On June 17, 2026 Hebecell reported that U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed review of IND #32893, allowing the Phase 1/1b clinical study evaluating ProtoNK (HC101) in adolescent and young adult patients with recurrent or refractory Ewing sarcoma to proceed in the United States.

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The milestone advances HC101 into clinical evaluation and represents an important step in the development of HebeCell’s stem cell-derived NK cell platform.

The study is sponsored by University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and will be led by Dr. Verania Huerta Urrutia, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Angie Fowler Adolescent & Young Adult Cancer Institute at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The Phase 1/1b study will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and exploratory efficacy of HC101 in adolescent and young adult patients with recurrent or refractory Ewing sarcoma.

HC101 is an allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell therapy derived from human pluripotent stem cells using HebeCell’s proprietary manufacturing platform. The program is designed to provide a scalable and renewable source of NK cells for clinical use and represents the company’s lead oncology product candidate.

"I am very happy for the recent FDA clearance of the IND application for HebeCell’s unique ProtoNK (HC101) cell therapy for relapsed/refractory Ewing sarcoma in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population," said Dr. Verania Huerta Urrutia. "This milestone speaks to the great partnership and collaboration we have with HebeCell. We are working on opening this Phase 1 clinical trial in the upcoming months, and we are hopeful and excited to keep bringing new alternative therapies for our patients."

HebeCell leadership also highlighted the importance of the milestone and the company’s commitment to advancing ProtoNK into the clinic.

"Advancing HC101 into clinical evaluation is an important milestone for HebeCell and reflects years of work developing our stem cell-derived NK cell platform. We are excited to support the study and look forward to learning from this next phase of development," said Dr. Shi-Jiang Lu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of HebeCell.

(Press release, HebeCell, JUN 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234668776])

On June 17, 2026 Genprex, Inc. ("Genprex" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: GNPX), a clinical-stage gene therapy company focused on developing life-changing therapies for patients with cancer and diabetes, reported that its team will be attending and participating at the BIO 2026 International Convention taking place June 22-25, 2026 in San Diego, California.

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In attendance from Genprex’s executive leadership team will be Thomas Gallagher, Senior Vice President of Intellectual Property and Licensing. Throughout the duration of the conference, Mr. Gallagher will be available in-person to conduct one-on-one meetings with industry groups to provide an overview of the Company’s gene therapies for cancer and diabetes.

For those interested in meeting with Mr. Gallagher or other members of Genprex’s management team, please request a meeting through the BIO Partnering Portal or by contacting Investor Relations at [email protected].

The BIO International Convention is the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology, representing the full ecosystem of biotech with 20,000 industry leaders from across the globe.

(Press release, Genprex, JUN 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234668775])

On June 17, 2026 Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd. (NYSE American: CANF) (TASE: CANF), a biotechnology company advancing a pipeline of proprietary small-molecule drugs targeting oncological and inflammatory diseases, reported its participation in the BIO International Convention 2026, to be held June 22–25, 2026, in San Diego, California. BIO International Convention | June 22-25 | San Diego

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During the conference, Can-Fite will conduct partnering meetings with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, and potential strategic partners to discuss licensing and commercialization opportunities for its advanced clinical-stage pipeline.

The Company’s lead drug candidate, Namodenoson, is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase III study for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), in pancreatic cancer following the successful completion of a Phase IIa study and conducting a Phase IIb study for MASH. Piclidenoson, Can-Fite’s drug candidate for inflammatory diseases, is currently being evaluated in a pivotal Phase III study for psoriasis and is undertaking the preparatory work for a Phase II study in the rare genetic disease, Lowe Syndrome.

Can-Fite’s proprietary A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) platform technology has demonstrated a favorable safety profile in more than 1,600 patients treated to date and serves as the foundation for the Company’s pipeline of orally administered therapies targeting cancer, liver, and inflammatory diseases.

The Company has established multiple regional licensing agreements for its drug candidates and continues to pursue strategic partnerships to maximize the global value of its pipeline. To date, these agreements have generated approximately $20 million in upfront and milestone payments, with the potential for additional milestone payments and royalties.

"BIO International Convention is one of the most important partnering events in the biotechnology industry, bringing together companies seeking innovative therapeutic assets and strategic collaborations," said Dr. Sari Fishman, Vice President of Business Development at Can-Fite BioPharma. "With two pivotal Phase III programs, an ongoing Phase IIb study in MASH, and additional opportunities in oncology and rare diseases, we look forward to meeting with potential partners to discuss licensing, commercialization, and value-creating collaborations for our clinical-stage assets."

Dr. Fishman will be available for partnering meetings throughout the conference.

(Press release, Can-Fite BioPharma, JUN 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234668774])

On June 17, 2026 AB Science SA (Euronext – FR0010557264 – AB) reported that the United States Patent Office has formally granted a patent for methods of treating metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) with its lead compound masitinib. This new US patent (US 12,648,944) ensures intellectual property protection for masitinib until May 2042.

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This new US patent adds to the IP coverage already granted in Europe (EP4175639).

Counterpart patent applications have also been filed in other major international markets.

Masitinib positioning in metastatic prostate cancer after failure to hormone therapy

In metastatic prostate cancer, patients take hormone therapies (i.e., androgen-deprivation therapy) in first line and second line. Then when metastatic cancer advances patients have to be treated by chemotherapy. There is only one chemotherapy registered, docetaxel, and no drug in combination with docetaxel or replacement of docetaxel has improved PFS or OS and has been registered for the last 20 years.

Masitinib is positioned in combination with docetaxel as a treatment of mCRPC patients who are eligible to chemotherapy. That is to say, it is administered directly following the metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) treatment space.

Masitinib is one of the rare drugs to have generated positive data on progression free survival (PFS) in combination with docetaxel in this population.

Masitinib positioning in mCRPC with low metastatic involvement measured by a biomarker

More specifically, this patent provides protection for masitinib and related compounds for the treatment of mCRPC in a patient subpopulation with low metastatic involvement (as measured by baseline alkaline phosphatase levels).

This patient population is fully consistent with the results of the masitinib study AB12003 [1] and the ongoing clinical development program of masitinib in mCRPC.

As a reminder, the key results from study AB12003 include:

Masitinib (6.0 mg/kg/day) plus docetaxel conferred a significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit in mCRPC patients with baseline alkaline phosphatase levels (ALP) less than or equal to 250 IU/L; hazard ratio of 0.79 [0.64,0.97] (p=0.0087), corresponding to a 21% reduction in risk of progression relative to control.
Assessment of PFS rates was convergent with this primary outcome, with 12-, 18-, and 24-month PFS rates showing significant improvement in favor of masitinib plus docetaxel relative to the control: 1.6-fold (p=0.0035), 1.9-fold (p=0.0001), and 1.9-fold (p=0.0028), respectively.
A progressively greater masitinib treatment effect was observed for lower baseline ALP levels (i.e., less advanced metastatic disease), with a significant 47% reduced risk of progression in patients with ALP less than or equal to 100 IU/L (hazard ratio=0.53, p=0.002).
The safety profile of masitinib plus docetaxel was acceptable and consistent with the known masitinib profile, with no new safety signals observed.
Unmet medical need in mCRPC

Although localized disease is associated with high survival rates, metastatic prostate cancer still represents an unmet medical need with a 5-years survival rate of approximately 32% [2]. Practically all patients with metastatic disease become resistant to androgen-deprivation therapy.

With 1.5 million new cases and 397,000 deaths worldwide, prostate cancer is the world’s second most frequent cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death among men [3]. It is estimated that there are at least 3.5 million men living with prostate cancer in the United States [4] and 2.5 million in Europe [5]. Approximately 2% of all prostate cancer cases are mCRPC [6], and practically all patients with metastatic disease will become resistant to androgen-deprivation therapy. As such, the population with mCRPC eligible to chemotherapy is around 50,000 in the EU and 70,000 in the USA.

(Press release, AB Science, JUN 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234668773])

On June 17, 2026 Defence Therapeutics Inc. ("Defence" or the "Company"), (CSE: DTC, OTCQB: DTCFF, FSE: DTC) a publicly traded biotechnology and precision intracellular drug-delivery company, reported its participation in the BIO International Convention 2026, taking place June 22–25 in San Diego, California.

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Defence’s team will be available throughout the conference to meet with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, investors, and potential strategic collaborators interested in exploring partnership opportunities involving Defence’s proprietary Accum platform.

Accum is designed to enhance intracellular delivery by promoting endosomal escape and improving delivery to target cellular compartments. The platform is being applied across multiple therapeutic modalities, including antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and radiopharmaceutical drug conjugates (RDCs), where efficient intracellular delivery remains a critical challenge.

Defence is actively seeking partnerships with innovative pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, biosimilar developers, and technology providers interested in leveraging Accum to unlock additional value from their therapeutic programs. Partnership opportunities include the development of novel Accum-enabled ADCs, enhancement of biosimilar products, revitalization of existing or discontinued assets, and co-development of advanced delivery and linker technologies. Accum can be incorporated into ADC programs without restarting the engineering process, enabling integration at any stage of development, from discovery through clinical evaluation.

"BIO International Convention is one of the most important gatherings for the global biotechnology industry, bringing together innovators, investors, and pharmaceutical leaders from around the world," said Sébastien Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics. "For Defence, it provides a unique opportunity to showcase the potential of our Accum platform and engage with organizations seeking innovative approaches to improve the delivery and effectiveness of advanced therapeutics. We look forward to meeting with potential partners and exploring opportunities to create value through collaborations."

Companies interested in scheduling a meeting with Defence during BIO 2026 are encouraged to contact the Company in advance through the BIO Partnering platform or by reaching out directly to the Defence team at [email protected].

(Press release, Defence Therapeutics, JUN 17, 2026, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=defence-therapeutics-to-participate-in-bio-international-convention-2026-next-week-for-strategic-partnership-discussions [SID1234668772])