On July 17, 2023 Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene" SEHK: 6996.HK), a leading commercial-stage innovative, global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class medicines for hematology and oncology, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the United States in the combination portion of the Phase I ERASER trial to evaluate ATG-017 plus nivolumab (Press release, Antengene, JUL 17, 2023, View Source [SID1234633270]). The objective of the combination segment of the study is to evaluate the safety/tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary efficacy of ATG-017 combination therapy with nivolumab in patients with advanced solid tumors.

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ATG-017 is an oral, potent, and selective inhibitor of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). Nivolumab is a human programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) blocking antibody that binds to the PD-1 receptor expressed on activated T-cells. The clinical collaboration between Antengene and Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) to evaluate ATG-017 in combination with nivolumab (the ERASER study) builds on Antengene’s preclinical data which have demonstrated that the combination of an ERK1/2 inhibitor and an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) worked synergistically to produce improved efficacy in preclinical ICI-resistant in vivo murine models.

"We are pleased that the first patient in the combination cohort of the ERASER study of ATG-017 in the US has been dosed. Meanwhile, the monotherapy segment of the study is progressing well as planned in Australia," said Dr. Amily Zhang, Antengene’s Chief Medical Officer. "Based on the the preclinical data of ATG-017 that showed highly specific selectivity and promising activity, as well as synergistic effects in combination with ICIs, we are confident in ATG-017’s potential as a best-in-class ERK1/2 inhibitor and look forward to continuing to advance this clinical program of ATG-017."

"Having the first patient dosed in the combination portion of this study of ATG-017 in the U.S. marks another milestone in the development of the drug candidate. We have high hopes for ATG-017, a small molecule ERK1/2 inhibitor with great therapeutic potential in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade or agents targeting signal pathways," said Dr. Jay Mei, Antengene’s Founder, Chairman and CEO. "This milestone underscores Antengene’s commitment to its global innovation strategies. We will press ahead with this clinical study in efforts to bring another novel, effective and safe treatment option to cancer patients worldwide."

About ATG-017

ATG-017 is an oral, potent, and selective small molecule extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) inhibitor. ERK1/2 are related protein-serine/threonine kinases that function as terminal kinases in the RAS-MAPK signal transduction cascade. This cascade regulates a large variety of cellular processes, including proliferation. The RAS-MAPK pathway is dysregulated in more than 30% of human cancers with the most frequent alterations being observed in RAS or BRAF genes across multiple tumor types. An ERK inhibitor enables the targeting of both RAS and BRAF mutant diseases.

Antengene presented data at the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 36th Annual Meeting & Pre-conference Programs in November 2021 detailing compelling preclinical results showing the combination of ATG-017 and an anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody (atezolizumab) in an aggressive immune checkpoint resistant murine cancer model rendered "cold" tumors "hot". Antengene is evaluating ATG-017 in the Phase I ERASER study, as monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab, in patients with advanced solid tumors and hematological malignancies in Australia and the U.S.

On July 17, 2023 Lantern Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRN), an artificial intelligence ("AI") company developing targeted and transformative cancer therapies using its proprietary RADR AI and machine learning ("ML") platform with multiple clinical stage drug programs, reported that the Company will participate and present at four upcoming conferences (Press release, Lantern Pharma, JUL 17, 2023, View Source [SID1234633268]):

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Biotech CEO Summit USA in La Jolla, CA from July 17-19, 2023. Panna Sharma, Lantern’s CEO and President will be participating.
Conference Website: https://www.biotechceosummit.com

Cancer Molecular Therapeutics Research Association Conference, in Watkins Glen, NY from July 23-27, 2023. Kishor Bhatia Ph.D., Lantern’s Chief Scientific Officer, will be participating, presentation details TBA.
Conference Website/Registration: View Source

Society of Neuro-Oncology/American Society of Clinical Oncology CNS Cancer Conference in San Francisco, CA, on August 10th, 2023 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. PT.
Presentation Title: LP-184, a novel acylfulvene-derived tumor site activated small molecule inhibits adult and pediatric CNS tumor cell growth
Conference Website/Registration:
View Source

International Conference on Drug Conjugates for Directed Therapy in Darmstadt, Germany on Thursday, August 24th, 2023 from 9:45-10:15 a.m. CEST.
Presentation Title: In-silico Approach for the Identification of ADC Targets with Improved Tumor Selectivity
Conference Website/Registration:
View Source

Further details on the data and findings presented at the scientific conferences will be announced following the conference presentations.

On July 17, 2023 PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTCT) reported the appointment of Pierre Gravier to the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) (Press release, PTC Therapeutics, JUL 17, 2023, View Source [SID1234633267]). Mr. Gravier brings more than 17 years of experience as an investment banker, venture capitalist and scientist to PTC. Most recently, Pierre was a managing director in the healthcare group of Perella Weinberg Partners, a leading independent global advisory firm. At Perella Weinberg, he focused on advising companies in the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical sectors on finance strategy and corporate development.

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"We are incredibly excited to have Pierre as part of PTC’s leadership team," said Matthew B. Klein, M.D., Chief Executive Officer, PTC Therapeutics. "Pierre’s extensive global experience in finance and healthcare advisory will be incredibly helpful as we continue to build the PTC of tomorrow. Having known Pierre over the past several years, I am confident his knowledge, experience and passion to help patients make him a great addition to the PTC family."

Prior to joining Perella Weinberg, Pierre worked as a healthcare investment banker at Barclays Capital in London. Previously, he was a venture capital analyst at Société Générale Asset Management in Paris, where he focused on early-stage investments in the biotechnology sector. Mr. Gravier began his career as a scientist at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Pierre holds a master’s degree in finance from ESCP Business School and a Master of Science in bioengineering from the University of Technology of Compiègne.

"I am excited to join the patient-focused and mission-driven PTC team and look forward to supporting our continued efforts to deliver transformational therapies to patients with high unmet medical need," said Pierre Gravier.

On July 17, 2023 PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of targeted cancer immunotherapies and infectious disease vaccines based on the Company’s proprietary Versamune and Infectimune T cell activating technologies, reported that an abstract reporting on interim data from a first-in-human clinical trial evaluating the combination of PDS0301, an IL-12-based immunocytokine, with the chemotherapy medication docetaxel has been accepted for oral presentation at the 11th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society (Cytokines 2023) (Press release, PDS Biotechnology, JUL 17, 2023, View Source [SID1234633266]).

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The abstract, titled, "Combining an IL-12-based Immunocytokine (PDS0301) with Docetaxel in Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Preliminary Safety and Immune Data", will report interim safety and immune data on 18 patients in the clinical trial being led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health. The trial is investigating the safety, immune responses and clinical activity of PDS0301 and docetaxel in metastatic castration-sensitive and castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. The study is designed to evaluate three dose levels of PDS0301 (8 mcg/kg, 12 mcg/kg, and 16.8 mcg/kg) in combination with docetaxel (75 mg/m2) administered every three weeks.

"We look forward to Dr. Ravi Madan’s presentation of the interim safety, clinical outcomes and immune correlates for PDS0301 administered in combination with standard of care docetaxel in patients with advanced prostate cancer," stated Dr. Lauren V. Wood, Chief Medical Officer of PDS Biotech. "This clinical trial provides an important opportunity to investigate the potential of PDS0301 combined with docetaxel chemotherapy to offer improved treatment options for patients with metastatic castration-sensitive and castration-resistant forms of prostate cancer. The results of this study could provide insight into the potential use of PDS0301 with chemotherapy across multiple solid tumors."

Abstract Title: Combining an IL-12-based Immunocytokine (PDS0301) with Docetaxel in Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Preliminary Safety and Immune Data
Paper Number: 249
Presenting Author: Head, Prostate Cancer Clinical Research Section, Ravi A. Madan
Authors: Renee Donahue, Yo-Ting Tsai, Mohammad O. Atiq, Elias Chandran, Luke Meininger, Fatima Karzai, Marijo Bilusic, Jennifer Marte, Philip M. Arlen, Lisa Cordes, Megan Hausler, Amy Hankin, Nikki Williams, William D. Figg, Jeff Schlom, James L. Gulley, Ravi A. Madan
Session Details: Plenary 3: Cytokines in Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy, Mittwoch; Olympia A+B
Session Date and Time: October 18, 2023, 10:00-10:15

For patients interested in enrolling in this clinical trial, please contact NCI’s toll-free number 1-800-4-Cancer (1-800-422-6237) (TTY: 1-800-332-8615) and/or the Web site: View Source and/or [email protected].

About PDS0301
PDS0301 is a novel investigational tumor-targeting antibody-conjugated Interleukin 12 (IL-12) that enhances the proliferation, potency and longevity of T cells and natural killer (NK) cells in the tumor microenvironment. PDS0301 is given by subcutaneous injection and is designed to improve the safety profile of IL-12 and to enhance the anti-tumor response.

On July 17, 2023 Karyopharm Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: KPTI), a commercial-stage pharmaceutical company pioneering novel cancer therapies, reported that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation to the development program of selinexor for the treatment of patients with myelofibrosis, including primary myelofibrosis, post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis, and post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis (Press release, Karyopharm, JUL 17, 2023, View Source [SID1234633264]).

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"Fast Track Designation for selinexor highlights its potential to address the unmet medical need in myelofibrosis, an important acknowledgement as we continue our pivotal Phase 3 study," said Reshma Rangwala, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of Karyopharm. "Selinexor’s unique mechanism of action, XPO1 inhibition, is a novel and potentially fundamental mechanism in myelofibrosis. We have been highly encouraged by the efficacy and safety data observed to date [in our Phase 1 study] with selinexor in combination with ruxolitinib in patients with treatment-naïve myelofibrosis and believe selinexor has the potential to shift the treatment paradigm. We look forward to continued interaction with the FDA as we advance the development of this promising treatment for patients in need."

In June 2023, Karyopharm initiated a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial (XPORT-MF-034) (NCT04562389) to assess the efficacy and safety of once-weekly selinexor 60 mg in combination with ruxolitinib in JAKi-naïve patients with myelofibrosis. Updated data from the Phase 1 study were presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2023, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2023 and European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper) 2023, which showed rapid, deep and sustained spleen responses and robust symptom improvement in patients treated with selinexor 60 mg in combination with ruxolitinib as of the April 10, 2023 cut-off date. Top-line data from the Phase 3 study is expected in 2025. The Company plans to expand its clinical development program in myelofibrosis by investigating selinexor in other JAKi-naïve settings, such as novel combinations, to benefit the greatest number of patients.

Fast Track Designation is intended to facilitate development and expedite review of drugs to treat serious and life-threatening conditions so that an approved product can reach the market expeditiously. Features of Fast Track Designation include frequent interactions with the FDA review team, and if relevant criteria are met, eligibility for Priority Review and Rolling Review.

Further information about the Phase 3 study can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov.