On June 22, 2026 The Ellison Medical Institute (EMI) reported it has entered into an exclusive license with UniQuest, the commercialization company of The University of Queensland (UQ), to advance QED-203, a promising new treatment for advanced and therapy-resistant prostate cancer, toward first-in-human studies.

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Developed from research conducted at UQ, QED-203 is a novel small molecule therapeutic designed to address significant unmet needs in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Established in 2016, EMI is a Los Angeles-based clinical and research organization advancing cancer research, translational science, and drug development to accelerate the path from scientific discovery to patient impact.

Under the agreement, EMI will lead the continued development of QED-203, applying its integrated capabilities across AI-enabled discovery, translational research, human-relevant preclinical models, and in-house clinical expertise to prepare the program for clinical evaluation. In partnership with UQ, these efforts will reduce risk and accelerate progress toward first-in-human studies in early 2027.

Based on research led by Professor Greg Monteith from UQ’s School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, QED-203 was developed at the Queensland Emory Drug Discovery Initiative (QEDDI), the small molecule drug discovery group of UniQuest.

The treatment is being developed for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), an advanced form of the disease where patients often have limited treatment options after standard therapies stop working.

QEDDI Head Dr. Brian Dymock said QED-203 was a potential first-in-class therapy targeting TRPV6, a calcium ion channel associated with aggressive prostate cancer.

"Patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer often face very limited options once existing therapies stop working," Dr. Dymock said. "Our goal has been to develop a novel treatment approach that could ultimately improve clinical outcomes for patients with advanced and therapy-resistant disease."

Dr. Monteith said the deal marked an important milestone and built on more than 15 years of research into the role of calcium signaling in cancer progression.

"It reflects the collaborative work behind a completely new therapeutic approach for patients with advanced disease," Dr. Monteith said.

"We are excited to advance the development of QED-203 to address urgent unmet needs in metastatic prostate cancer and meaningfully benefit patients," said Dr. David Agus, Founding CEO of the Ellison Medical Institute. "EMI is uniquely positioned to push this work forward, with deep expertise in oncology and a translational mission built for programs like this. Together, with UniQuest, we’re bringing expertise and a shared sense of purpose needed to move this work forward for the patients and families who need it most."

UniQuest CEO Dr. Dean Moss said the deal highlighted the strength of QEDDI’s model for translating world-class research at UQ into commercial opportunities with the potential to deliver impact.

"This partnership demonstrates the value of building dedicated drug discovery and translation capability around outstanding university research and pairing it with a development partner equipped to advance promising programs toward the clinic," Dr. Moss said. "QEDDI was established to help transform promising discoveries from UQ into high-quality development candidates, and this partnership with EMI is a strong example of that model in action. Together, we aim to build on this promising science and leverage EMI’s integrated research and development engine to accelerate progress towards the clinic and, in time, to patients."

QED-203 has been supported by the Biomedical Translation Bridge (an initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund delivered by MTPConnect); the Critical Path Institute’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator; and the National Health and Medical Research Council Development Grant scheme to fund key preclinical studies, manufacturing and safety activities.

(Press release, The Ellison Medical Institute, JUN 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234668894])

On June 22, 2026 ChemT Biotechnology, an AI-driven biotechnology company building the intelligence layer for biomanufacturing, reported it has closed a US$4 million seed round led by Wavemaker Ventures, the early-stage fund of Wavemaker Partners, with participation from co-investment partner SEEDS, an arm of SG Growth Capital, the investment platform of EDB and Enterprise Singapore. The round was further supported by notable investors across the United States and Asia, including Wavemaker 360 Health, Draper University Ventures, and Temasek Life Sciences Accelerator.

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Making biologics at scale is harder than it looks. Manufacturers face long development timelines, unpredictable yields, high costs, and processes that are difficult to scale, all of which slow the delivery of treatments to patients. At the heart of the problem is that we lack precise and tunable ways to manipulate cells – the mini factories where important biologics are made.

ChemT is taking a different approach. Unlike conventional AI drug discovery companies or lab automation tools, ChemT builds intelligence directly into the manufacturing process itself, helping companies better understand the cells behind biomanufacturing, and provides a new way to guide cell behavior for faster, more scalable, and reliable production.

At the heart of the company is CelMo, an AI-driven Virtual Cell platform trained on billions to trillions of proprietary biological sequencing reads and validated in the lab. CelMo is designed to simulate how cells respond to manufacturing conditions, genetic changes, and other stresses. By tracking which biological processes inside a cell are being activated, suppressed, or rewired, from growth and metabolism to stress response and productivity, CelMo builds a dynamic picture of how cell states shift throughout manufacturing. Built on this foundation are practical applications: identifying target cell pathways to improve manufacturing performance, designing small molecules to guide cell behavior, and supporting cell engineering using AI.

CelMo is already delivering results. In CHO cells, the cell type most commonly used to manufacture antibodies and therapeutic proteins, the platform has demonstrated a 50% increase in antibody output and a 40% reduction in production timelines.

ChemT’s flagship small molecule product, Chemplify, applies the same approach to T-cell manufacturing, a critical component of advanced cancer therapies. Chemplify has demonstrated 50% faster development, 3× scalability, 60% lower costs, and 10× higher cell expansion yield.

"This financing is a strong validation of our team, our technology, and our mission during a difficult funding environment for life sciences," said Jie Sun, co-founder and CEO of ChemT Biotechnology. "Within roughly a year and half of launch, we’ve built commercial partnerships with more than 40 pharmaceutical, biotech, and CDMO companies across the globe. The future of biomanufacturing will not be won by automation alone — it will require intelligence."

The financing will support the continued expansion of ChemT’s AI and experimental infrastructure, advancement of its AI-designed molecular products toward GMP standards and regulatory readiness, scaling of commercial partnerships, and further development of CelMo. ChemT plans to expand the platform beyond CHO cells and T cells into other cellular systems, including stem cells, NK cells (Natural Killer cells, used in next-generation cancer immunotherapies), and HEK cells (Human Embryonic Kidney cells, widely used in gene therapy and biologics production), enabling broader intelligent control across biomanufacturing workflows.

"Our customers come to us because they are stuck – development timelines stretch for years, processes break when you try to scale them," said Dr. Ling Wu, co-founder and President of ChemT Biotechnology. "CelMo is the cellular world model to understand what’s happening inside their cells and intervene intelligently. Our goal is to help make advanced medicines easier to manufacture, scale, and deliver to patients worldwide."

"Biomanufacturing has long been constrained by structural bottlenecks, rooted in the lack of computational understanding of how cellular networks behave inside bioreactors. ChemT addresses this through precision small molecules that modulate cellular behavior — giving manufacturers a new lever for faster, cheaper, and higher-yield production with consistent quality," said Paul Santos, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Wavemaker Partners. "We look forward to working with ChemT’s founding team, which brings together technical and commercial depth, scientific credibility, world-class bioprocess leadership, and capital efficiency — a rare combination that has already drawn early commercial partnerships from all over the world."

(Press release, ChemT Biotechnology, JUN 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234668890])

On June 22, 2026 Hamlet BioPharma AB (publ) reported the signing of a clinical trial agreement with the University of Iowa, one of the leading U.S. centers for bladder cancer research and therapy. The new study advances the clinical development of Alpha1H, a human breast milk derived treatment for bladder cancer, to include Carcinoma In Situ (CIS); a severe surface-spreading and therapy-resistant form of bladder cancer where patients may need to remove their bladders to avoid systemic disease.

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Professor O’Donnell, a key opinion leader and driver of the international bladder cancer therapy field, has identified a significant unmet medical need among patients with CIS and initiated discussions with Hamlet BioPharma and scientists at Lund University, regarding this clinical expansion of the Alpha1H drug development program. This collaboration follows an extensive scientific and clinical evaluation of Alpha1H by the University of Iowa, including review of published clinical data and the mechanism of action described in peer-reviewed publications.

Bladder cancer is one of the most common urological malignancies worldwide. A substantial proportion of patients experience recurrence following treatment, creating a significant need for new therapies that can reduce recurrence rates and preserve bladder function. The clinical study is planned to be conducted under Hamlet BioPharma’s existing Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Alpha1H in the United States through submission of a new clinical protocol amendment to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

"The signing of this agreement establishes a collaboration with the University of Iowa group, led by Professor O’Donnell, who are pioneers in the field and have defined multiple novel therapies in bladder cancer. Expanding the clinical indications to include CIS allows us to evaluate Alpha1H in a patient population with severe and resistant disease and a substantial unmet medical need," says Catharina Svanborg, Professor at Lund University and Chairman of the Board of Hamlet BioPharma.

"Despite advances in bladder cancer treatment, high recurrence rates remain a major challenge. Many patients with CIS have exhausted all available treatments, without a cure, and are faced with the prospect of bladder removal. Based on our evaluation of Alpha1H and the clinical results generated to date, we believe the Alpha1H treatment warrants further investigation in this patient group. We look forward to working with Hamlet BioPharma and the scientists at Lund University to explore the potential of Alpha1H in patients with treatment resistant CIS," says Michael O’Donnell, Professor and Director of Urologic Oncology at the University of Iowa.

(Press release, HAMLET Pharma, JUN 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234668884])

On June 22, 2026 Phanes Therapeutics, Inc. (Phanes), a clinical-stage biotech company focused on innovative drug discovery and development in immuno-oncology (IO), reported the completion of enrollment in its Phase 2 study of spevatamig in combination of standard of care chemotherapy for metastatic PDAC in the 1L setting.

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"This marks an important milestone in our mission to advance innovative therapies that help improve outcomes for patients with hard-to-treat cancers," said Ming Wang, PhD, MBA, CEO of Phanes. "PDAC is the first cancer type we are targeting with spevatamig; there is more to come."

Spevatamig is a bispecific antibody targeting CLDN18.2 and CD47 that functions as an innate immunity enhancer (I2E), an emerging class of IO agents. I2Es are expected to activate macrophages and dendritic cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells, providing an alternative immune-stimulating mechanism complementary to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) to attack tumors, especially "cold tumors" that are less likely to respond to ICIs.

Spevatamig is being evaluated in various GI cancers, including 1L metastatic PDAC, and has been dosed in over 200 patients globally. PDAC is a devastating cancer, and treatment has been largely limited to systemic chemotherapy which only offers a short duration of benefit due to development of resistance and cumulative toxicity. The impact on society is only expected to increase, as incidence of PDAC is rising. Thus, novel approaches capable of producing more durable responses are urgently needed. Although immunotherapies such as agents targeting PD-1/PD-L1 or CTLA-4 have been explored in many PDAC trials, few have demonstrated meaningful therapeutic benefit.

"Spevatamig was discovered in our lab in San Diego; its unique molecular design enables targeting solid tumors without causing significant hematological toxicity, an issue that has been seen with other CD47-targeting agents in the past," said Phanes’ CEO. "We believe our approach can be applied to other tumor types. This could be a new frontier for targeting solid tumors."

ABOUT SPEVATAMIG

Spevatamig is a first-in-class native IgG-like bispecific antibody (bsAb) targeting claudin 18.2 and CD47. It was granted orphan drug designation (ODD) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer by the FDA in 2022 and was granted Fast Track designation for the treatment of patients with metastatic claudin 18.2-positive pancreatic adenocarcinoma in 2024. In 2023, Phanes entered into a clinical collaboration agreement with Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada) to study spevatamig in combination with pembrolizumab.

Phanes is conducting clinical trials with spevatamig in multiple cancer indications, including a Phase 2 study evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of spevatamig in combination with chemotherapy in patients with PDAC in the first-line setting. Spevatamig is an innate immunity enhancer (I2E), an emerging class of immuno-oncology (IO) agents. It has the potential to become the first I2E for a solid tumor indication and is combinable with various anti-cancer therapies.

(Press release, Phanes Therapeutics, JUN 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234668883])

On June 22, 2026 Delphi Diagnostics reported the publication of findings from the GEICAM/9906 clinical trial demonstrating that the company’s Endocrine Activity Index (EAI) can identify patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative (HR+/HER2−) breast cancer who derive meaningful benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy containing weekly paclitaxel.

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The study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, is titled "Sensitivity to endocrine therapy index predicts benefit from weekly adjuvant paclitaxel for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in the GEICAM/9906 trial," and was conducted by investigators from the GEICAM Spanish Breast Cancer Group and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

This prospective-retrospective analysis independently validated previous findings and further helps to establish EAI as the first genomic assay shown to predict benefit from a contemporary taxane-based chemotherapy regimen in HR+/HER2− breast cancer.

The study evaluated tumor samples and outcomes from patients enrolled in the landmark GEICAM/9906 randomized phase III trial. Investigators found that patients with very low endocrine activity, score of <0.75 as measured by EAI, experienced significantly improved distant recurrence-free outcomes when weekly paclitaxel was added to anthracycline-based chemotherapy. In contrast, patients with higher endocrine activity did not demonstrate additional benefit from paclitaxel treatment.

"This study represents an important milestone for precision oncology and provides independent confirmation that endocrine activity within an HR+/HER2- breast tumor can predict sensitivity to specific chemotherapy approaches," said Federico A. Monzon, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Delphi Diagnostics. "These findings support the potential for EAI to help clinicians personalize treatment decisions and select chemotherapy regimens more likely to benefit individual patients."

The results build upon previous clinical evidence and demonstrate reproducibility across two independent randomized clinical trials. Together, these studies suggest that EAI may provide oncologists with actionable information beyond traditional prognostic tests by helping determine not only whether chemotherapy should be considered, but which chemotherapy strategy is most likely to provide clinical benefit.

"Current genomic assays primarily estimate recurrence risk, but they generally do not predict which specific chemotherapy regimen will be most effective," said Winz Casagrande, Chief Executive Officer, Delphi Diagnostics. "EAI represents a new generation of predictive biomarkers designed to guide treatment selection and help deliver more individualized care for patients with breast cancer."

The GEICAM/9906 analysis showed that approximately 16% of HR+/HER2− tumors exhibited low endocrine activity and were associated with improved outcomes from weekly paclitaxel-containing therapy. The findings support the growing role of biologically informed treatment selection and may help reduce unnecessary exposure to treatments unlikely to provide benefit.

(Press release, Delphi Diagnostics, JUN 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234668881])