On May 8, 2025 Cellipont Bioservices, a leading cell therapy Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), and Optieum Biotechnologies (Optieum), a preclinical stage company dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapies, reported a partnership for cGMP manufacturing of OPTF01, Optieum’s novel CAR-T therapy for glioblastoma treatment, a product derived from their proprietary Eumbody System (Press release, Optieum Biotechnologies, MAY 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234652786]).

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OPTF01 specifically targets Fibroblast activation protein-alpha (FAPα) a protein expressed on both tumor cells and the surrounding pericytes and Cancer-associated Fibroblasts (CAFs). Hence, OPTF01 can potentially disrupt the immunosuppressive microenvironment around the tumor while simultaneously attacking the malignant cells within the tumor. Successful development of this therapeutic approach would address a critical unmet medical need for patients with refractory glioblastoma who currently face limited treatment options with poor prognoses, as well as various other solid tumor indications.

Under this collaboration, Cellipont Bioservices will provide the technology transfer, process development, and cGMP manufacturing of Optieum’s novel OPTF01 CAR-T product. "Glioblastoma remains one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancers, demanding urgent innovation beyond traditional approaches," said Darren Head, CEO of Cellipont Bioservices. "Our collaboration with Optieum presents an exciting opportunity to leverage advanced CAR-T technologies and bring meaningful solutions to patients in need. We are honored to be part of this critical mission."

Shun Nishioka, CEO of Optieum added, "At Optieum, we are committed to redefining the future of CAR-T therapy through relentless innovation and scientific rigor. Partnering with Cellipont’s team of experts ensures that our groundbreaking therapies are manufactured to the highest standards, accelerating our progress toward delivering next-generation therapies for glioblastoma and other solid tumors."

OPTF01 is derived from the Eumbody System, a proprietary platform representing a significant advancement in CAR-T cell therapy development. This platform leverages rapid and expansive functional screening to identify and optimize CAR constructs in unprecedented fashion. By dynamically harmonizing single-chain variable fragment (scFv) sequences to enhance the functional capabilities of T cells, the Eumbody System sets a new standard in CAR-T innovation.

On May 9, 2025 Photocure ASA (OSE: PHO) reported Hexvix/Cysview revenues of NOK 125.3 million in the first quarter of 2025 (Q1 2024: NOK 116.8 million), and an EBITDA of NOK 1.8 million (7.9) for the company (Press release, PhotoCure, MAY 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234652785]). Photocure expects product revenue growth in the range of 7% to 11% and YoY EBITDA improvement in 2025. While the Company is not providing a specific EBITDA guidance range, Photocure expects continued operating leverage flow-through in its core commercial business and significant growth in milestone payments this year.

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"We delivered another quarter of growth and positive EBITDA, driven by the strong performance from our European franchise. In parallel, our North American team continues the solid business development with an increasing number of accounts adopting upgrades and new tower placements expecting to drive future revenue growth. We are able to offset the expected decline in flexible cystoscopy kits and expect the U.S. unit growth to accelerate in 2025 onwards. The completion of our share buy-back programme also highlighted our capital discipline commitment as the company continues to grow," says Dan Schneider, President & Chief Executive Officer of Photocure.

Photocure reported total group revenues of NOK 125.3 million in the first quarter of 2025 (NOK 118.0 million), and an EBITDA of NOK 1.8 million (7.9). The cash balance at the end of the period was NOK 259.5 million.

The company continued to execute on its plan to expand blue light cystoscopy use in Q1 2025 with the installation of 21 new Saphira towers in the U.S. — 8 new accounts and 13 blue light tower upgrades. There are now 337 active accounts in the U.S., an increase of 17% versus the first quarter of 2024.

In Europe, Photocure announced during the quarter that the availability of an Interim Flexible BLC solution to centers in all countries where System blue and Richard Wolf reusable flexible cystoscopes are cleared. The co-development with Richard Wolf for state of the art, HD Flexible cystoscope is progressing on plan. Photocure is also collaborating closely with Olympus on their recently launched high-definition Olympus Visera Elite-III equipment featuring blue light cystoscopy.

"30 Olympus systems have already been upgraded since launch, and we fully expect this new state-of-the art equipment to fuel Hexvix growth in the Nordic region and throughout continental Europe this year and beyond," Schneider adds.

Photocure believes that the benefits of Blue Light Cystoscopy with Hexvix/Cysview offering superior detection and management of bladder cancer will continue to be adopted and become the standard of care.

"Following an adequate stock of units already landed in the U.S, we have enough inventory to carry us through most of the year. Given our low cost of goods sold, tariffs represent a very limited impact on our U.S. profit and loss statement. Meanwhile, we remain focused on the growth of our business and investing in opportunities that can take us to the next level in 2025. In all, we delivered another quarter of growth and solid business development and reiterate our guidance of a product revenue growth in the range of 7% to 11% and year of year EBITDA improvement in 2025," Schneider concludes.

Please find the full financial report and presentation enclosed.

EBITDA* and other alternative performance measures (APMs) are defined and reconciled to the IFRS financial statements as a part of the APM section of the first quarter 2025 financial report on page 25.

The quarterly report and presentation will be published at 07:00 CEST and will be publicly available at www.photocure.com. Dan Schneider, CEO and Erik Dahl, CFO, will host a live webcast at 14:00 CEST.

The presentation will be held in English and questions can be submitted throughout the event. The streaming event is available through https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/hegnarmedia/20250508_10/

The presentation is scheduled to conclude at 14:45 CEST.

On May 8, 2025 Marengo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel approaches to precision T cell activation, reported that the first patient has been dosed in its STARt-002 clinical trial. The Phase 1b/2 study evaluates the safety and efficacy of Marengo’s lead clinical T cell agonist in combination with Trodelvy (sacituzumab govitecan-hziy), Gilead’s approved TROP2-directed antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), in patients with metastatic breast cancer (mBC) (Press release, Marengo Therapeutics, MAY 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234652784]).

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"The growing body of evidence supporting combinations of ADCs and immunotherapies is encouraging, including the recent success of the ASCENT-04 trial combining sacituzumab govitecan with pembrolizumab in metastatic TNBC," said Steven Isakoff, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist and Director of Breast Cancer Clinical Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Invikafusp alfa is a novel bi-specific immunotherapy designed as a dual T cell agonist, and the recent AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) presentation highlighting its single-agent activity in PD-1 resistant tumors is particularly compelling. Coupled with preclinical evidence of efficacy in breast cancer models, this combination with an ADC offers a promising and innovative approach to expanding immunotherapy options for patients with both HR+/HER2- and triple-negative breast cancers."

STARt-002 (NCT06827613) is a Phase 1b/2 trial, beginning with a run-in phase to determine the optimal tolerated combined dose of the two agents, followed by dose expansion in two patient cohorts: metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC) and hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative (HR+/HER2−) metastatic breast cancer.

The study is currently enrolling patients at three leading North American cancer centers: Massachusetts General Hospital, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, with additional sites expected to join soon.

"As presented in recent SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper), EMSO IO and AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) meetings, invikafusp clearly demonstrates promising monotherapy activity in PD-1 resistant tumors including MSS CRC and PD-1 negative NSCLC," said Kevin Chin, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Marengo Therapeutics. "These data reinforce our belief that invikafusp could serve as a best-in-class immunotherapy backbone for multiple tumor types, particularly when paired with ADCs in immunologically cold tumors such as breast cancer. We are honored to partner with world-class clinical investigators to explore this promising combination for patients with high unmet needs."

On May 8, 2025 BioDlink, a leading global CDMO, reported that it congratulates its partner Junshi Biosciences (HKEX-1877; SSE-688180), on receiving Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China to initiate clinical trials for the JS212 injection — Junshi Biosciences’ first bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) (Press release, Shanghai Junshi Bioscience, MAY 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234652783]).

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JS212 represents a new class of bispecific ADCs that combine the humanized epidermal growth factor receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate to target both EGFR and HER3 — two proteins highly expressed in a variety of tumor cells, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and head and neck cancer. As a bispecific ADC, JS212 has a key advantage over traditional ADCs that only target one protein: it can attack tumors via either EGFR or HER3, potentially increasing its effectiveness against a wider range of cancers and helping to overcome drug resistance.

Dr. Jun Liu, CEO and Executive Director of BioDlink, stated: "As a leader in ADC technology, BioDlink remains committed to technology innovation and one-stop solution platform for complex biologics. Our collaboration with Junshi Biosciences is built on mutual trust and deep experience in ADC research, development and manufacturing. The IND approval of JS212 — a technically demanding bispecific ADC —­ highlights our strong capabilities and strategic value we bring to partners pursuing next-generation biologics. We’re honored to support the advancement of this important program."

Dr. Jing Tong, Deputy Director of Junshi Biosciences’ Innovation Research Institute, shared: "We are very pleased with the ongoing and highly productive partnership with BioDlink. Their exceptional expertise and proven capabilities in ADC development and manufacturing have played a pivotal role in advancing JS212 to this important milestone. Throughout the collaboration, BioDlink has consistently demonstrated technical excellence, operational efficiency, and a deep understanding of complex bispecific ADCs. This approval marks a key collaboration milestone, and we look forward to deepening our cooperation as we work toward bringing innovative therapies to patients in the future."

BioDlink is committed to becoming a trusted CDMO biologics partner. The company operates a large-scale commercial biologics production site that meets international GMP standards and includes multiple integrated production lines for antibodies and ADCs.

With a comprehensive ADC platform supported by key R&D technologies, BioDlink enables efficient, centralized production of antibody intermediates, drug substances, and finished products. This setup accelerates timelines and reduces tech transfer costs. At the same time, BioDlink’s quality system is built according to international standards and has passed GMP audits in multiple countries, which can empower global customers.

On May 8, 2025 iOnctura, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company combating neglected and hard-to-treat cancers, reported it has dosed the first patient in the randomized Phase I/II study investigating lead asset roginolisib in combination with dostarlimab with or without docetaxel, in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (Press release, iOnctura, MAY 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234652782]).

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NSCLC is the most common type of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally, accounting for approximately 1 in 5 of all cancer deaths[1].

Anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) or anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD1) immunotherapy is a standard therapy for NSCLC patients with no actionable mutations in the first or second lines of therapy, with or without chemotherapy. However, treatment is often of limited duration as the cancer cells develop resistance to the treatment. Rebalancing the immune system via PI3Kδ inhibition is thought to re-invigorate anti-tumour immune cells and thus is a promising mechanism to overcome resistance to current immunotherapies[2].

Michele Maio, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Siena and Director of the Center for Immuno-Oncology at the University Hospital of Siena (Italy), Primary Coordinating Investigator of the Phase I/II study said: ‘There is a significant lack of treatment options for NSCLC patients who have progressed on immunotherapy and chemotherapy. We will be investigating whether the combination of roginolisib with dostarlimab and +/- chemotherapy can be given safely and may provide a novel treatment option in patients who no longer respond to their current treatment.’

Emerging clinical and translational biomarker data supports the hypothesis that combining roginolisib with an anti-PD-L1/PD1 agent, with or without docetaxel, may prevent or reverse drug resistance in NSCLC and may show synergistic anti-tumor immune activity without significant addition of toxicity. Firstly, the combination of anti-PD1 and roginolisib had an anti-tumor effect in vitro[3]. Secondly, ex vivo evaluation of NSCLC samples from patients responding and failing to immunotherapy showed that roginolisib rebalanced the composition of immune cells by inhibiting regulatory T-cells and enhancing CD8+ T cell killing cells3. Finally, roginolisib augmented the cytotoxicity of chemotherapy and immunotherapy3.

Dostarlimab is a PD-1-blocking antibody approved in the US in combination with chemotherapy for certain patients with endometrial cancer, as well as a single agent for certain patients with dMMR tumours that have progressed on or following prior treatment. It has also demonstrated clinical activity in combination with chemotherapy in NSCLC[4]. Under a supply agreement with iOnctura, GSK will supply dostarlimab for use in the trial. iOnctura will retain worldwide rights to roginolisib.

The Phase I/II open-label, randomized, parallel-arm PULMO-01 study (NCT06879717) will assess roginolisib in combination with dostarlimab, with or without docetaxel. The study will enrol approximately 45 patients who have progressed on standard-of-care immune checkpoint therapy. It will investigate the safety of the combination and the proportion of patients with a reduction in peripheral blood regulatory T cells in each arm.

Roginolisib is an allosteric modulator of PI3Kδ, widely recognized as a ‘master switch’ of cancer. Inhibition of PI3Kδ unleashes a multi-pronged anti-tumor and immune response to combat the tumor[5]. Roginolisib has demonstrated an unprecedented clinical profile in solid and liquid cancers[6], and is currently being investigated in a randomized Phase II clinical trial in uveal melanoma. A separate Phase I/II study in myelofibrosis is being initiated.