On December 5, 2024 UroGen Pharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: URGN), a biotech company dedicated to developing and commercializing innovative solutions that treat urothelial and specialty cancers, reported the presentation of the Phase 3 ENVISION trial’s efficacy and safety results at the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) annual meeting in Dallas, TX (Press release, UroGen Pharma, DEC 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234648834]). These results, published online in the Journal of Urology in October, demonstrate that treatment with investigational therapy UGN-102, a mitomycin-based intravesical solution, resulted in a high and clinically meaningful complete response rate that was durable in patients with recurrent low-grade intermediate-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (LG-IR-NMIBC).

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"Finding options for patients with recurrent low-grade bladder cancer continues to be a major unmet need," says Max Kates, R. Christian B. Evensen Professor and an Associate Professor of Urology and Oncology, and Director, Division of Urologic Oncology at the Brady Urological Institute at Johns Hopkins and ENVISION study investigator. "We are excited by the overall results of the ENVISION trial, especially the durability of response data, that support the potential of UGN-102 as a viable treatment option for these patients."

In the ENVISION study, UGN-102 treatment showed an impressive 82.3% (95% CI: 75.9%, 87.1%) duration of response (DOR) at 12 months, according to the Kaplan-Meier estimate, in patients who achieved a complete response (CR) at 3 months following the initial treatment with UGN-102. The DOR at 15 months (n=43) and 18 months (n=9) remained robust, both at 80.9% (95% CI: 73.9%, 86.2%) according to the Kaplan-Meier estimates. These results build upon the trial’s positive primary endpoint, a 79.6% (95% CI: 73.9%, 84.5%) CR rate 3 months after the first instillation of UGN-102.

The side effect profile of UGN-102 was consistent with previous clinical trials, further supporting its potential as a new treatment option for patients with LG-IR-NMIBC.

"We are excited by the progress made in advancing UGN-102 as a potential treatment for LG-IR-NMIBC and securing a PDUFA goal date of June 13, 2025, from the FDA," said Mark Schoenberg, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, UroGen. "The strong durability of response observed in the ENVISION study highlights UGN-102’s promising potential for patients. Given that many LG-IR-NMIBC patients are elderly and endure multiple surgeries under general anesthesia for their condition that impact their health and quality of life, there is an urgent need for alternative treatment options that can prolong recurrence-free periods and enhance patient outcomes."

The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in the ENVISION trial were dysuria, hematuria, urinary tract infection, pollakiuria, fatigue, and urinary retention. TEAEs were typically mild-to-moderate in severity and resolved or resolving. The ENVISION trial demonstrated a similar safety profile to that observed in other studies of UGN-102.

About UGN-102

UGN-102 (mitomycin) for intravesical solution is an innovative drug formulation of mitomycin, currently in Phase 3 development for the treatment of LG-IR-NMIBC. Utilizing UroGen’s proprietary RTGel technology, a sustained release, hydrogel-based formulation, UGN-102 is designed to treat tumors by enabling longer exposure of bladder tissue to mitomycin. UGN-102 is delivered to patients using a standard urinary catheter in an outpatient setting by a trained healthcare professional. UroGen completed the NDA submission for UGN-102 in August, ahead of schedule. The FDA accepted the NDA for UGN-102 and assigned a PDUFA goal date of June 13, 2025.

About Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC)

In the U.S., bladder cancer is the second most common urologic cancer in men. LG-IR-NMIBC represents approximately 22,000 newly diagnosed bladder cancer patients each year and an estimated 60,000 recurrences annually among patients diagnosed from previous years. Bladder cancer primarily affects older populations with increased risk of comorbidities, with the median age of diagnosis being 73 years. Guideline recommendations for the management of NMIBC include trans-urethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) as the standard of care. Up to 70 percent of NMIBC patients experience at least one recurrence and LG-IR-NMIBC patients are even more likely to recur and face repeated TURBT procedures. LG-IR-NMIBC is characterized by early or frequent recurrences, multiple tumors, or a solitary tumor larger than three centimeters.

About ENVISION

The Phase 3 ENVISION trial is a single-arm, multinational, multicenter study evaluating the efficacy and safety of UGN-102 (mitomycin) for intravesical solution as a therapy for patients with LG-IR-NMIBC. The Phase 3 ENVISION trial completed target enrollment with approximately 240 patients across 56 sites. Study participants received six once-weekly intravesical instillations of UGN-102. The primary endpoint evaluated the CR rate at the three-month assessment after the first instillation, and the key secondary endpoint evaluated durability over time in patients who achieved a CR at the three-month assessment. Learn more about the Phase 3 ENVISION trial at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05243550).

On December 5, 2024 Revolution Medicines, Inc. (Nasdaq: RVMD), a clinical-stage oncology company developing targeted therapies for patients with RAS-addicted cancers, reported the closing of its underwritten public offering of 16,576,088 shares of its common stock at a public offering price of $46.00 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions, and, in lieu of shares of common stock, to certain investors, pre-funded warrants to purchase 2,173,917 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $45.9999, which represents the per share public offering price for the common stock less the $0.0001 per share exercise price for each pre-funded warrant (Press release, Revolution Medicines, DEC 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234648833]). The shares of common stock issued and sold in the offering include 2,445,652 shares issued upon exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares of common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. The gross proceeds from the offering, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by Revolution Medicines, were $862.5 million. All shares and pre-funded warrants in the offering were offered by Revolution Medicines.

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J.P. Morgan, TD Cowen, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Guggenheim Securities acted as joint book-running managers for the offering. UBS Investment Bank acted as lead manager.

A shelf registration statement relating to these securities was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 4, 2024, and automatically became effective upon filing. This offering was made solely by means of a prospectus. A copy of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, a copy of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained by contacting: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Attention: Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com and postsalemanualrequests@broadridge.com; TD Securities (USA) LLC, 1 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, New York 10017, by telephone at (855) 495-9846 or by email at TD.ECM_Prospectus@tdsecurities.com; Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, by telephone at (866) 471-2526 or by email at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; and Guggenheim Securities, LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 330 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, New York 10017, by telephone at (212) 518-9544 or by email at GSEquityProspectusDelivery@guggenheimpartners.com.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

On December 5, 2024 Xenetic Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:XBIO) ("Xenetic" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative immuno-oncology technologies addressing hard to treat cancers, reported it has entered into a Clinical Trial Services Agreement (the "Agreement") with the Israel-based biotechnology company PeriNess Ltd. ("PeriNess") to advance the Company’s development program for its systemic DNase I candidate in combination with chemotherapy and immunotherapy platforms for the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma, colorectal cancer and other locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors toward exploratory clinical studies (Press release, Xenetic Biosciences, DEC 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234648832]).

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"We are pleased to be working with PeriNess, and to have the opportunity to leverage their experience for the development of Xenetic’s intravenous DNase I candidate through preclinical and early-stage clinical programs. We are excited to take this step forward on the path to the clinic and look forward to investigating our systemic DNase I candidate, XBIO-015, as an adjunctive treatment," commented James Parslow, Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Xenetic.

"We are thrilled to enter this strategic Clinical Trial Services Agreement with Xenetic and further advance the development of their systemic DNase I platform. We believe this collaboration is a great example of where we can put substantial synergies from our projects toward accelerating the clinical development of a highly promising DNase I program for patients in need of new therapies," commented Michal Ben Attar, Chief Executive Officer of PeriNess.

A large body of published preclinical data highlights the pivotal role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) in modulating cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy efficacy and provides a strong rationale for incorporating DNase I as an adjunctive treatment to improve therapeutic responses in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancers receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Under the terms of the Agreement, PeriNess will lead in the regulatory approval, operational execution and management of potential exploratory, investigator initiated studies of recombinant DNase as an adjunctive treatment in patients with pancreatic carcinoma and other locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy in Israeli medical centers.

On December 5, 2024 Wugen, Inc., a clinical-stage U.S. biotechnology company developing allogeneic, off-the-shelf cell therapies for the treatment of hematological and solid tumor malignancies, reported upcoming scientific presentations, including updates from the company’s Phase 1/2 study of WU-CART-007 (Press release, Wugen, DEC 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234648831]). Researchers will present Phase 1/2 updates and studies for its investigational cell therapies this week at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting & Exposition, Dec. 7-10 in San Diego.

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Results from Phase 1/2 showed continued anti-leukemic activity and clinically manageable safety in adults and adolescents. WU-CART-007 is an investigational, potential first-in-class, allogeneic, anti-CD7 CAR-T cell therapy under evaluation for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia or T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL).

Based on findings to date with WU-CART-007, including this week’s data, Wugen will initiate the first pivotal Phase 2 study for an off-the-shelf CD7-targeted CAR-T cell therapy.

"Maturing evidence, including the Phase 1/2 study being presented, suggest WU-CART-007 has the potential to improve current standard of care for patients with these blood cancers. T-ALL/LBL are malignancies associated with high rates of relapse and mortality in patients, many of whom are young," said Armin Ghobadi, M.D, professor of medicine and clinical director of Center for Gene and Cellular Immunotherapy (CGCI) at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

"At this year’s ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) meeting, we will present clinical data from adult and adolescent patients that support our soon to open pivotal trial for patients with relapsed or refractory T-ALL/LBL," said Wugen Chief Medical Officer, Cherry Thomas, M.D. "We are looking forward to working with experienced investigators to provide meaningful clinical benefit to patients with limited treatment options."

The pivotal Phase 2 study is a single-arm trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of WU-CART-007 in patients with R/R T-ALL/LBL and T-ALL/LBL. The study will involve two groups: a R/R cohort and subsequently an exploratory minimal residual disease (MRD)-positive cohort. The trial will enroll pediatric and adult patients at oncology centers in the United States, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Wugen Presentations at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper)

3450 WU-CART-007 (WT-7), an Allogeneic CAR T-Cell Targeting CD7 in Relapsed/Refractory (R/R) T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL): Phase 2 Results

Presenter: Armin Ghobadi, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

Presentation type: Poster

Time/location: Sunday, Dec. 8, 6:00-8:00 p.m. PT; Halls G,H
Session: 704. Cellular Immunotherapies: Early Phase Clinical Trials and Toxicities: Poster II

3461 WU-CART-007 (WT-7) Is an Effective Treatment for Adolescent Patients with Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia/ Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) – Subgroup Analysis of WU-CART-007 1001

Presenter: Shannon L. Maude, M.D., Division of Oncology, Center for Childhood Cancer Research and Cancer Immunotherapy Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia

Presentation type: Poster

Time/location: Sunday, Dec. 8, 6:00-8:00 p.m. PT; Halls G,H
Session: 704. Cellular Immunotherapies: Early Phase Clinical Trials and Toxicities: Poster II

Wugen researchers will also present the following abstracts for the company’s investigational memory natural killer cell therapy, WU-NK-101:

916 W-NK1 Choreographs Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to Provide a Robust and Durable Anti-AML Response

Presenter: Tom Leedom, Wugen, Inc., St. Louis

Presentation type: Oral

Time/location: Monday, Dec. 9, 3:30 p.m. PT; Marriott Grand Ballroom 8-9, Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina

Session: 703. Cellular Immunotherapies other than CAR-T Cells: Basic and Translational: Enhancing NK Cell Therapeutics Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways: Research, Translational Research 2:45-4:15 p.m. PT

4257 WUN101-01: First in Human (FIH) Phase 1 Study of WU-NK-101 (W-NK1) in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory (R/R) Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Presenter: Amanda F. Cashen, M.D., Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis

Presentation type: Poster

Time/location: Monday, Dec. 9, 6:00-8:00 p.m. PT; Halls G, H

Session: 616. Acute Myeloid Leukemias: Investigational Drug and Cellular Therapies: Poster III

Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways: Research, Clinical trials, Translational Research, Clinical Research

Investigator-initiated research

2066 Phase 1 Dose-Escalation and Dose-Expansion Study to Evaluate the Safety and Tolerability of Anti-CD7 Allogeneic CAR T-Cells (WU-CART-007) in Patients with CD7+ T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Presenter: Michael H. Kramer, M.D., Ph.D., Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis

Presentation type: Poster

Time/location: Sat., Dec. 7, 5:30-7:30 p.m. PT; Halls G, H

Session: 704. Cellular Immunotherapies: Early Phase Clinical Trials and Toxicities: Poster I;

About WU-CART-007

WU-CART-007 is an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, fratricide-resistant CD7-targeted CAR-T cell therapy engineered to overcome the technological challenges of harnessing CAR-T cells to treat CD7+ hematological malignancies. Wugen is deploying CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to delete CD7 and the T cell receptor alpha constant (TRAC), preventing CAR-T cell fratricide and mitigating the risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD). WU-CART-007 is manufactured using healthy donor-derived T cells to eliminate the risk of malignant cell contamination historically observed in the autologous CAR-T setting. WU-CART-007 is currently being evaluated in a global Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of relapsed or refractory (R/R) T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL)/lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL). More information on the Phase 1/2 trial is available on clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT# 04984356 and on the Phase 2 pivotal trial on clinicaltrials.gov, identifier NCT06514794.

WU-CART-007 has received Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), Fast Track, Orphan Drug, and Rare Pediatric Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Priority Medicines (PRIME) Scheme designation in the European Union for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL). RMAT and PRIME designations provide increased agency support to expedite the development and review of promising therapies for patients in need.

On December 5, 2024 Sysmex Corporation (HQ: Kobe, Japan; President: Kaoru Asano) and Japan Tissue Engineering Co., Ltd. (HQ: Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture; President & CEO: Ken-ichiro Hata; hereinafter "J-TEC") reported that they signed a basic agreement ("the Agreement") on December 3, 2024, with the aim of advancing (i.e., mechanizing and automating) manufacturing capabilities for regenerative medical products by utilizing innovative technologies, in order to accelerate the industrialization of regenerative medicine and cell therapy and to enhance sustainability (Press release, Sysmex, DEC 5, 2024, View Source [SID1234648830]). Going forward, both companies will start concrete strategic collaboration based on this Agreement.
One of the major challenges in the industrialization of regenerative medicine and cell therapy is the difficulty of manufacturing products from living cells. In particular, autologous cell products1 derived from patients’ own cells need to be manufactured to accommodate the non-uniform character of the cells from each patient. As a result, it is extremely challenging to mechanize and automate the manufacturing processes in a standardized manner. This creates a bottleneck in expanding the scale of production and enhancing efficiency in the regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry, and the transfer of manual manufacturing techniques therefore becomes an issue that directly affects the sustainability of the business.

Sysmex has contributed to the evaluation of cell functions by providing quality control testing2 capable of non-destructively analyzing cell characteristics, as well as Internet of Things (IoT) and other robotic technologies, to academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies that develop regenerative medical products. The company has also been working on automating manufacturing processes for the pipeline of our group companies and strategic partners.

J-TEC was the first company in Japan to develop and obtain approval of regenerative medical products, making it a pioneer in regenerative medicine. In particular, it has been working to commercialize and utilize autologous cell products in society. Based on the experience and knowledge gained in this process, the company has established a platform to stably supply products while maintaining high quality.

Both companies have been discussing ways to leverage their individual strengths to solve issues in the regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry, based on the technology and know-how they have developed through their respective business activities. As part of this, a basic agreement was signed on December 3, 2024, with the aim of enhancing manufacturing capabilities for regenerative medicine and cell therapy through innovative technologies.

Through open innovation based on the strengths of both companies, they will contribute to the sustainable development of Japan’s regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry by realizing the mechanization and automation of manufacturing processes for regenerative medical products, which is a key issue in the regenerative medicine and cell therapy industry.
Terminology
1
Autologous cell products:
Regenerative medical products manufactured from patients’ own living cells.

2
Quality testing that allows non-destructive cell analysis:
Testing that enables the analysis of cell quality without destroying the cells themselves. Since the cells do not need to be destroyed, it allows for the efficient and accurate testing of cell products in a short period of time.

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