radioantibody targets to treat cancer. The company is currently evaluating other in-licensing and pipeline acquisition opportunities.

Citigroup acted as the sole placement agent for this transaction.