On March 6, 2024 Ono Pharmaceutical reported that it has entered into a license agreement with NEX-I, Inc. (Seoul, Republic of Korea; CEO, Kyoung Wan Yoon; "NEX-I") for NXI-101 (Press release, Ono, MAR 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234641879]).

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NXI-101 is a first-in-class antibody drug candidate targeting ONCOKINE-1, which is a cancer immunotherapy-resistant factor discovered by NEX-I through its proprietary target screening platform "ONCOKINE platform". It has a potential to be a novel antibody drug with an efficacy against multiple cancer types including cancer immunotherapy-resistant cancer.

Under the terms of this agreement, Ono will have an exclusive right to develop and commercialize NXI-101 and its backup antibodies worldwide. Ono will pay to NEX-I an up-front and milestone payments on the progress of development and commercialization, as well as tiered royalties based on net sales.

"We are pleased to collaborate with NEX-I having a proprietary ONCOKINE platform for development and commercialization of NXI-101. We expect NXI-101 to be a new treatment option for cancer patients," said Toichi Takino, Senior Executive Officer / Executive Director, Discovery & Research of Ono. "Leveraging Ono’s experience and expertise in cancer immunotherapy, we will work on the development of the compound to add it to our development pipeline in oncology."

"We are delighted to start a journey with Ono, a leader in cancer immunotherapy well-known for its breakthrough anti-PD-1 antibody. This collaboration aligns with NEX-I’s strategic focus on novel target discovery and the advancement of our flagship tumor microenvironment modulator, NXI-101. Through this landmark partnership, we underscore our commitment to identifying and developing novel and differentiated therapies that promise substantial benefits for patients," said Kyoung Wan Yoon, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of NEX-I. "Our alliance with Ono represents a significant step forward for our ONCOKINE platform to assemble a diverse portfolio of clinical candidates across a broad range of mechanisms and therapeutic targets."

On March 6, 2024 Onchilles Pharma, a private biotech company developing cancer therapeutics that leverage a novel innate immune mechanism of action, reported that it will unveil preclinical data on systemically delivered N17465 in an oral presentation and new preclinical data for tumor-directed N17350 in a poster presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2024, to be held April 5 to 10 at the San Diego Convention Center (Press release, Onchilles Pharma, MAR 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234640930]).

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N17350 and N17465 are first-in-class biologic therapeutics that harness the potent efficacy of the innate immune system and have the potential to become a major new treatment modality for a wide range of cancer types. The company plans to start first-in-human clinical trials for N17350 in 2024.

Presentation Details
Talk Title : N17465, a systemically deliverable elastase, attenuates tumorigenesis and stimulates anti-tumor immunity

Session : Drug Discovery 2: New Therapies
Date and Time : April 9, 2024, 2:35 PM – 2:50 PM PDT
Location : TBD
Abstract : 6578

Poster Title : N17350 kills cancer cells, spares immune cells, and regresses CDX tumors from chemotherapy-naive and experienced patients

Session : New Targets
Date and Time : April 9, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM PDT
Location : Section 25, Board 9
Abstract Number : 5895

About N17350 and N17465 and Their Novel Mechanism of Action
First described in research published in Cell from the lab of Onchilles’ Co-Founder Lev Becker, human neutrophils release catalytically active neutrophil elastase (called ELANE), which selectively and potently kills cancer cells independent of their genetics and anatomical origin, mobilizes adaptive immunity, and avoids resistance mechanisms. The team at Onchilles translated this ground-breaking discovery into a proprietary set of molecules, including N17350 and N17465, with the potential to treat a wide variety of tumor types with an optimal efficacy and safety profile.

On March 6, 2024 Innate Pharma SA (Euronext Paris: IPH; Nasdaq: IPHA) ("Innate" or the "Company") reported that an abstract regarding its preclinical asset IPH45, a novel and differentiated topoisomerase I inhibitor Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) targeting Nectin-4, has been selected for oral presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2024, taking place April 5-10 in San Diego, California (Press release, Innate Pharma, MAR 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234640894]).

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"We are excited to present our findings on IPH45 at this year’s AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper). IPH45 is a cutting-edge ADC that delivers a topoisomerase I inhibitor to tumors expressing Nectin-4. Our studies demonstrate that IPH45 effectively inhibits tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo, and it exhibits a favorable safety profile in preclinical studies," stated Prof. Eric Vivier, DVM, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Innate Pharma. "These promising results underscore the potential of IPH45 and reflect our dedication to pioneering the next wave of cancer treatments through advanced antibody engineering. Based on these encouraging data, we are eagerly advancing IPH45 towards clinical trials."

Details of the presentation

Preclinical characterization of IPH45, a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor ADC targeting Nectin‑4 for the treatment of Nectin-4 expressing tumors
Abstract Presentation Number: 6582
Session Type: Minisymposium
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: Drug Discovery 2: New Therapies
Session Date/Time: Tuesday Apr 9, 2024 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
More information can be found on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) website.

About IPH45

Nectin-4 is a cell membrane adhesion protein overexpressed in several solid tumors, including urothelial, breast, lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers, with limited expression in normal tissues. IPH45 is a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) targeting Nectin-4. In non-clinical models, IPH45 is well tolerated and shows anti-tumor efficacy in vitro and in vivo. IPH45 is progressing towards First in Human Studies.

On March 6, 2024 Agenus Inc. ("Agenus") (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in discovering and developing novel immunological agents to treat various cancers, reported that the first preclinical data from BMS-986442 (AGEN1777) will be presented in an oral presentation at the upcoming AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Meeting, to be held April 5 – 10, 2024 in San Diego, CA (Press release, Agenus, MAR 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234640893]).

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In non-clinical assays, BMS-986442 demonstrated superior immune activation both as monotherapy and in combination with PD-(L)1 blockade compared to conventional TIGIT antibodies. This novel, Fc-enhanced, bispecific antibody is differentiated from conventional TIGIT monoclonal antibodies by optimally targeting two critical immune checkpoint receptors in the same pathway, TIGIT and CD96. BMS-986442 (AGEN1777) leverages Agenus’ proprietary Fc-engineering platform to harness novel mechanisms of action that extend beyond the capabilities of conventional anti-TIGIT therapy. This innovative strategy could represent a promising approach to overcome the limitations of current anti-TIGIT therapies.

"Immune checkpoint blockade has emerged as a powerful strategy in enhancing anti-tumor immunity. However, conventional TIGIT antibodies have faced limitations with monotherapy activity in clinical settings," said Dhan Chand, Ph.D., Vice President of Research. "BMS-986442 has the potential to address these challenges through Fc modification and the targeting of complementary pathways."

Presentation Details:

Abstract Title: BMS-986442 (AGEN1777), a novel TIGIT/CD96 bispecific antibody, demonstrates superior monotherapy and combination activity versus conventional anti-TIGIT antibodies in preclinical models
Abstract Number: 3915
Presenting Author: Dhan Chand
Session: Immune Targets and Therapies
Presentation Session Date and Time: Monday April 8, 2024, 2:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. PST

Data presented at the conference will be available to view in the publications section of the Agenus website (View Source) following the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Meeting.

About BMS-986442 (AGEN1777)

BMS-986442 (AGEN1777) is being developed in partnership between Agenus and Bristol Myers Squibb. The TIGIT and CD96 bispecific antibody is currently being investigated for the treatment of multiple solid tumors in clinical studies in combination with nivolumab and/or chemotherapy. TIGIT is expressed on T cells and NK cells, sharing ligands with the CD96 receptor, and generating co-stimulatory or co-inhibitory signals. Co-inhibition of TIGIT and CD96 is intended to restore effector cell function by blocking the inhibitory immune checkpoint signaling pathway.

On March 6, 2024 Sporos BioDiscovery, Inc. (a portfolio company of Sporos Bioventures, LLC.), a precision oncology company developing a diversified pipeline of small molecule therapeutic programs targeting cancer vulnerabilities in the tumor and tumor microenvironment, reported that it will present two posters highlighting preclinical data from the company’s novel TEAD1 / TEAD4 isoform selective inhibitor, SPR1, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2024, taking place April 5-10, 2024, in San Diego, CA (Press release, Sporos Bioventures, MAR 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234640892]).

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"We look forward to presenting two posters at this year’s AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) meeting that highlight the significant preclinical work we have done to characterize SPR1 as a potential best-in-class TEAD inhibitor. In addition, our team’s expert biological analysis has uncovered a new therapeutic vulnerability that could broaden the potential use of SPR1, a TEAD1/4 inhibitor, to a new subset of cancers with certain homozygous deletions," said Stephen Rubino, Ph.D., President of Sporos BioDiscovery.

Presentation Details:

Title: TEAD1/4 inhibitors exhibit deeper biological impact and broader activity compared to TEAD1-only inhibitors in both monotherapy and combination without additional kidney toxicity
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: New Targets
Session Date and Time: Tuesday Apr 9, 2024, 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. PT
Abstract Number: 5913
Poster Number: 27

Title: VGLL4 is the target of the 3p25 homozygous deletion and presents a novel therapeutic vulnerability for TEAD1/4 but not TEAD1 inhibitors
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: YAP/TAZ/TEAD Modulators
Session Date and Time: Wednesday Apr 10, 2024, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. PT
Abstract Number: 7266
Poster Number: 3