On August 12, 2020 QBiotics Group Limited (QGL), a life sciences company developing novel anticancer and wound healing pharmaceuticals, reported that it has entered into an agreement with MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA), to evaluate use of its lead molecule tigilanol tiglate, in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in patients with unresectable melanoma (Press release, QBiotics, AUG 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234563539]).

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Dr Victoria Gordon, Managing Director and CEO of QBiotics, said, "We are delighted to announce this collaboration with MSD. Patients with unresectable melanoma who have received prior checkpoint inhibitors currently have limited effective treatment options. Through this program we hope to see that when combined, tigilanol tiglate and Keytruda may produce additive anti-tumour immune responses, and improve outcomes for patients."

The Phase I/II open label ‘QBC46-H06’ study is a dose escalation and expansion study with the primary objective of determining the maximum tolerated dose or maximum feasible dose of the combination therapy. Secondary measures include assessing tumour responses in both injected tumours and uninjected tumours, as well as clinical efficacy parameters. Patients with unresectable melanoma and who have had exposure to immune checkpoint inhibitors are eligible for the study.

Dr Gordon continued, "This study follows on from encouraging Phase I data where tigilanol tiglate as a monotherapy showed a 27% treatment response rate*, including an 18% complete response with full tumour destruction across a wide variety of solid tumour types[2]. Two patients with melanoma that had complete responses also had an abscopal (anenestic) response. Melanoma is the second human application we are pursuing for tigilanol tiglate following on from our Phase I/II clinical trial in patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) which commenced in December 2019".

Tigilanol tiglate is a small molecule administered by intratumoural injection directly into the solid tumour mass. Once injected, it has a multi-modal action including (i) rapid, but highly localised, inflammatory responses, (ii) increased permeability and destruction of tumour vascular endothelium, and (iii) rapid tumour cell death by oncosis[1].

On August 12, 2020 bioAffinity Technologies, a privately held biotech company advancing cutting-edge cancer diagnostics, and Precision Pathology Services, a CAP/CLIA-certified anatomic and clinical pathology laboratory, reported initiation of CLIA validation for CyPath Lung, a non-invasive flow cytometric test for early-stage lung cancer (Press release, BioAffinity Technologies, AUG 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234563538]). Precision Pathology has licensed bioAffinity’s intellectual property for development of CyPath Lung as a laboratory developed test (LDT).

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"With our development phase complete, we are very pleased to start the validation studies for certification of the CyPath Lung flow cytometry test as an LDT," said Roby Joyce, MD, President of Precision Pathology. "This is a very exciting time for us. Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer. Our test for early detection of this dreaded disease can help many people live longer and healthier lives."

The validation study is conducted in accordance with College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. The CAP/CLIA validation study is designed to establish and validate performance characteristics of CyPath Lung, including accuracy, precision, reproducibility and analytical sensitivity, that are necessary for commercialization. Following CyPath Lung certification as an LDT, physicians can order the test for their patients at high risk for lung cancer who receive a positive screening result or are otherwise suspected of having the disease.

"Precision Pathology rightfully enjoys an excellent reputation for quick turnaround times while providing accurate pathology diagnoses. The company is known for its exceptionally responsive and helpful service to the physicians and patients it serves," bioAffinity President Maria Zannes said. "Dr. Joyce and his team will bring the same very high quality to CAP/CLIA validation of CyPath Lung and its eventual sale later this year. CyPath Lung is in excellent hands."

CyPath Lung is a flow cytometric test to aid in the diagnosis of lung cancer. Patients collect sputum samples non-invasively at home, a particular benefit during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample is shipped overnight to the laboratory for processing. Sample data is acquired by flow cytometry, a technique that can count, sort and profile individual cells with remarkable speed. Using an automated analysis with pre-set parameters, CyPath Lung profiles the lung environment including the presence of cancer-associated cells. Data acquisition and physician reports can be generated in minutes.

In a recent CyPath Lung test validation trial of 150 individuals at high risk for lung cancer including 28 people with diagnosed cancer, the test showed 88% specificity and 82% sensitivity, a positive predictive value of 62% and a negative predictive value of 95%. The test was 87% specific and 92% sensitive in detecting cancer in participants who had nodules of less than 20 mm in diameter, indicating CyPath Lung is highly accurate in finding lung cancer in its earliest stages.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that smokers and former smokers at high risk for lung cancer undergo annual screening by low dose computed tomography (LDCT). Screening by LDCT has been proven to detect lung cancer at earlier stages when it can be more successfully treated. The National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLCST) of more than 53,000 participants resulted in a 20% decrease in lung cancer-specific mortality when LDCT screening was performed in high-risk patients. However, screening by LDCT had a low 3.8% positive predictive value (PPV) which raises the risk of unnecessary, invasive and costly procedures for those who test positive. In the NLCST, for every 100 people who received a positive LDCT, less than four of those individuals actually had lung cancer.

"CyPath Lung can assist physicians in determining next steps after a patient presents with a positive LDCT result, particularly in many cases where the lung nodule is considered indeterminate. In our test validation trial, bioAffinity successfully tested the automated analysis program used by CyPath Lung and found it to be fast and very robust in predicting who has cancer and who was at high risk but did not have lung cancer," Zannes said. "Physician reports can be generated immediately after flow cytometry acquires sample data in approximately 20 minutes per sample. Looking beyond lung cancer, we believe our automated platform can be successfully applied to cancer diagnostic tests for several other cancers, which will improve overall survival rates for patients through early diagnosis and treatment. We look forward to working with Precision Pathology in the development of additional life-saving diagnostic tests."

On August 12, 2020 Personalis, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSNL), a leader in advanced genomics for cancer, reported that company management will participate in the 1-on-1 meetings at the upcoming Needham Virtual Cancer Diagnostics 1×1 Conference on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 (Press release, Personalis, AUG 12, 2020, View Source;1 [SID1234563536]).

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On August 12, 2020 The Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG) reported the commencement of a phase 2 study of CFI-400945, an oral, first-in-class inhibitor of Polo-like Kinase 4 (PLK4) in combination with durvalumab, a PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor, in patients with advanced or metastatic triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) (Press release, Treadwell Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234563534]). "Immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy has shown promise in this disease; however, non-chemotherapy combinations which avoid those toxicities and may have activity in the chemorefractory setting are of particular interest," says Study Co-Chairs Dr. David Cescon, medical oncologist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (PMCC), and Dr. Andrew G. Robinson of the Department of Oncology, Queen’s University.

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"This is the third phase 2 clinical study sponsored by CCTG involving Treadwell Therapeutics compounds. The others included patients with breast or prostate cancer. The phase 1 clinical trial of CFI-400945 demonstrated antitumor activity, while non-clinical studies conducted at the PMCC showed activity of CFI-400945 in TNBC models, which appears to be increased in immune competent models in combination with checkpoint blockade," said Dr. Lesley Seymour, Director of CCTG’s Investigational New Drug Program and medical oncologist in the Department of Oncology at Queen’s University. The study is supported as part of the CCTG/AstraZeneca collaboration with CFI-400945 provided by Treadwell Therapeutics.

This multi-center, single-arm, open-label phase 2 trial is designed to assess the efficacy of CFI-400945 given with durvalumab in patients with treatment-resistant TNBC. The primary endpoint is objective response rate. Secondary endpoints include disease control rate, immune-related response rate, safety and tolerability, and correlative studies, including cfDNA analyses.

Initially, participating centers will include the PMCC, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and Kingston Health Sciences Centre. For additional information about the study, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (search identifier NCT04176848).

About CFI-400945

CFI-400945 is a first-in-class, oral selective and potent inhibitor of Polo-like Kinase 4 (PLK4), which regulates centriole duplication and thus mitotic progression. PLK4 is overexpressed in a variety of solid tumors and elevated expression is associated with poor clinical outcomes. Depletion of PLK4 expression in cancer cells by RNA interference leads to mitotic defects and cell death. PLK4 was identified as a drug target based on functional screening to identify vulnerabilities of genomically unstable breast cancers.

Anti-tumor activity of CFI-400945 has been shown in mice bearing human cancer xenografts, including robust tumor growth inhibition and durable tumor regression in primary tumor xenografts from breast cancer.

On August 12, 2020 PIC Therapeutics ("PIC"), a biotechnology company focused on transforming the treatment of cancer through the selective modulation of oncogene translation, reported the appointment of Katherine Bowdish, Ph.D., as its President and Chief Executive Officer (Press release, PIC Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2020, View Source [SID1234563533]). Dr. Bowdish will also join the Board of Directors of PIC.

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Dr. Bowdish brings more than 20 years of biopharmaceutical business and scientific leadership to PIC Therapeutics. Kathy was most recently at Sanofi, where she launched and led Sanofi Sunrise, a venture investment and partnering vehicle to accelerate early stage pioneering science for patients benefit through unique relationships with leading entrepreneurs, and more recently served as Vice President and Head of R&D Strategy. Prior to her leadership roles at Sanofi, Kathy co-founded or led several early-stage life science companies focused on biological therapies. Kathy’s positions include President & CSO, Permeon Biologics; Co-founder, President & CEO, Anaphore; President, Alexion Antibody Technologies and Senior Vice President, Alexion Pharmaceuticals; and Founder, CEO & CSO, Prolifaron, prior to its acquisition by Alexion.

Kathy has served on the Boards of Directors of MyoKardia, Warp Drive Bio, Portal Instruments, Thermalin, Permeon Biologics, Anaphore and Prolifaron, and most recently served as an Observer on the DiCE Molecules Board. Kathy received her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her B.Sc. degree from the College of William and Mary.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Bowdish joining PIC as CEO. Her proven strategic leadership and investment experience will be vital to realizing the full potential of PIC’s scientific platform as it advances PIC’s drug candidates toward human clinical studies," stated PIC Therapeutics’ Executive Chairman, Alan Walts. "Kathy additionally has deep experience in developing the kind of innovative strategic partnerships that will be a critical part of PIC’s success."

"The promise of addressing broad-based genomic anomalies in cancer through modulating translation of oncogene RNA provides a unique opportunity to create impactful new therapies for patients with cancer," said Dr. Bowdish. "I am excited to be joining the PIC Therapeutics team and look forward to leading the company as we advance drug candidates through remaining preclinical and translational studies, and into the clinic for patients in need."