On October 18, 2023 Traverse Biotech, Inc reported that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health has awarded them a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 Grant to fund the development of a unique bispecific antibody approach for treating Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), the most prevalent type of lung cancer in the United States (Press release, Traverse Biotech, OCT 18, 2023, View Source [SID1234636125]).

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Brandy Houser, Co-founder and CEO of Traverse Biotech, stated "We are excited about the NCI’s interest and support of this technology. We believe that T cell-engager bispecific antibodies could potentially serve as a valuable treatment option for NSCLC and other solid tumors expressing our target tumor antigen."

"This NCI funding will help us to validate our novel tumor antigen as a unique target and move our bispecific antibody forward in the field of cancer immunotherapy," added Dr. Jean-Loup Romet-Lemonne, Traverse Biotech’s Co-founder and Principal Investigator for this grant.

Research is supported by the NCI at the National Institutes of Health under award number R43CA285040-01. Authors are entirely responsible for the content of this press release and therefore the content does not necessarily represent the views of the NIH.

On October 18, 2023 InxMed Co., Ltd, a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated on developing innovative therapies to overcome treatment resistance for hard-to-treat solid tumors, reported preclinical data at 14th Annual World ADC Conference in San Diego regarding IN10018, a highly potent and selective oral inhibitor of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), to boost efficacy of ADCs, and IN30718，a First-in-Class cancer associated fibroblast (CAF) targeting ADC for high stroma tumors (Press release, InxMed, OCT 18, 2023, View Source [SID1234636124]).

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FAK signaling has been shown to be important in pathologic fibrosis in various tissues. Overexpression of FAK is correlated with poor treatment responses and treatment resistance in many tumors. Meanwhile, one critical factor limiting ADC effectiveness is poor access to tumor cells, especially in high stroma tumors such as pancreatic tumor, TNBC etc.

Preclinical data demonstrated that IN10018 was able to break down the fibrotic barrier, improving penetration of large molecules including ADC. Significant synergy was observed between IN10018 and ADCs such as Enhertu and Trodelvy in stroma rich tumors including pancreatic cancer, TNBC, and ovarian cancer models. Mechanistically, IN10018 is also found to synergize with various types of ADC payloads for cancer killing.

"IN10018 has been demonstrated clinical efficacy over a number of cancer types in humans. The synergy between IN10018 and ADC was supported with solid biological rationales. The industry and medical community both have high expectation of ADCs, but most ADCs are showed only a moderate response rate with PFS in general less than 5 months. There is an unmet medical need to boost effectiveness and prolong the duration of response. Our FAKi IN10018 potentially addresses such emerging need. " Said Dr. Zaiqi Wang, founder and Chief Executive Officer of InxMed.

The company is establishing collaborations with ADC companies and welcomes more collaborations against deadly high stroma tumors.

InxMed also presented preclinical data of IN30718. This is a First-in-Class ADC targeting a specific transmembrane glycoprotein highly expressed on cancer-associated fibroblasts in multiple high stroma solid tumors, especially in gastrointestinal cancers. IN30718 exhibits robust efficacy in multiple patient derived xenograft (PDX) models of gastrointestinal cancers and is well tolerated by cynomolgus monkeys. IN30718 will be ready for IND submission in mid 2024.

On October 18, 2023 SOPHiA GENETICS (Nasdaq: SOPH), a category-defining software company and a global leader in data-driven medicine reported a collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), a top cancer treatment and research institution, and AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) to bring high quality, comprehensive cancer testing to a global scale (Press release, AstraZeneca, OCT 18, 2023, View Source [SID1234636123]). With this collaboration, the three leading organizations will further their shared goal to advance health equity on a global scale by providing inclusive access to comprehensive cancer testing worldwide.

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Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. In 2020, 10 million deaths were attributed to cancer, 70 percent of which occurred in low- and middle-income countries.1 While there are multifaceted reasons for this disparity, a top contributor is the lack of adequate testing, which can lead to prevention, early detection, and advanced treatment. Through the newly announced partnership, SOPHiA GENETICS, MSK, and AstraZeneca will create a decentralized global network for cancer testing, including underserved regions where access to testing remains scarce.

The partnership will provide MSK’s proprietary liquid biopsy and solid tumor cancer tests – MSK-ACCESS and MSK-IMPACT – to organizations via the decentralized, technology-agnostic SOPHiA DDM Platform. This offering will be rapidly deployed by SOPHiA GENETICS with support from AstraZeneca’s global footprint. Through SOPHiA GENETICS’ cloud-based platform, which provides highly accurate and reliable data and insights, institutions around the world – and in traditionally under-resourced and under-served areas – will have the power to make data-driven decisions.

"The power of a decentralized network like the SOPHiA DDM Platform is that diverse data inputs are continuously added to the network to fuel and teach our artificial intelligence algorithms, helping to produce stronger data outputs each time," said Jurgi Camblong, PhD., CEO and Co-founder, SOPHiA GENETICS. "The diverse data that will be unlocked through the partnership between SOPHiA GENETICS, AstraZeneca, and MSK will undoubtedly contribute to the collective intelligence needed on a global scale to revolutionize the future of cancer research and treatment."

"MSK is excited to collaborate with SOPHiA GENETICS and AstraZeneca to bring our advanced genomic testing to new populations," said Anaeze Offodile II, MD, MPH, Chief Strategy Officer, MSK. "We believe that this collaboration will enable patients from around the world to better understand the genomic profile of their cancer. Expanding this to a global population generates a more diverse data set to help develop treatments that could benefit different and often underserved populations."

This collaboration aims to generate an unparalleled and comprehensive dataset sourced from diverse populations to provide invaluable insights and knowledge that could shape the future of global healthcare.

"While cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, we know that a key barrier for cancer patients and their physicians is a lack of access to high-quality comprehensive genomic testing. Broad access to quality testing can vastly improve cancer diagnosis and physicians’ treatment decisions," said Kristina Rodnikova, Head of Global Oncology Diagnostics, AstraZeneca. "We believe that our collaboration with MSK and SOPHiA GENETICS will provide physicians and patients with the reliable data that they need to better diagnose their disease."

The first iterations of this program are expected to be available for healthcare institutions before the end of 2023.

For more information on SOPHiA GENETICS, visit SOPHiAGENETICS.COM, or connect on X (formerly known as Twitter), LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

On October 18, 2023 Actym Therapeutics, pioneering a new drug modality to treat solid tumors, reported that it has extended its Series A financing round with an additional close of $25.5 million, bringing the total Series A amount raised to $59.5 million (Press release, Actym Therapeutics, OCT 18, 2023, View Source [SID1234636122]). The extension was co-led by existing investors Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Illumina Ventures, with GKCC LLC as a new investor joining the round with Actym’s other current shareholders, Panacea Ventures and JLo Ventures.

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Actym’s proprietary platform, S. Typhimurium-Attenuated Cancer Therapy (STACT), represents a new approach to achieving a comprehensive immunological re-activation of the Tumor Microenvironment (TME) for the treatment solid tumors. By leveraging a genetically modified bacterial vehicle, STACT-based therapeutics transport therapeutic payloads to initiate a selective immune response within the TME. Actym’s lead candidate, ACTM-838, safely introduces optimized IL-15 and STING, two highly potent and synergistic payloads, directly into the TME. In preclinical studies, ACTM-838 is effectively enriched within the TME, unlocking a comprehensive and durable innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune response. The Series A extension will support the company’s entry into a Phase 1 clinical trial. This trial is designed to achieve proof of mechanism for ACTM-838, demonstrating its ability to selectively enrich in tumors, deliver payload combinations there, and positively re-activate the immuno-compromised TME. In addition, the trial is designed to assess the dose selection, safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of ACTM-838.

"We have advanced the STACT platform and defined a value-building clinical pathway that will allow us to translate our deep understanding of the tumor microenvironment into a novel approach to an effective and safe cancer treatment," said Christopher Thanos, Ph.D., CEO and Co-founder of Actym Therapeutics. "We value the continued commitment from our current investors and welcome GKCC LLC into the syndicate. Through their combined support, we aim to bring innovative therapies to patients across multiple solid tumor indications."

"Illumina Ventures is committed to driving innovation by supporting companies dedicated to using breakthrough science to transform the healthcare landscape. Actym’s pioneering approach to cancer treatment aligns perfectly with our vision," said Ron Mazumder, Ph.D., Partner at Illumina Ventures. "We are convinced that the Actym team is well-positioned to deliver on the promise of its platform and its new drug modality."

"Actym Therapeutics is pushing the boundaries of cancer immunotherapy with an adaptable platform that precisely targets the TME and can deliver a wide array of therapeutic payloads to treat solid tumors," added Julie Cherrington, Ph.D., Executive Chair of the Actym Board of Directors. "We are excited by the transformative potential of ACTM-838 and look forward to the company’s next phase of clinical and corporate development."

On October 18, 2023 Inhibrx, Inc. (Nasdaq: INBX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of therapeutics for oncology and rare diseases, reported that it will be presenting at the following upcoming scientific conferences (Press release, Inhibrx, OCT 18, 2023, View Source [SID1234636121]):

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Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) 2023 Annual Meeting
November 1st – 4th, 2023 – Dublin, Ireland

Title: The Tetravalent Death Receptor 5 Agonist INBRX-109 Combined With Chemotherapy in Ewing Sarcoma: Preliminary Data From A Phase 1 Study
Lead Author: Rashmi Chugh, MD
Poster presentation on Thursday, November 2nd, 2023 from 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM Irish Standard Time
Location: The Liffey Convention Centre in Dublin, Ireland

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 38th Annual Meeting
November 3rd – 5th, 2023 – San Diego, California

Title: Phase 1/2 Study of the Bispecific 4-1BB and PD-L1 Antibody INBRX-105 Alone and in Combination With Pembrolizumab in Select Solid Tumors
Lead Author: Jong Chul Park, MD
Abstract: 742
Trial-in-progress poster presentation on Saturday, November 4th, 2023 from 9 AM – 8:30 PM Pacific Standard Time
Location: San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA – Hall A

Presentation Title: Phase 1/2 Study of the Hexavalent OX40 Agonist INBRX-106 Alone and in Combination With Pembrolizumab in Select Solid Tumors
Lead Author: Rachel E. Sanborn, MD
Abstract: 748
Trial-in-progress poster presentation on Saturday, November 4th, 2023 from 9 AM – 8:30 PM Pacific Standard Time
Location: San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, CA – Hall A

The posters will be accessible through a link on the investors’ section of Inhibrx’s website at View Source upon commencement of each respective presentation.