On January 23, 2024 BostonGene, a leading provider of AI-driven molecular and immune profiling solutions, reported a master agreement with Duke University School of Medicine, one of the nation’s leading institutions for healthcare education, clinical healthcare provision, biomedical research, and community engagement, to collaborate on multiple research projects across lung cancer, gastrointestinal, genitourinary and skin cancers (Press release, BostonGene, JAN 23, 2024, View Source [SID1234639443]).

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The strategic partnership allows Duke physicians and researchers to leverage BostonGene’s expertise to drive the molecular and cellular characterization of the patient’s tumor, microenvironment and immune system and test its predictive value in response to treatment. For cancer patients undergoing treatment at Duke University, including those participating in clinical trials, BostonGene will provide state-of-the-art analytics, interpretation and visualization of big data obtained from analysis of patients’ genomic, transcriptomic, cell phenotyping, proteomic and imaging studies.

"Our collaboration with BostonGene is a testament to our commitment to excellence in healthcare and research. This study will enable us to explore the boundaries of predictive biomarkers and potentially offer new treatment options to patients," said Jeffrey Clarke, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University School of Medicine.

"The partnership with Duke University signifies a pivotal step in actualizing AI-driven molecular insights to transform patient care," said Nathan Fowler, MD, Chief Medical Officer at BostonGene. "Our combined expertise will study the complex genetic landscape of a patient’s tumor, microenvironment and immune system, paving the path towards personalized treatments for all patients."

In its flagship study, led by Dr. Clarke at Duke and BostonGene molecular profiling and comprehensive analyses will be conducted on a meticulously annotated real-world cohort of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received treatment with either checkpoint inhibitors alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy. The study’s primary objective is to assess predictive biomarkers that can more accurately pinpoint the subset of patients poised to derive maximum benefits from immunotherapy in the context of metastatic NSCLC.

On January 23, 2024 InnoCare Pharma (HKEX: 09969; SSE: 688428), a leading biopharmaceutical company focusing on the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported that the first pediatric patient has been dosed in clinical trial with its second generation pan-TRK inhibitor zurletrectinib at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Press release, InnoCare Pharma, JAN 23, 2024, View Source [SID1234639442]). This is the first time that zurletrectinib will be evaluated in a clinical study of pediatric (2 to 12 years old) patients, after demonstrating good safety and efficacy in adult and adolescent patients (12 to 18 years old).

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Zurletrectinib, developed by InnoCare, is a pan-TRK inhibitor which markedly inhibits the activity of the wild type TRKA, TRKB and TRKC, as well as mutant TRKA with resistant mutations G595R or G667C. Zurletrectinib could overcome acquired resistance to the first-generation TRK inhibitors.

InnoCare has been advancing the registrational trial of zurletrectinib in China and is expecting to submit the new drug application in the second half of 2024. An overall response rate (ORR) of 80-90%, indicating favorable efficacy, was observed in adult patients with various cancers carrying NTRK gene fusion who received dosages of 8 mg or more.

Dr. Jasmine, the Co-founder, Chairwoman, and CEO of InnoCare, said, "NTRK gene fusion is a driving factor for various adult and pediatric cancers. It is inspiring that we continue to make positive progress in our clinical research of zurletrectinib for patients of different ages with NTRK gene fusion. We expect to see our innovative assets benefit solid tumor patients in the near future."

In some rare tumor types, such as congenital infantile fibrosarcoma, the incidence of NTRK gene fusion is as high as 90%. NTRK gene fusion is associated with at least 19 tumor types in adults and children, including lung cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and melanoma.

On January 23, 2024 Shuttle Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SHPH), a discovery and development stage specialty pharmaceutical company focused on improving the outcomes of cancer patients treated with radiation therapy (RT), reported that Dr. Anatoly Dritschilo, Chief Executive Officer, will participate in a fireside chat and host one-on-one meetings with investors at the Lytham Partners 2024 Investor Select Conference, taking place virtually on February 1, 2024 (Press release, Shuttle Pharmaceuticals, JAN 23, 2024, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shuttle-pharma-to-participate-in-a-fireside-chat-at-the-lytham-partners-2024-investor-select-conference-on-february-1-2024-302042226.html [SID1234639441]).

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At the conference, Dr. Dritschilo will discuss details of the Company’s recent FDA approval to proceed with the Phase II clinical trial of Ropidoxuridine for treatment of patients with glioblastoma, as well as other key areas of progress as Shuttle aims to improve the lives of cancer patients by developing therapies that are designed to maximize the effectiveness of RT while limiting the side effects of radiation in cancer treatment.

Company Webcast

The webcasted fireside chat will take place at 1:15pm ET on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The webcast can be accessed at View Source or on the Company’s website at View Source The webcast will also be available for replay following the event.

1×1 Meetings

Management will be participating in virtual one-on-one meetings throughout the event. To arrange a meeting with management, please contact Lytham Partners at 1×[email protected] or register for the event at View Source

Further information on the conference is available at View Source

On January 23, 2024 Medivir AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: MVIR), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for cancer in areas of high unmet medical need, reported invite to a conference call on the updated data from the ongoing phase 1b/2a study in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Press release, Medivir, JAN 23, 2024, View Source [SID1234639440]). The data was presented at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) (American Society of Clinical Oncology) GI (Gastrointestinal Cancers) Symposium in San Francisco on January 19. The conference call will be held today January 23, at 14.00 CET, to update on the results in the study and the plans moving forward, including feedback from extensive interactions with world renowned experts at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI congress.

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The data (poster number 476P) from the ongoing fostrox + Lenvima study, presented on Friday January 19 by Dr Maria Reig from Hospital Clinic of Barcelona in Spain, showed that fostrox + Lenvima remains tolerable, with no new, unexpected safety events and that the clinical benefit continues to improve further, as the study progresses and data matures.

– "The updated study results presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI has further strengthened our belief in the combination of fostrox + Lenvima as a potential treatment for patients with advanced HCC. The conference also enabled extensive interactions with global experts in HCC which provided important input regarding the design of our upcoming study. Expert guidance is of particular value when preparing for interactions with regulatory authorities to discuss final study design of the planned, registrational phase 2b study with accelerated approval intent," says Dr. Pia Baumann, CMO at Medivir.

Conference call for investors, analysts and the media

Presenters from Medivir: Jens Lindberg, CEO, Pia Baumann, CMO and Fredrik Öberg, CSO.

Time: Tuesday January 23, 2024, at 14.00 CET

To access the webcast and information about the teleconference, please click HERE!

The webcast will also be streamed via a link on the website: www.medivir.com/investors/calendar

The presentation will be available on Medivir’s website after the conference call.

The poster will also be available on Medivir’s website.

For additional information, please contact;
Magnus Christensen, CFO, Medivir AB
Telephone: +46 8 5468 3100
E-mail: [email protected]

About fostrox

Fostrox is a type of smart chemotherapy that delivers the cell-killing compound selectively to the tumor while minimizing the harmful effect on normal cells. This is achieved by coupling an active chemotherapy (troxacitabine) with a prodrug tail. The prodrug design enables fostrox to be administered orally and travel directly to the liver where the active substance is released locally in the liver. With this unique mechanism, fostrox has the potential to become the first liver-targeted, orally administered drug that can help patients with various types of liver cancer. A phase 1b monotherapy study with fostrox has been completed and a phase 1b/2a combination study in HCC is ongoing.

About primary liver cancer

Primary liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cancer that arises in the liver. Although existing therapies for advanced HCC can extend the lives of patients, treatment benefits are insufficient and death rates remain high. There are approximately 660,000 patients diagnosed with primary liver cancer per year globally and current five-year survival is less than 20 percent2. HCC is a heterogeneous disease with diverse etiologies, and lacks defining mutations observed in many other cancers. This has contributed to the lack of success of molecularly targeted agents in HCC. The limited overall benefit, taken together with the poor overall prognosis for patients with intermediate and advanced HCC, results in a large unmet medical need.

On January 23, 2024 Accent Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new class of small molecule precision cancer therapies, reported the completion of a $75 million Series C financing (Press release, Accent Therapeutics, JAN 23, 2024, View Source [SID1234639439]). The financing was led by Mirae Asset Capital Life Science, with participation from other new investors, Mirae Asset Capital, Mirae Asset Venture Investment, Bristol Myers Squibb and Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., as well as all existing investors, including The Column Group, Atlas Venture, Droia Ventures, GV, EcoR1 Capital, AbbVie Ventures, The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, Timefolio Capital (formerly known as NS Investment) and others. In conjunction with the financing, Naveen Krishnan, MD, MPhil, Managing Director of Mirae Asset Capital Life Science will join the Company’s Board of Directors.

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Proceeds from the financing will be used to support the advancement of both lead programs –Accent’s first-in-class DHX9 inhibitor and a potentially best-in-class KIF18A inhibitor – through early clinical development including safety, pharmacokinetics and early efficacy studies.

"We are delighted to announce the backing of an exceptional investor syndicate who share our commitment to advancing innovative therapies for patients with cancer," said Shakti Narayan, PhD, JD, CEO of Accent Therapeutics. "These additional resources position us well to file INDs this year for both our DHX9 and KIF18A programs, and to rapidly progress them through early clinical development."

Accent is developing therapeutics for both novel and known, but suboptimally-addressed, high-impact oncology targets with the potential to benefit large patient populations. The company’s DHX9 inhibitor seeks to address indications with high unmet need, including BRCA loss of function cancers (breast, ovarian), mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancers (colorectal, endometrial, gastric) and additional undisclosed cancer types. Accent’s second lead program, a KIF18A inhibitor, could also potentially benefit a large patient population across several cancer indications with high unmet need, including ovarian cancer and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC).

"Accent’s focus on targeting cancer cell vulnerabilities in a specific and robust way really stood out as we were evaluating companies for our first investment, " remarked Naveen Krishnan, MD, MPhil, of Mirae Asset Capital Life Science. "They have assembled an incredible team with a successful track record of drug development, and we are excited to partner with the other seasoned investors to support Accent at this pivotal time."

About DHX9
Accent’s lead program is a first-in-class DHX9 inhibitor with the potential to address high unmet need indications not adequately served by existing therapies, including tumors with BRCA loss of function (breast, ovarian), mismatch repair deficient (dMMR) or microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancers (colorectal, endometrial, gastric) and additional undisclosed cancer types representing large patient populations. DHX9 is a DNA/RNA helicase that has been reported to play important roles in replication, transcription, translation, RNA splicing, RNA processing, and maintenance of genomic stability. Hence, this enzyme represents a compelling novel oncology target as inhibition of DHX9 exploits key tumor vulnerabilities, resulting in cancer-specific death. Accent is currently conducting IND-enabling studies evaluating its DHX9 inhibitor.

About KIF18A
Accent’s second lead program is a potential best-in-class inhibitor for KIF18A which may address a large patient population across several cancer indications, including ovarian and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). KIF18A is a mitotic kinesin motor protein critical for cell division in select tumors with chromosomal instability. A subset of tumor cells with an abnormal number of chromosomes (aneuploid) are sensitive to KIF18A and show rapid cell killing in vitro and in vivo upon KIF18A inhibitor treatment, while cells with normal numbers of chromosomes (euploid) are unaffected. Accent is planning to initiate IND-enabling studies for KIF18A in the first half of 2024.