On July 17, 2026 Bayer, a global life sciences company, and Henry Ford Health reported a strategic partnership to expand clinical trial opportunities for patients. The work brings together Bayer’s global drug development expertise with Henry Ford Health’s comprehensive clinical research program and its deep connection to the communities it serves.

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"Clinical trials are often the first opportunity patients have to access cutting-edge treatments," said Dr. David Lanfear, Chief Scientific Officer for Henry Ford Health. "Through this collaboration, we aim to make clinical research more accessible, reduce barriers to participation, accelerate the development of new treatments and ensure that more patients have the opportunity to benefit from medical innovation."

Initial efforts will focus on several key areas that align with Bayer’s growing pipeline and product offerings:

Cardiovascular and renal disease, including thrombosis, heart failure, stroke, and chronic kidney disease
Oncology, including advanced cancers and targeted therapies
Women’s health, including treatments for menopausal symptoms and gynecologic conditions
Together, the organizations will collaboratively work across the full clinical trial process, using data and technology to design smarter trials. Patients will be able to access novel treatments sooner by reducing barriers to participation.

"Bayer is consistently exploring new avenues that can help more patients with diseases or health conditions that impact millions of people across the world," said Christoph Koenen, Head, Clinical Development & Operations for Bayer. "We share this commitment to patients and advancing drug discovery with likeminded institutions like Henry Ford Health that can help reduce barriers to accessing investigational or potential new treatments right in the very communities where patients are already receiving their care."

The partnership will add more areas of medicinal research as time goes on. Beyond clinical trials, the organizations plan to work together in areas such as:

Using AI, analytics, and electronic health record data to improve trial design and patient identification
Generating real-world evidence to better understand how treatments perform
Supporting training and innovation in healthcare data science
The partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing clinical research in ways that are faster, more inclusive, and more accessible for patients.

Henry Ford Health is one of only four academic health systems in the U.S. selected to work with Bayer in this strategic research model, reflecting its clinical expertise, integrated care network, diverse patient population and strong track record in clinical research. In July, Bayer announced its first strategic alliance with the University of Colorado Anschutz, UCHealth and Children’s Hospital Colorado to advance drug development and clinical trials.

"This partnership builds on Henry Ford Health’s longstanding leadership in clinical research and creates new opportunities to bring innovative studies to our patients," Lanfear said. "By combining our expertise with Bayer’s global research capabilities, we can help advance treatments in areas that matter most while ensuring research reflects the needs of the diverse communities we serve."

(Press release, Bayer, JUL 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234669293])

On July 17, 2026 Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered antibodies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported that results from a Phase 1 study of XmAb819, an ENPP3 x CD3 T-cell engaging bispecific antibody, in advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) were accepted for a proffered paper oral presentation at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026, to be held October 23-27 in Madrid, Spain.

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Details of the Proffered Paper Oral Presentation

Title: Phase 1 results of XmAb819, a novel ENPP3 x CD3 bispecific, in advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC)
Presenter: Sumanta Pal, M.D., FASCO, Professor and Vice Chair of Academic Affairs, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
ESMO has indicated that the abstract will be available on its website at 3:05 p.m. PDT on Sunday, October 18.

XmAb819 Evaluation Across ENPP3+ Tumors

XmAb819 is being evaluated for the treatment of patients with ENPP3+ tumors in a Phase 1 clinical study (Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT05433142). Initial results from dose-escalation in advanced ccRCC were presented during the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC Conference in October 2025. Currently:

Expansion cohorts are evaluating intravenous doses to support selection of a dose for the planned Phase 3 pivotal study for patients with advanced ccRCC,
Dose escalation of subcutaneous administration in advanced ccRCC is ongoing,
A sub-study for patients with ENPP3+ advanced colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and papillary renal cell carcinoma opened to enrollment in the second quarter of 2026, and
A sub-study for patients with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced ccRCC who have progressed after nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab as a first-line treatment (IO doublet therapy) is planned to open to enrollment in the third quarter of 2026.
About XmAb819

XmAb819 is a first-in-class, tumor-targeted, T-cell engaging XmAb 2+1 bispecific antibody in development for patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and other tumors with high ENPP3 expression, including colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and papillary renal cell carcinoma. XmAb819 engages the immune system and activates T cells for highly potent and targeted lysis of tumor cells expressing ENPP3. ENPP3 is a differentially expressed target, with high-level expression in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and low-level expression on normal tissues. With two tumor-antigen binding domains and one T-cell binding domain, Xencor’s XmAb 2+1 format enables antibodies to bind more avidly and selectively kill tumor cells with higher antigen density, potentially sparing normal cells.

(Press release, Xencor, JUL 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234669292])

On July 17, 2026 IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDYA), a leading precision medicine oncology company, reported three abstract presentations at the 2026 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) meeting, taking place on October 23-27 in Madrid, Spain. The presentations will feature data updates from across IDEAYA’s clinical pipeline, including multiple ongoing trials of darovasertib in uveal melanoma, including the registrational Phase 2/3 OptimUM-02 trial in HLA*A2:01-negative metastatic UM (mUM), the Phase 2 OptimUM-01 trial in HLA*A2:01-positive mUM, and the Phase 2 OptimUM-09 trial in the neoadjuvant setting of primary uveal melanoma. IDEAYA’s partner, Hengrui Pharma, will also present clinical trial results from their Phase 1 study of IDE849 (SHR-4849) being conducted in China in patients with small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and other neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs).

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"We’re excited to showcase the breadth of our pipeline progress at this year’s ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress. Additional data from our ongoing trials in both metastatic and neoadjuvant uveal melanoma, namely OptimUM-02, OptimUM-01 and OptimUM-09, bolster our conviction in the potential of darovasertib to become an important new treatment option across the uveal melanoma patient journey. We also hope to highlight the potential best-in-class profile of IDE849, our Phase 1 DLL3 TOP1 ADC, in SCLC and NECs, where monotherapy and combination trials are ongoing and the program’s first registrational trial is targeted to initiate by year-end by partner Hengrui in China and in our regions, including the US," said Dr. Darrin Beaupre, Chief Medical Officer, IDEAYA Biosciences.

IDEAYA Presentations:

2092P (Poster Presentation); Neoadjuvant Darovasertib in Primary Uveal Melanoma: Follow-Up Data from the Phase 2 OptimUM-09 Study. Presenting Author – Mark Shackleton, MBBS, PhD, FRACP, Department of Oncology, Alfred Hospital, and Department of Cancer Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia

2104P (Poster Presentation); Darovasertib with Crizotinib vs Investigator’s Choice as First-Line Treatment for Patients with HLA-A2 Negative Metastatic Uveal Melanoma (OptimUM-02): A Subgroup Analysis. Presenting Author – Sophie Piperno-Neumann, MD, PhD, Institute Curie Research University, Paris, France

2086P (Poster Presentation); Darovasertib and Crizotinib for HLA-A*02–Positive Metastatic Uveal Melanoma: Results from the Phase 2 OptimUM-01 Study. Presenting Author – Meredith McKean, MD, MPH, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Hengrui Presentation:

3815P (Poster Presentation); SHR-4849 (IDE849), an ADC targeting delta-like ligand 3 (DLL3), in relapsed small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and other neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs): long-term results from the Phase 1 study. Presenting Author – Haifeng Liu, PhD, Professor, Clinical Research Ward, Jilin Cancer Hospital, Changchun, China

(Press release, Ideaya Biosciences, JUL 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234669291])

On July 17, 2026 SystImmune Inc. (SystImmune) reported that its parent company, Sichuan Biokin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Biokin), has received regulatory approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for iza-bren (izalontamab brengitecan) for the treatment of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) whose disease has progressed following prior platinum-based chemotherapy and PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy.

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This marks the second approved indication for iza-bren in China following its recent approval for recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), further establishing iza-bren as a first-in-class EGFR × HER3 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) with broad clinical potential across multiple solid tumors.

The approval is supported by results from the pivotal PANKU-Esophagus01 (BL-B01D1-305) study. The study met both dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), demonstrating statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements versus chemotherapy, while maintaining a manageable safety profile. The results were previously presented during an oral presentation at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.

Key results from the PANKU-Esophagus01 study included:

Median overall survival of 9.8 months with iza-bren versus 7.2 months with chemotherapy (HR=0.64, 95% CI: 0.49–0.83; p=0.0004).
Median progression-free survival by BICR of 4.2 months with iza-bren versus 2.0 months with chemotherapy (HR:0.50; 95% CI: 0.40-0.63; p<0.0001).
Low treatment discontinuation due to treatment-related adverse events (2.0%), with a safety profile consistent with previous studies.
The rates of all grade and grade 3 or higher ILD were low in the iza-bren arm (1.6% / 0.8%) and chemotherapy arm (0.4% / 0%).
"Today’s approval represents another important milestone for iza-bren and validates the potential of our EGFR × HER3 bispecific ADC platform to address significant unmet needs across multiple difficult-to-treat cancers," said Dr. Yi Zhu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Biokin. "Following the first global approval ofiIza-bren in nasopharyngeal carcinoma, this second approval in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma further demonstrates the meaningful clinical benefit this medicine can provide to patients. We are grateful to the patients, investigators, healthcare professionals, and regulatory authorities whose contributions made this achievement possible."

"Patients with recurrent or metastatic ESCC who progress after first-line therapy have historically faced limited treatment options and poor clinical outcomes," said Dr. Jonathan Cheng, Chief Medical Officer of SystImmune. "The BL-B01D1-305 study demonstrated significant improvements in both progression-free and overall survival compared to chemotherapy, supporting iza-bren as a new treatment option for these patients. We look forward to continuing the global development of iza-bren across a wide range of tumor types."

Iza-bren is currently being evaluated in multiple global clinical studies across several solid tumor indications, including non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, urothelial cancer, and other EGFR/HER3-expressing malignancies.

About PANKU-Esophagus01
PANKU-Esophagus01 (BL-B01D1-305) is a randomized, open-label, multicenter phase 3 clinical trial evaluating iza-bren versus investigator’s choice chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who experienced disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy plus PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy. A total of 497 patients were randomized across 80 study centers in China. The study met both dual primary endpoints of progression-free survival and overall survival at the pre-specified interim analysis. For more detailed information, please visit clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06304974).

About Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma (ESCC)
Esophageal cancer is the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer and the sixth leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the predominant histologic subtype globally and accounts for approximately 90% of esophageal cancer cases in China. Despite advances in first-line treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy combined with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, most patients with recurrent or metastatic ESCC ultimately experience disease progression and have historically faced limited treatment options in the second-line setting, with poor response rates and a median overall survival of less than one year. New therapies that improve survival while maintaining a manageable safety profile remain a significant unmet medical need for patients with advanced ESCC.

About iza-bren
SystImmune, in collaboration with BMS outside of China, is developing iza-bren (BL-B01D1), a bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets both EGFR and HER3, which are highly expressed in various epithelial cancers and are known to be associated with cancer cell proliferation and survival. Iza-bren’s dual mechanism of action blocks EGFR and HER3 signals to cancer cells, reducing proliferation and survival signals. In addition, upon antibody mediated internalization, iza-bren’s therapeutic novel Topo1i payload is released causing cytotoxic stress that leads to cancer cell death.

(Press release, SystImmune, JUL 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234669290])

On July 17, 2026 Agenus Inc. (Nasdaq: AGEN), a leader in immuno-oncology innovation, reported that three abstracts from investigator-sponsored trials evaluating botensilimab and balstilimab (BOT+BAL) have been accepted for poster presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2026, taking place October 23-27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain. The studies span neoadjuvant colorectal cancer, refractory metastatic colorectal cancer and advanced sarcoma, reflecting continued investigator interest in BOT+BAL across distinct disease settings and tumor types.

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The NEOASIS poster will present updated data from a neoadjuvant cohort in mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer. While biologically distinct from the microsatellite-stable/mismatch repair-proficient (MSS/pMMR) population planned for ROBBIN, the study contributes to the broader clinical rationale for evaluating BOT+BAL before surgery and moving immunotherapy earlier in colon cancer.

The two additional posters will present real-world data from investigator-led studies of BOT+BAL in refractory MSS/pMMR metastatic colorectal cancer and advanced sarcoma, extending the body of independent clinical experience with the combination in heavily pretreated patients.

Presentation Details:

Abstract Title: Neoadjuvant botensilimab plus balstilimab in MMR deficient colorectal cancer: results from the NEOASIS study
Presenter: Emma Van Den Berg MD; Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, NKI-AVL – Netherlands Cancer Institute/Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Poster Presentation number: 837P
Session Title: Colon cancer
Date/Time: Sun, 25 Oct 2026; 12:00-12:45 CET | 7:00-7:45AM EST

Abstract Title: Botensilimab plus balstilimab in advanced sarcoma: real-world data from a Spanish expanded access program
Presenter: Carlos López-Jiménez MD, PhD; Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital, Madrid, Spain
Poster Presentation number: 3771P
Session Title: Sarcoma
Date/Time: Mon, 26 Oct 2026: 12:00-12:45 CET | 7:00-7:45AM EST

Abstract Title: Botensilimab and balstilimab in refractory pMMR/MSS metastatic colorectal cancer: real-world data from a multicenter AGEO study
Presenter: Louis Piton, MD, Paris-Cité University, Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, SIRIC CARPEM, Paris, France
ePoster Abstract number: 905eP
Session Title: Colon cancer

(Press release, Agenus, JUL 17, 2026, View Source [SID1234669289])