On May 13, 2019 Unum Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: UMRX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of cellular immunotherapies to treat cancer based on its novel T cell technology platforms, reported financial results and provided a corporate update for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, and recent activities (Press release, Unum Therapeutics, MAY 13, 2019, View Source [SID1234536207]).

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"We remain on track to deliver on key milestones across our pipeline of hematologic and solid tumor cancer programs," said Chuck Wilson, President and CEO of Unum. "The dose escalation phases of our non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and HER2+ advanced cancer trials based on our Antibody-Coupled T cell Receptor (ACTR) platform are proceeding as planned, positioning us to report data and drive decisions on next steps. Simultaneously, we continue to advance and expand our preclinical pipeline of Bolt-On Chimeric Receptor (BOXR) programs, aiming to address the unmet need in solid tumor cancers by engineering improved T cell functionality."

Recent Highlights

Dose Escalation in ATTCK-20-03 Phase I Trial in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Continuing: Building upon results from the first two dose cohorts presented at the 2018 American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in December, Unum has continued dose escalation in Cohorts 3 and 4 in its ongoing Phase I study of ACTR707 in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory CD20+ B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r NHL). Cohort 3 has completed enrollment and dosed patients with 55M ACTR+ T cells, whereas Cohort 4 enrollment and dosing of patients with 80M ACTR+ T cells is ongoing. As of May 7, 2019, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and no severe adverse events of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurologic events have been reported. Unum plans to complete dose escalation in the second half of 2019 and subsequently to initiate safety expansion at the preliminary recommended Phase II dose of ACTR707. Unum plans to report results from the dose escalation phase in late 2019.

Expansion Cohort in ATTCK-20-2 Phase I Trial in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Ongoing: Enrollment has completed in the ATTCK-20-2 study, a Phase I clinical trial evaluating safety and anti-lymphoma activity of ACTR087 in combination with rituximab in patients with r/r NHL. Unum is continuing ACTR087 treatment, safety, and response assessments in the expansion cohort at the preliminary recommended Phase II dose (35M ACTR+ T cells). No severe adverse events of CRS or neurologic events have been observed as of May 7, 2019. Unum plans to report data on all enrolled patients from ATTCK-20-2 at the end of 2019. These findings will be used to advise other ACTR programs, in particular ATTCK-17-01, an ongoing Phase I trial of ACTR087 in combination with SEA-BCMA.

Dose Escalation in ATTCK-17-01 Phase I Trial in Multiple Myeloma Continuing: After reporting data at the 2018 ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting from the first three dose cohorts in the ATTCK-17-01 study, combining ACTR087 with very low doses of SEA-BCMA antibody, dose escalation is continuing at doses of SEA-BCMA that may be expected to have pharmacological activity based upon preclinical studies. Enrollment and dosing of patients at Dose Level 4 (30 MM ACTR+ T cells and 2.0 mg/kg SEA-BCMA) has completed, and enrollment and dosing of patients at Dose Level 5 (50M ACTR+ T cells and 2.0 mg/kg SEA-BCMA) is ongoing. As of May 7, 2019, no DLTs and no severe adverse events of CRS or neurologic events have been reported in this trial. Unum expects to continue to enroll and dose patients through the dose escalation phase of the trial and to report data from multiple dose cohorts in the second half of 2019.

Dose Escalation with ATTCK-34-01 Phase I Trial in HER2+ Advanced Cancers Ongoing: In December, 2018, Unum initiated the first clinical site in the ATTCK-34-01 study, a Phase 1, multicenter, single-arm, open-label dose escalation study evaluating ACTR T cells in combination with trastuzumab for the treatment of patients with HER2+ advanced cancers. Enrollment, dosing, and assessment of patients in the first dose cohort are ongoing. As of May 7, 2019, no DLTs or severe adverse events of CRS or neurologic events have been reported in this trial. Unum plans to report initial clinical data from ATTCK-34-01 at the end of 2019.

Preclinical Development of BOXR1030 Targeting GPC3+ Advanced Cancers Ongoing: Earlier this year, Unum nominated BOXR1030 as the first product candidate from their BOXR platform, which seeks to counter immunosuppression, improving T cell functionality for solid tumors. IND-enabling preclinical studies of BOXR1030 are underway, as well as research to characterize its mechanism of action. Unum plans to present additional data regarding BOXR1030 in the second half of 2019.

First Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Collaboration Revenue: Collaboration revenue recognized during the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 was $3.1 million, compared to $2.2 million in the same period of 2018. The increase reflects the recognition of a portion of the $25.0 million upfront payment received from Seattle Genetics under Unum’s collaboration agreement as well as reimbursements of research and development costs attributed to the collaboration agreement.

R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $12.4 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, compared to $8.1 million for the same period of 2018. The increase reflects higher clinical trial costs for the active Phase I clinical trials, as well as increased personnel-related costs, materials and facility-related costs related to scaling manufacturing processes, and increased consultant costs to support these activities.

G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, were $2.5 million, compared to $1.1 million for the same period of 2018. The increase is primarily related to higher personnel related costs due to increased headcount and increased expenses around operating as a public company.

Net Loss: Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $11.7 million, or $0.39 per share, for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019, and $6.8 million, or $0.66 per share, for the same period of 2018.

Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities: As of March 31, 2019, Unum had cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $67.1 million. Unum believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities, will fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into early 2021.

Investor Call and Webcast Information

Unum will host a live conference call and webcast today, May 13, 2019, at 8:00 a.m. ET, to discuss these financial results and company updates. To access the call, please dial 866-300-3411 (domestic) or 636-812-6658 (international) and refer to conference ID number 1443149. A webcast will be available at View Source at least 10 minutes before the event begins. The archived webcast will be available at the same location approximately two hours after the event and will be archived for 90 days.

On May 13, 2019 Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapiesfor the treatment of solid tumors, reported that it has received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to proceed with a Phase 1 clinical trial of its lead myvac candidate TG4050 as a potential treatment for ovarian cancer patients after first-line surgery and chemotherapy (Press release, Transgene, MAY 13, 2019, View Source [SID1234536206]).

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TG4050 is an individualized MVA-based immunotherapy derived from the myvac platform. It has been designed to stimulate and educate the immune system of patients to recognize and destroy tumor cells. Tumor cells accumulate mutations and each patient has a set of mutations that are unique to his tumor. TG4050 is designed to target a panel of patient specific mutations selected using a NEC’s Neoantigen Prediction System

"We are very pleased to have been granted an IND for TG4050 by the FDA allowing us to commence the first trial with our lead myvac candidate in ovarian cancer patients who have already received first-line treatment" said Maud Brandely, Chief Medical Officer of Transgene. "We believe individualized vaccination is a promising solution with significant potential to transform treatment outcomes for a wide range of solid tumors. With TG4050, we are confident that we can show that this therapeutic modality will improve patient outcome. We look forward to updating you on the progress of this clinical trial, which is expected to start later this year."

The Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and the tolerability of TG4050 in patients with ovarian, fallopian or peritoneal serous cell carcinoma. Antitumor activity will also be measured. This multicenter, one-arm trial will recruit patients in the United States and Europe.

The study, sponsored by Transgene, will be co-financed by Transgene and its partner NEC, which will also support the trial by contributing to the therapeutic vaccine design and the selection of target neoantigens (see press release dated March 5, 2019.

Contacts Transgene:

Lucie Larguier Director Corporate Communications & IR +33 (0)3 88 27 91 04 [email protected] Media: Citigate Dewe Rogerson EU: David Dible/Sylvie Berrebi US: Marine Perrier-Barthez + 44 (0)20 7638 9571/+1 424 341 9140 [email protected]

About TG4050
TG4050 is an immunotherapy designed to stimulate the immune system of patients in order to induce a response that is able to recognize and destroy tumor cells in a specific manner. This personalized immunotherapy is developed for each patient, on the basis of mutations identified through sequencing of tumor tissue, prioritized using NEC’s Neoantigen Prediction System and delivered using the myvacTM technological platform which allows development and manufacture of a product that is specific to the patient within time frames compatible with clinical management.

About myvacTM myvacTM is a viral vector (MVA) based, individualized immunotherapy platform that has been developed by Transgene to target solid tumors. The myvacTM-derived products are designed to stimulate the patient’s immune system, recognize and destroy tumors using the patient’s own cancer specific genetic mutations. Transgene has set up an innovative network that combines bioengineering, digital transformation, established vectorization know-how and unique manufacturing capabilities. Transgene has been awarded an "Investments for the Future" funding from Bpifrance for the development of its platform myvacTM.

About NEC’s Neoantigen Prediction System NEC’s neoantigen prediction utilizes its proprietary AI, such as graph-based relational learning, which is combined with other sources of data to discover candidate neoantigen targets. NEC comprehensively evaluates the candidate neoantigens with a primary focus placed on its in-house MHC-binding affinity prediction. These allow NEC to effectively prioritize the numerous candidate neoantigens identified in a single patient.

On May 13, 2019 Intrexon Corporation (NASDAQ: XON), a leader in the engineering and industrialization of biology to improve the quality of life and health of the planet, reported Randal J. Kirk, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2019 Healthcare Conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, May 15th, at 3:40 p.m. Pacific Time (Press release, Intrexon, MAY 13, 2019, View Source [SID1234536205]). Mr. Kirk will focus on Intrexon Health’s development of targeted, controllable, multigenic therapeutics for the treatment of complex diseases and unmet medical needs, highlighting the therapeutic candidates currently in clinical development.

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A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors section of Intrexon’s website at View Source, and a replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the event.

On May 10, 2019 Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) reported that it will report financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2019 on Thursday, May 23, 2019 (Press release, Medtronic, MAY 10, 2019, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2398239 [SID1234536173]). A news release will be issued at approximately 5:45 a.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) and will be available at View Source The news release will include summary financial information for the company’s fourth quarter and fiscal year 2019, which ended on Friday, April 26, 2019.

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Medtronic will host a webcast at 7:00 a.m. CDT to discuss financial results for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2019. The webcast can be accessed at View Source on May 23, 2019.

Within 24 hours of the webcast, a replay and transcript of the prepared remarks will be available by clicking on the Investor Events link at View Source.

Looking ahead, Medtronic plans to report its fiscal year 2020 first, second and third quarter results on Tuesday, August 20, 2019, Tuesday, November 19, 2019, and Tuesday, February 18, 2020 respectively. Confirmation and additional details will be provided closer to the specific event.

On May 10, 2019 Mustang Bio, Inc. ("Mustang") (NASDAQ: MBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating today’s medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies into potential cures for hematologic cancers, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases, reported financial results and recent corporate highlights for the first quarter ended March 31, 2019 (Press release, Mustang Bio, MAY 10, 2019, View Source [SID1234536171]).

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Manuel Litchman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mustang, said, "The beginning of 2019 has been an exciting time for Mustang and provides great momentum for the rest of the year. Last month, we were thrilled to announce positive Phase 1/2 data published by our partner, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (St. Jude), in the New England Journal of Medicine, regarding the curative potential of MB-107, a lentiviral gene therapy for infants under the age of two years old with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, otherwise known as XSCID. Additionally, earlier this year, we partnered and entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to develop MB-108, oncolytic virus C134, for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. Most recently, Mustang announced the initiation of City of Hope’s CS1 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy trial, MB-104. The Phase 1 clinical trial has begun enrolling patients and is the first autologous CAR T trial to target the CS1 protein, which is expressed by cancer cells in nearly all multiple myeloma patients."

Dr. Litchman continued, "We are also pleased to have raised a total of $69 million so far in 2019, bringing our total post-offering cash to approximately $89 million. This financial runway enables us to continue to progress the development of our eight gene and CAR T cell therapy product candidates. We anticipate achieving more exciting milestones in the coming months, including transferring the MB-107 IND from St. Jude to Mustang, filing Mustang’s first INDs for its CD123 and CS1 CAR T programs, and potentially reporting additional CAR T data in the fourth quarter."

Financial Results:

·As of March 31, 2019, Mustang’s consolidated cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments (certificates of deposit) and restricted cash totaled $41.1 million, compared to $34.6 million as of December 31, 2018, an increase of $6.5 million for the quarter.
·Research and development expenses were $7.0 million for the first quarter of 2019, compared to $4.3 million for the first quarter of 2018. Non-cash, stock-based compensation expenses included in research and development were $0.1 million for first quarter of 2019, compared to $1.5 million for the first quarter of 2018.
·Research and development expenses from license acquisitions totaled $0.5 million for the first quarter of 2019, compared to $0.1 million for the first quarter of 2018.
·General and administrative expenses were $2.3 million for the first quarter of 2019, compared to $2.1 million for the first quarter of 2018. Non-cash, stock-based compensation expenses included in general and administrative expenses were $0.7 million for the first quarter of 2019, compared to $0.5 million for the first quarter of 2018.
·Net loss attributable to common stockholders was $9.6 million, or $0.34 per share, for the first quarter of 2019, compared to $6.3 million, or $0.24 per share, for the first quarter of 2018.

Recent Corporate Highlights:

·In February 2019, Mustang announced that it partnered and entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Nationwide Children’s Hospital to develop MB-108, an oncolytic virus (C134), for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme. Mustang intends to combine MB-108 with MB-101 (IL13Rα2-specific CAR) to potentially enhance efficacy in treating glioblastoma multiforme.
·In April 2019, Mustang announced that it had entered into a $20 million debt financing agreement with Horizon Technology Finance Corporation. Fifteen million of the $20 million loan was funded upon closing. The remaining $5 million may be funded upon Mustang achieving certain predetermined milestones. In connection with the debt financing, Mustang issued Horizon warrants to purchase up to 288,184 shares of its common stock at an exercise price of $3.47 per share.
·Also in April 2019, the New England Journal of Medicine published St. Jude data from a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of a lentiviral gene therapy for the treatment of newly diagnosed infants under two years old with XSCID. Data demonstrate the lentiviral gene therapy achieved normalization of T-cell numbers in all eight newly diagnosed infants with XSCID to date, and disseminated infections resolved completely in all affected infants. Seven of the eight infants treated have developed normal IgM levels to date. Four of those seven infants have discontinued monthly infusions of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy to date. Three of those four infants who discontinued monthly IVIG infusions have responded to vaccines to date.
·In May 2019, Mustang completed an underwritten public offering, including a full over-allotment option exercise, that raised gross proceeds of $31.6 million, excluding underwriting discounts, commissions and other offering-related expenses.
·Also in May 2019, Mustang announced that City of Hope had begun enrolling patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant multiple myeloma in an innovative CS1 CAR T cell therapy (MB-104) trial.