PDS Biotech Announces Interim Safety and Immune Response Data from Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial Evaluating Novel Antibody Drug Conjugate PDS0301 Combined with Docetaxel to Treat Metastatic Prostate Cancer

On October 11, 2023 PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB) (PDS Biotech or the Company), a clinical-stage immunotherapy company developing a growing pipeline of targeted cancer immunotherapies and infectious disease vaccines based on the Company’s proprietary T cell activating platforms, reported interim safety and immune response data for the first-in-human Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating PDS0301, a novel investigational tumor-targeting, antibody-conjugated Interleukin 12, in combination with current standard-of-care (SOC) chemotherapy, docetaxel, to treat metastatic castration sensitive (mCSPC) and castration resistant (mCRPC) prostate cancer (Press release, PDS Biotechnology, OCT 11, 2023, View Source [SID1234635855]). The data will be featured in an oral presentation by Ravi A. Madan, MD, Head, Prostate Cancer Clinical Research Section, Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research of the National Cancer Institute, an Institute of the National Institutes of Health, at the 11th Annual Meeting of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society (Cytokines 2023) in Athens, Greece.

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"We are encouraged by the preliminary data from the Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating PDS0301 in combination with docetaxel for patients with metastatic prostate cancer which has the potential to improve treatment outcomes for patients with advanced and refractory prostate cancers that have spread to other parts of the body," said Lauren V. Wood, MD, Chief Medical Officer of PDS Biotech.

Eighteen patients (11 with mCSPC and 7 with mCRPC) with a median age of 69 years (range 39-82) were evaluated for clinical activity and toxicity. Three dose levels of PDS0301 (8.0 mcg/kg, 12.0 mcg/kg, and 16.8 mcg/kg) in combination with docetaxel (75 mg/m2) were administered every three weeks beginning with the second cycle of treatment. The dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) window spanned the 6 weeks after initiating docetaxel. While all doses of PDS0301 were well-tolerated, the 12.0 mcg/kg dose of PDS0301 with chemotherapy provided the best combination of immune response and tolerability.

Interim data highlights to be presented at Cytokines 2023 include:


Decrease in PSA levels was seen in all patients at all three tested doses of PDS0301 and ranged from -4% to -100%.


All doses of the combination were well-tolerated with one patient experiencing Grade 4 neutropenia.


Administration of the combination was associated with decreases in T reg cells and increases in activated natural killer (NK) cells, memory CD8 T cells, proliferating CD4 and CD8 T cells and cytokines INF-γ and Interleukin 10 (IL-10).


The changes in immune responses with the combination were independent of the PDS0301 dose.

"The interim data show that adding PDS0301 to docetaxel was associated with increases in peripheral activated natural killer cells, central memory CD8, proliferating CD4 and CD8 cells in addition to cytokines interferon-gamma and Interleukin 10 as well as decreases in T regulatory cells," said Frank Bedu-Addo, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of PDS Biotech. "As the first clinical study to evaluate docetaxel and an immunocytokine, we were pleased to see that the combination can be administered every 3 weeks and look forward to its continued evaluation and impact on clinical outcomes for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer."

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), email [email protected], or visit View Source using the identifier NCT04633252.

About PDS0301
PDS0301 is a novel investigational tumor-targeting antibody drug conjugate of 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.

Moleculin to Participate in the Virtual Investor Ask the CEO Conference

On October 11, 2023 Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio of drug candidates targeting hard to treat tumors and viruses, reported that Walter Klemp, President and Chief Executive Officer and Jonathan Foster, Executive VP and Chief Financial Officer of Moleculin, will participate at the Virtual Investor Ask the CEO Conference on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 at 12:00 PM ET (Press release, Moleculin, OCT 11, 2023, View Source [SID1234635854]).

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The "Ask the CEO" conference is intended to provide the investment community with access to ask their questions directly to management. Investors and interested parties will have the opportunity to submit questions live during the event. Questions can also be pre-submitted leading up to the event through virtualinvestorco.com/asktheceo-mbrx. Participating companies will answer as many questions as possible during the event.

A live video webcast of the event will be available on the Events page of the Investors section of the Company’s website (moleculin.com). A webcast replay will be available two hours following the live presentation and will be accessible for 90 days.

Kintara Therapeutics to Present at the 8th Annual Dawson James Small Cap Growth Conference

On October 11, 2023 Kintara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTRA) ("Kintara" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new solid tumor cancer therapies, reported that its President and CEO, Robert E. Hoffman will present at the 8th Annual Dawson James Small Cap Growth Conference on Thursday, October 12, 2023 at 10:30 am ET (Press release, Kintara Therapeutics, OCT 11, 2023, View Source [SID1234635853]).

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ErVimmune Partners with Servier to Identify Regulatory Mechanisms of Endogenous Retroviruses in Tumors

On October 11, 2023 ErVaccine Technologies (now ErVimmune), a French biotechnology company developing therapeutic vaccines and cellular immunotherapies targeting unconventional tumor antigens, reported a sponsored research agreement with Servier that will leverage ErVimmune’s expertise and proprietary platforms to discover biomarkers of response to therapies under development by Servier (Press release, ErVaccine, OCT 11, 2023, View Source [SID1234635852]).

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"We are delighted to have established a research collaboration with Servier who has a proven track record in oncology," said Stéphane Depil, MD, PhD, founder and Executive Chairman of ErVimmune. "Together we will evaluate the impact of modulating a new cancer target on the expression of specific endogenous retroviruses with the aim of discovering novel therapeutic approaches in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Servier, with their deep and integrated capabilities throughout the entire pharmaceutical R&D chain, is an ideal partner for ErVimmune in this development."

"ErVimmune has a unique platform for the identification and validation of unconventional tumor epitopes. The strong synergies between the Servier research team and ErVimmune’s expertise will allow us to exploit new mechanisms for cancer immunotherapies with the potential to change the cancer treatment landscape
as we know it today," said Don Simons, PhD, Head of U.S. Pharmacology at Servier.

Under the terms of the agreement Servier will fund research efforts to discover endogenous retrovirus- derived biomarkers and investigate mechanisms that regulate expression of ErVimmune’s proprietary cancer vaccine targets.

Defence To Present Three Of Its Leading Products At The Upcoming Festival Of Biologics In Basel, Switzerland

On October 6, 2023 Defence Therapeutics Inc. ("Defence" or the "Company"), a Canadian biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of immune-oncology vaccines and drug delivery technologies, reported its participation to the upcoming Festival of Biologics to be held in Basel, Switzerland, October 10-12, 2023 (Press release, Defence Therapeutics, OCT 6, 2023, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=defence-to-present-three-of-its-leading-products-at-the-upcoming-festival-of-biologics-in-basel-switzerland [SID1234635851]).

The Festival of Biologics is a hub for the life science community to bridge the gap between academia and industry, covering the start to finish of biologics from discovery, through development, to manufacturing, clinical trials and commercialisation. Biologics have completely transformed the way that patients are treated. Biologics are central as they increase the range of options for treatments, giving new opportunities for patients and their clinicians.

With five events in one, the Festival of Biologics encourages conversation across the entire industry to inspire changes, bring forward innovations, and address complex challenges that the biologics industry is facing. In addition, this meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity to hear from stakeholders representing both the science and business communities who report on the latest data impacting cancer therapeutics to fight a wider range of cancers. The Festival of Biologics emphasizes the future needs of the oncology industry and highlights the importance for novel modalities related to cell therapies, vaccines and more effective antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

Defence is pleased to present its latest data during the Festival of Biologics on three of its leading products: i) its ARMTM anti-cancer vaccine technology, ii) its anti-cervical protein-based AccuVAC-PT007 vaccine and iii) its advanced AccuTOXTM program as an injectable for solid tumors.

"The three presentations given by our Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Moutih Rafei, are aimed at two main objectives: i) to share with the scientific community how our innovative Accum platform technology can uplift many weak or moderate biomedical treatments as a means to significantly enhance their therapeutic window of action, and ii) to establish strategic partnerships with major players in the field to accelerate our therapeutics to patients faster", says Mr. Plouffe, CEO and president of Defence.

In addition, Defence has granted incentive stock options to its directors and management to purchase a total of 2,400,000 common shares of Defence pursuant to and in accordance with the terms and conditions of Defence’s stock option plan, subject to any regulatory approval. Each stock option vests immediately and is exercisable at a price of $2.50 per share for a period of ten years from the granted date.