On April 12, 2023 Function Oncology, a company transforming the future of targeted cancer treatment with a CRISPR-powered precision medicine platform, reported an upcoming presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2023 Annual Meeting (Press release, Function Oncology, APR 12, 2023, View Source [SID1234630027]). The presentation will feature data from an acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cohort that demonstrate the power of Function Oncology’s CRISPR-based personalized functional genomics platform to profile and understand cancer in unprecedented and patient-specific detail.

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"These data underscore the powerful potential of our functional genomics platform to produce tailored treatment strategies," said Srihari Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief scientific officer. "In this study, our platform achieved very high sensitivity and specificity to identify gene dependencies driving individual patient responses, as well as high predictive value for observed clinical outcomes. For the first time, we are able to efficiently move beyond traditional gene sequencing to directly measuring gene function in order to define optimal therapeutic strategies for cancer patients."

Details of the presentation are as follows:
Title: A comprehensive CRISPR-enabled functional genomics profiling platform in Acute
Myeloid Leukemia (AML): pilot study and validation of Fx Heme
Format: Poster presentation
Abstract Number: 1062
Session Title: Session PO.CL09.03 – Precision Molecular Subtyping and Therapeutic Development
Date and Time: Sunday, April 16, 2023, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM ET

On April 12, 2023 Function Oncology, a precision medicine company advancing a CRISPR-powered personalized functional genomics platform to transform the future of targeted cancer treatment, reported its launch today with $28 Million in Series A financing (Press release, Function Oncology, APR 12, 2023, View Source [SID1234630026]). The financing was led by a16z and Section 32, with participation from Casdin Capital and Alexandria Venture Investments. Function Oncology is leveraging a new CRISPR-enabled platform to profile and understand cancer in unprecedented and patient-specific detail. By moving beyond traditional gene sequencing to measuring gene function, the company aims to identify optimal therapeutic opportunities for cancer patients and advance the next generation of targeted cancer treatments.

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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"Conventional next-generation sequencing approaches have marked a revolution in cancer diagnostics and treatment, but time has proven that this is only effective for a small subset of drugs and targets, leaving the majority of patients without meaningful therapeutic options," said Srinath Sampath, M.D., Ph.D., MPhil, co-founder and chief executive officer of Function Oncology. "We believe that the next level of precision oncology will be to move beyond gene sequence, to gene function. Our CRISPR-powered personalized functional genomics platform allows, for the first time, efficient, scalable and individualized assessment of drug target vulnerabilities directly in patient tumor samples. Moving towards ground state truth on target dependence allows precision medicine beyond what sequencing can access. It also allows us to identify the non-mutated "hidden" drug targets to power the next wave of transformative drug development."

Functional Genomics Platform: A Next-Generation Approach to Precision Cancer Medicine

Function Oncology’s functional genomics platform leverages CRISPR-based gene modulation directly in patient clinical samples, enabling personalized, comprehensive profiling of each patients’ tumors to uncover drug target dependencies that cannot be fully identified by conventional genomic profiling. These patient-specific insights may be used to produce tailored treatment strategies and in aggregate will ultimately power the development of new therapies against known or novel cancer drivers.

"The field of precision oncology continues to undergo a remarkable, technology-driven transformation," said Vineeta Agarwala, MD, PhD, General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz. "Function Oncology’s CRISPR-based platform has the potential to further accelerate this entire field beyond the limitations of conventional genomics and unlock a potentially transformative new era of cancer treatment and drug development."

"This is a powerful new platform that has potential for both diagnostic and therapeutic clinical applications," said Steve Kafka, Ph.D., managing partner at Section 32. "These applications range from accelerating target identification and validation, to producing unprecedented insights to enroll the right patients in clinical trials, to dramatically expanding the impact of existing drugs and surfacing novel cancer targets for drug development. This is a remarkable foundation upon which to create a true, next-generation precision medicine company."

Clinical Validation of Approach

Function Oncology also announced separately today that it will present data at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) annual meeting, taking place from April 14-19. These data provide clinical validation of the company’s CRISPR-based platform in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

On April 12, 2023 BPGbio, Inc., a leading AI-powered biopharma that focuses on oncology, neurology and rare diseases, reported that novel data insights from its oncology therapeutics and diagnostics portfolio will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Orlando, April 14 – 19, 2023 (Press release, BPGbio, APR 12, 2023, View Source [SID1234630025]).

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"BPGbio has continued to advance our research in both therapeutics and diagnostics through our Interrogative Biology platform," said Niven R. Narain, Ph.D, President & CEO. "We are pleased to present our data on BRG-399 at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper), which is showing promising advancements towards pan-cancer activity. In addition, we will be presenting our prostate health panel, which is the first diagnostic panel developed using AI, that we will be launching with strategic partners around the world."

A summary of the presentations is as follows:

Poster 1
Topic: Development of a Novel Oral Microtubule Targeting Agent with Pan-Cancer Activity
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Abstract Number: 1663
Poster Presenter: Maria-Dorothea Nastke, Ph.D., Director Oncology
Authors: Maria-Dorothea Nastke1, Jacob Matson1, Andressa Mota1, Archna Ravi1, Alex Batrouni1, Marcus O’Hara1, Shiva Kazerounian1, Arcan Guven1, Nicole Pellegrino1, Kashni Grover1, Kayleigh Gray1, Anne Diers1, Michael A. Kiebish1, Vivek K. Vishnudas1, Stephane Gesta1
1BPGbio, Framingham, MA USA*
Presentation Date/Time: Monday April 17, 2023 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Poster 2
Topic: Serum Filamin A is a Prognostic Biomarker for Screening Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia vs Prostate Cancer in Caucasian and African American Men
Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Abstract Number: 2196
Poster Presenter: Nischal Mahaveer Chand, Senior Data Scientist
Authors: Nischal Mahaveer Chand1, Poornima K. Tekumalla1, Albert Dobi2,3, Amina Ali2,3, Gregory M. Miller1, Juan J. Aristizabal-Henao1, Elder Granger1, Stephen J. Freedland4, Shiv Srivastava5, Jose, Arturo Rodriguez Rivera6, Arturo Mendoza7 David G. McLeod8, Niven R. Narain1, Michael A. Kiebish1
1BPGbio, Framingham, MA USA, 2 Center for Prostate Disease Research, John P. Murtha Cancer Center Research Program, Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD , 3Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine Bethesda, Maryland, 20817, 4Center for Integrated Research in Cancer and Lifestyle, Cedar-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA, 5Department of Biochemistry and Molecular & Cell Biology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington DC, USA, 6Hospital General de Occidente, Secretaria de Salud Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco, Mexico, 7National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico
Presentation Date/Time: Monday April 17, 2023 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

BPGbio’s Microtubule Targeting Agent & Pan Cancer

BPGbio has been conducting ongoing research on their molecule BRG399 for the treatment of solid tumors. BRG399, an oral experimental drug with favorable pharmacological properties for clinical testing, is a first in class anti-mitotic agent with broad-spectrum anti-cancer activity. BPGbio’s scientists reported that the anti-mitotic activity of BRG399 is the result of an inhibition of microtubule polymerization.

BRG399 is leading the new oncology drug pipeline for BPGbio including those uniquely targeting E2 enzymes.

BPGbio’s Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) vs Prostate Cancer Screening Panel

BPGbio’s prostate health screening panel is a blood-based test, and it provides guidance in men with BPH/LUTS (enlarged prostate) to determine their risk of detecting aggressive prostate cancer, avoiding the need for unnecessary biopsies. Additionally, the panel has demonstrated potential in preventing multiple unnecessary biopsies in high-risk men, who would have been guided by elevated PSA to receive a biopsy.

BPGbio’s prostate health screening panel is entering into early commercialization phase.

On April 12, 2023 Biomunex Pharmaceuticals, a French biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of immunotherapies based on the discovery and development of bi- and multi-specific antibodies for the treatment of cancer, reported that it will participate in and present new scientific data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) annual meeting, which will take place from April 14th to April 19th, 2023 at the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, USA (Press release, BIOMUNEX Pharmaceuticals, APR 12, 2023, View Source [SID1234630024]).

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Information about the presentation:
Title: MAIT engagers: An efficacious novel modality in the field of T-cell engagers for the treatment of solid tumors
Session Category: Immunology
Session Title: Therapeutic Antibodies 3
Session Date and Time: Monday Apr 17, 2023 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 24
Poster Board Number: 1
Published Abstract Number: 2954

On April 12, 2023 MAIA Biotechnology, Inc. (NYSE American: MAIA) reported that it will present a poster that will feature the design of its ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial, THIO-101 evaluating THIO in patients with advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, MAIA Biotechnology, APR 12, 2023, View Source [SID1234630023]). The poster will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2023, which is taking place in-person at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from April 14-19, 2023.

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Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

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Details on the poster and the corresponding abstract are shown below.

Poster Title: A phase 2, multi-center, open-label, dose-finding study evaluating telomere targeting agent THIO sequenced with cemiplimab in patients with advanced NSCLC
Session Title: Phase II and Phase III Clinical Trials in Progress
Abstract Number: CT050 / 8
Session Date: Monday, April 17, 2023, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm ET
Speaker/Lead Author: Mihail Obrocea, MD, MAIA’s Chief Medical Officer

Clinical trial abstract texts will be published online on AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)’s Online Itinerary Planner at 12:00 pm ET on April 14, 2023.

About THIO-101, a Phase 2 Clinical Trial

THIO-101 is a multicenter, open-label, dosing finding Phase 2 clinical trial. It is the first trial designed to evaluate THIO’s potential immune system activation effects in NSCLC patients by administering THIO in advance of administration of an immune checkpoint inhibitor allowing for immune activation and PD-1 sensitivity to take effect. The trial will test the hypothesis that low doses of THIO administered prior to a checkpoint inhibitor will enhance and prolong immune response in patients with advanced NSCLC who previously did not respond or developed resistance and progressed after first-line treatment regimen containing another checkpoint inhibitor. The trial design has two primary objectives: (1) to evaluate the safety and tolerability of THIO administered as an anticancer agent and a priming immune system agent (2) to assess the clinical efficacy of THIO using Overall Response Rate (ORR) as the primary clinical endpoint. For more information on this Phase II trial, please visit ClinicalTrials.gov using the identifier NCT05208944.

About THIO

THIO (6-thio-dG or 6-thio-2’-deoxyguanosine) is an investigational telomere-targeting agent currently in clinical development to evaluate its activity in NSCLC. Telomeres, along with the enzyme telomerase, play a fundamental role in the survival of cancer cells and their resistance to current therapies. THIO is being developed for patients with NSCLC that have progressed beyond the standard-of-care regimen of existing checkpoint inhibitors.