On April 7, 2025 Caris Life Sciences (Caris), a leading next-generation AI TechBio company and precision medicine pioneer, reported that the company has closed a growth capital funding round of $168 million (Press release, Caris Life Sciences, APR 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234651822]). With this funding, Caris has raised $1.86 billion in capital since 2018.

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Braidwell LP, a leading life science-focused investment firm and an existing investor, led the financing with participation from new investors Perceptive Advisors, Woodline and Ghisallo, along with additional new investors. Several existing investors are also participating in the round including Millennium Management and First Light Asset Management.

"This financing includes participation by some of the most knowledgeable healthcare investors with deep domain expertise and appreciation of the Caris platform and opportunity," said Brian J. Brille, Vice Chairman and EVP of Caris. "We are proud to partner with our high-quality and diverse investor syndicate, which shares our mission to improve patient outcomes."

"Caris puts the patient at the center of everything we do. This raise will help us bring our market-leading science and technologies to as many patients as possible and further our goal of revolutionizing precision medicine," said David D. Halbert, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Caris. "We plan to unlock the full potential of precision medicine by comprehensively interrogating cancer at the molecular level and enabling the delivery of transformative applications of molecular science."

"We are pleased to continue our relationship with Caris, and we believe Caris is well-positioned as a precision medicine leader in this dynamic sector," said Narendra Nayak, Braidwell Partner. "Caris has continued to advance its position among physicians, patients and biopharma partners as a trusted provider, molecular science leader and innovator."

After receiving FDA approval, Caris recently launched MI Cancer Seek, the first and only simultaneous Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing-based assay with FDA-approved CDx indications for molecular profiling of solid tumors for adult and pediatric patients. Additionally, the organization commercially launched Caris Assure for therapy selection in 2024. This minimally invasive, blood-based assay utilizes a novel circulating Nucleic Acid Sequencing (cNAS) approach with Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing to analyze cell-free DNA and RNA from plasma, as well as genomic DNA and messenger RNA from circulating white blood cells to distinguish somatic tumor, incidental clonal hematopoiesis and incidental germline variants.

On April 7, 2025 Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) (Halozyme) reported that Janssen-Cilag International NV, a Johnson & Johnson company, has received European Commission (EC) marketing authorization of the subcutaneous (SC) formulation of RYBREVANT (amivantamab), in combination with LAZCLUZE (lazertinib), for the first-line treatment of adult patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletions or exon 21 L858R substitution mutations (Press release, Halozyme, APR 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234651821]). Additionally, it is approved as a monotherapy for adult patients with advanced NSCLC with activating EGFR exon 20 insertion mutations after the failure of platinum-based therapy.

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Subcutaneous amivantamab is co-formulated Halozyme’s ENHANZE drug delivery technology.

"We are delighted to announce the European approval of the subcutaneous formulation of amivantamab, developed using our innovative ENHANZE drug delivery technology. This marks our tenth approved partner product," said Dr. Helen Torley, President and CEO of Halozyme. "The data supporting this approval showed a reduced administration time and decrease in infusion-related reactions, which could have a positive impact on the healthcare system."

The EC approval is supported by positive results from the Phase 3 PALOMA-3 study (NCT05388669). For detailed information on the study and its findings, please refer to Johnson & Johnson’s press release issued today.1

1 Leighl NB et al. Subcutaneous Versus Intravenous Amivantamab, Both in Combination With Lazertinib, in Refractory Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor–Mutated Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Primary Results From the Phase III PALOMA-3 Study. ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2024;42(3):3593-3605.

On April 7, 2025 ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX), a leading immunotherapy company, reported details about its Investor Day program to be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 10:00 am PDT (Press release, ImmunityBio, APR 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234651818]). The program will include an in-depth update on the company’s business operations, U.S. and global regulatory advances of its clinical-stage products, with fireside chats hosted by Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong and key opinion leaders involved in the company’s research programs.

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The discussions will include clinical and regulatory updates on the company’s bladder cancer program, regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designations, including results on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic pancreatic cancer trials, as well as lymphopenia rescue data related to these trials (Cancer BioShield).

In addition, updates will be provided on the natural killer (NK) cell therapy program, the Lynch syndrome accrual and fireside chats on virally induced cancers, including discussions on Long-COVID.

The key opinion leaders participating in the fireside chats with ImmunityBio leadership include:

Dr. Christopher Pieczonka – Chief Executive Officer, Associated Medical Professionals of New York & Corporate Director of Clinical Research of US Urology Partners
Dr. Steven Finkelstein – National Director of Radiation Oncology, US Urology Partners. Director of the Center of Advanced Radiation Excellence (CARE) and Director Radiation Oncology Research
Dr. Mark Lanasa – Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors, BeiGene
Dr. Jennifer Buell – President & Chief Executive Officer, MiNK Therapeutics
Dr. Krishnansu Tewari – Gynecologic Oncology, Obstetrics & Gynecology at UC Irvine Health
Dr. David Kerr – Professor of Cancer Medicine Genetics and Genomics, University of Oxford
Dr. Timothy Heinrich – Professor, School of Medicine UC San Francisco
Dr. Carlos Cardo-Cardon – Chairman for the Mount Sinai Health System Dept. of Pathology
Key timelines for catalysts of product candidates will be presented, along with a discussion of ongoing clinical trials.

The program will feature a presentation by ImmunityBio Founder, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, outlining the fundamental science underpinning the company’s technology platforms. This technology harnesses the immune system to deliver long-term disease protection and prevention.

This limited space event will be held in person in El Segundo, California. Individuals wishing to attend in person must RSVP in advance via email ([email protected]). The event will also be live-streamed.

The live stream can be found at:

View Source;tp_key=40dc7065b5

Participant Listening (Listen Only)

1-844-539-3703 or 1-412-652-1273

On April 7, 2025 Epsilogen, the global leader in the development of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibody therapeutics, reported that it has completed the acquisition of TigaTx, Inc., a biotechnology company developing engineered immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies, to create the world’s leading pan-isotype cancer antibody company (Press release, Epsilogen, APR 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234651817]).

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As a result of the combination of these two privately held companies, US-based TigaTx becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Epsilogen. Financial terms of the transaction have not been disclosed. Additionally, Dr Sonia Gulati, a Principal at Global BioAccess Fund has joined the Epsilogen Board of Directors.

Commenting on the acquisition, Epsilogen CEO Tim Wilson said: "We are excited to create the world’s leading pan-isotype antibody company with the goal of bringing improved therapeutics to cancer patients. Combining the capabilities of Epsilogen with those of TigaTx gives us the ability to choose the most relevant isotype for a given cancer, whether a cold tumour environment we want to drive multiple immune effector cells into or leverage neutrophils. The transaction also facilitates the combination of different isotype functions into a single antibody molecule. We are looking forward to working with our new colleagues in Boston and creating additional opportunities in our pipeline."

Sonia Gulati PhD, a Principal at the Global BioAccess Fund said: "We are thrilled about the merger with Epsilogen and believe deeply in the potential of IgA and IgE-based therapies to transform cancer treatment. Together, we are advancing a new frontier in immunotherapy to bring innovative solutions to patients in need."

Pete Finan, Epsilogen’s Non-Executive Chairman and a General Partner at Epidarex Capital commented: "Nature has evolved five different antibody isotypes to perform specific biologic functions. Following the acquisition, Epsilogen is in a unique position with in-house deep expertise in three of these, IgE, IgA and IgG. We very much look forward to the company turning this potential into innovative new medicines for cancer patients".

Rationale: Creating the world’s leading pan-isotype cancer antibody company

The primary purpose of this transaction is to create the world’s leading pan-isotype antibody company with the goal of pioneering radically new antibody therapeutics in oncology. The acquisition not only gives Epsilogen the capability of selecting the appropriate antibody isotype for a given cancer, given the differentiated therapeutic mechanisms of each, but also allows it to mix and match IgE, IgA and IgG functionality into a single antibody molecule. Such hybrid antibodies have the potential to activate multiple compartments of the immune system as well as possessing improved PK/PD profiles. This is especially powerful in the light of the importance of the epitope in determining the clinical performance of antibodies.

The human immune system has evolved five main antibody isotypes (IgG, IgM, IgE, IgA and IgD) which it can call upon depending upon the challenge faced. All cancer antibodies and antibody derivatives to date, and virtually all in clinical development, are based on the IgG isotype. IgG utilises the gamma chain constant region whereas antibodies of the IgE and IgA isotypes use the epsilon and alpha chain constant regions respectively; the variable regions of all wild type antibodies are structurally the same.

IgE and IgA antibodies have distinct and potent immunological effector functions predominantly working through myeloid cells and neutrophils respectively. Each of these broad classes can bring about solid tumour destruction in a variety of preclinical models.

The acquisition bolsters Epsilogen’s pipeline by adding EPS 401 (formerly TIGA-001), an anti-EGFR IgA antibody, scheduled to enter the clinic in 2026. MOv18 IgE is currently in a Phase Ib trial for treatment of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer (PROC). Phase I trial data previously showed the antibody to be safe and well tolerated with preliminary signs of anti-cancer activity. Epsilogen’s earlier stage pipeline also features a number of other IgE antibody candidates targeting a variety of tumour antigens.

On April 7, 2025 Genoscience Pharma reported that it has granted Genfit exclusive rights to develop and commercialize GNS561 for oncology indications (Press release, GenoScience, APR 7, 2025, View Source [SID1234651816]). This strategic agreement marks a significant step in advancing GNS561’s clinical potential in cancer treatment. Genfit will lead the development efforts, leveraging its strong expertise and infrastructure in oncology drug development. In return, Genoscience Pharma secures a potential return on investment through upfront payments, milestone-based compensations, and royalties on future sales. The agreement is designed to maximize the value of GNS561 while ensuring its accelerated path to market. GNS561 has shown promise in preclinical and early clinical studies, particularly in hard-to-treat cancers. This partnership allows both companies to focus on their core strengths while sharing the value creation. Genoscience Pharma retains a financial stake in GNS561’s success without bearing the full burden of clinical and commercial development. The deal reflects a shared commitment to innovation and patient impact. It also strengthens Genfit’s pipeline with a differentiated oncology asset.

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