On October 29, 2019 CytomX Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTMX), a clinical-stage oncology-focused biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel class of investigational antibody therapeutics based on its Probody therapeutic technology platform, reported the initiation of the Phase 2 PROCLAIM (Probody Clinical Assessment In Man) CX-072-002 program evaluating the anti-PD-L1 Probody CX-072, in combination with the anti-CTLA-4 antibody, YERVOY (ipilimumab), in patients with relapsed or refractory melanoma (Press release, CytomX Therapeutics, OCT 29, 2019, View Source [SID1234549966]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"The initiation of this first Phase 2 study for CX-072 marks the ongoing advancement of our innovative pipeline of Probody therapeutics and reflects our vision for this novel checkpoint inhibitor to become a differentiated centerpiece of combination therapies in multiple cancer types," said Sean McCarthy, D.Phil., president, chief executive officer and chairman of CytomX Therapeutics.

"Patients whose melanoma has progressed despite prior treatment with checkpoint inhibition remain a significant unmet medical need. This exciting study leverages our unique technology platform to enable a more powerful combination therapy directed against the two best validated pathways in immuno-oncology and could represent a significant advance in outcomes for these patients who have few treatment options," said Amy Peterson, M.D., chief development officer of CytomX Therapeutics.

About the PROCLAIM-CX-072-002 Ipilimumab Combination Study

PROCLAIM-CX-072-002 is an open-label, multi-center Phase 2 clinical study (NCT03993379) that allows for the testing of CX-072 in combination with ipilimumab in patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma whose disease has progressed or relapsed following treatment with a PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor. This study will assess the efficacy and tolerability of a fixed dose of 800 mg of CX-072 every three weeks in combination with ipilimumab at the full labelled combination dose and schedule of 3 mg/kg every three weeks for four cycles. CX-072 therapy will be continued once every two weeks after the completion of the combination phase until disease progression. The primary objective is overall response rate (ORR) as defined by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.1 with secondary objectives evaluating the safety and tolerability of CX-072. The cohort utilizes a Simon 2 Stage design with approximately 40 patients being enrolled into Stage 1 with additional patients being enrolled into Stage 2, pending the outcome of Stage 1. CytomX anticipates initial data from Stage 1 in 2020.

Additional information on this trial is available at ClinicalTrials.gov using the identifier NCT03993379.

Unmet Need in Relapsed Refractory Melanoma

Melanoma is a life-threatening form of skin cancer. The incidence of melanoma has been increasing over the last 40 years, with about 150K newly diagnosed patients across major markets in 2018. In the unresectable/metastatic setting, approximately 60% of melanoma patients will receive immune checkpoint blockade (~35% of BRAF+ patients and ~75% of BRAF WT) yet ~85% of those patients will progress. For patients with unresectable/metastatic melanoma who progress after PD-1/L1 therapy, there are limited treatment options available.

Updated Top-Line Results from the Phase 1 PROCLAIM-CX-072-001 Ipilimumab Combination Study

This open-label, dose-finding study evaluated CX-072 in combination with ipilimumab in patients with advanced solid tumors. Preliminary data from this trial was first presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2018 Annual Meeting and enrollment is complete. Updated data, as of an October 2019 snapshot, showed that among 27 evaluable patients who received ipilimumab (3, 6 or 10 mg/kg) combined with CX-072 (0.3, 1, 3 or 10 mg/kg), the disease control rate (stable disease or better) was 37%. Five patients achieved confirmed objective responses by RECIST v1.1 including one complete response, for an ORR of 19% in these heavily pretreated patients. The median duration of response was 14.6 months (1.9 – 21.2 months) with 4 of the 5 responders still on treatment as of the latest data snapshot.

The recommended combination dose for further investigation is 3 mg/kg of ipilimumab and 10 mg/kg of CX-072 (dose equivalent of 800 mg). This combination was generally well tolerated with no new safety signals observed. Of the 27 patients treated across all doses, Grade 3/4 treatment related adverse events (TRAE) were reported in 9 (33%) patients and Grade 3/4 immune related adverse events (irAEs) were reported in 6 (22%) patients. Of the 20 patients treated with ipilimumab at 3 mg/kg at varying doses of CX-072, Grade 3/4 TRAEs were reported in 5 (25%) patients and Grade 3/4 irAEs were reported in 3 (15%) patients.

The Company is preparing data from the Phase 1 PROCLAIM-CX-072-001 study for publication.

On October 29, 2019 Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, reported that the Company will release its third quarter financial results on Tuesday, November 5, 2019, after the close of US markets (Press release, Curis, OCT 29, 2019, View Source [SID1234549965]). Management will host a conference call on the same day at 4:30 p.m. ET.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

To access the live conference call, please dial (888) 346-6389 from the United States or (412) 317-5252 from other locations, shortly before 4:30 p.m. ET. The conference call can also be accessed on the Curis website at www.curis.com in the ‘Investors’ section. A replay of the financial results conference call will be available on the Curis website shortly after completion of the call.

On October 29, 2019 Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRVS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of precisely targeted oncology therapies, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 (Press release, Corvus Pharmaceuticals, OCT 29, 2019, View Source [SID1234549964]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"There continues to be strong enrollment in all three of our ongoing clinical studies and we are scheduled to present data related to each at medical meetings during the fourth quarter," said Richard A. Miller, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Corvus. "The highlight will be the updated data from the CPI-006 study in an oral presentation at SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) in November, which will add to the biologic and clinical evidence supporting CPI-006’s unique dual-mechanisms of action, both in monotherapy and in combination with ciforadenant. We will also provide updated data supporting the potential for our Adenosine Gene Signature to serve as a biomarker capable of identifying patients that are most likely to respond to therapies targeting the adenosine pathway. In December, we will present the first clinical data on CPI-818 in patients with T-cell lymphoma."

Recent Achievements
CPI-006: Immunomodulatory Anti-CD73 Antibody

Continued enrollment of up to 350 patients with advanced cancer in a Phase 1/1b adaptive design clinical trial evaluating CPI-006 as a single agent and in combination with ciforadenant or pembrolizumab.
Selected recommended dose of 18 mg/kg and initiated the disease expansion phase in the monotherapy arm of the study.
The trial also continues to enroll patients in the dose escalation phase in the ciforadenant combination arm of the study.
Ciforadenant (CPI-444): A2A Receptor Antagonist of Adenosine

Continued enrollment of patients with renal cell cancer (RCC) in an amended Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating ciforadenant in combination with Genentech’s Tecentriq (atezolizumab), an anti-PD-L1 antibody. The RCC patients in the trial have failed treatments with anti-PD-(L)1 antibodies and tyrosine kinase inhibitors. This trial is also evaluating the use of a novel gene expression biomarker known as the Adenosine Signature, that may have the potential to predict patients most likely to respond to therapy and form the basis for future biomarker driven studies.
Began enrolling patients with prostate cancer in the amended Phase 1b/2 clinical trial to evaluate activity of ciforadenant and Tecentriq in this disease
CPI-818: A small molecule ITK inhibitor

Continued enrolling patients with T-cell lymphomas, including peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and others, in a Phase 1/1b study with CPI-818, an ITK inhibitor.
Clinical study sites now open in the United States, Australia and South Korea.
Anticipated Upcoming Events

Updated clinical and immunologic data from the Phase 1/1b clinical trial of CPI-006 monotherapy and combination with ciforadenant is scheduled to be presented in an oral presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) annual meeting in November 2019. This will build upon data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting in June 2019 that support a new immuno-oncology approach with CPI-006 via activation of immune cells and the inhibition of adenosine production.
Updated data on the identification and role of biomarkers in adenosine pathway therapies, and specifically on the correlation of clinical activity with the Adenosine Gene Signature biomarker in renal cell cancer, is expected to be presented in a poster presentation at SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper).
Preclinical and early clinical data regarding CPI-818 is scheduled to be presented in a poster presentation in December 2019 at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting. Additional data is expected to be presented in an oral presentation at the T-cell Lymphoma Forum in January 2020.
Updated clinical data from the amended Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of ciforadenant in combination with atezolizumab in prostate cancer is anticipated to be presented at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium (GU) in February 2020.
Financial Results
At September 30, 2019, Corvus had cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaling $86.4 million, as compared to cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $114.6 million at December 31, 2018. Corvus expects full-year 2019 net cash used in operating activities to be between $38 and $40 million and estimates ending 2019 with cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of between $75 and $77 million.

Research and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2019 totaled $9.0 million, as compared to $8.4 million for the same period in 2018. The increase of $0.6 million was primarily due to an increase in CPI-006 and CPI-818 program and related costs, partially offset by a reduction in ciforadenant program costs.

The net loss for the three months ended September 30, 2019 was $11.0 million, compared to a net loss of $10.5 million for the same period in 2018. Total stock compensation expense for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 was $1.8 million.

Conference Call Details
Corvus will host a conference call and webcast today, Tuesday, October 29, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT), during which time management will provide a business update and discuss the third quarter 2019 financial results. The conference call can be accessed by dialing 1-800-458-4121 (toll-free domestic) or 1-720-543-0206 (international) and using the conference ID 8706779. The live webcast may be accessed via the investor relations section of the Corvus website. A replay of the webcast will be available on Corvus’ website for 90 days following the call.

About Corvus Pharmaceuticals
Corvus Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of precisely targeted oncology therapies. Corvus’ lead product candidates are ciforadenant (CPI-444), a small molecule inhibitor of the A2A receptor, and CPI-006, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against CD73 that exhibits immunomodulatory activity and blockade of adenosine production. These candidates are being studied in ongoing Phase 1/1b and 1b/2 clinical trials in patients with a wide range of advanced solid tumors. Ciforadenant is being evaluated in a successive expansion cohort trial examining its activity both as a single agent and in combination with an anti-PD-L1 antibody. CPI-006 is being evaluated in a multicenter Phase 1/1b clinical trial as a single agent, in combination with ciforadenant, and with pembrolizumab. Corvus’ third clinical program, CPI-818, an oral, small molecule drug that has been shown to selectively inhibit ITK, is in a multicenter Phase 1/1b clinical trial in patients with several types of T-cell lymphomas. For more information, visit www.corvuspharma.com.

Tecentriq is a registered trademark of Genentech.

About Ciforadenant
Ciforadenant (CPI-444) is a small molecule, oral, checkpoint inhibitor designed to disable a tumor’s ability to subvert attack by the immune system by blocking the binding of adenosine in the tumor microenvironment to the A2A receptor. Adenosine, a metabolite of ATP (adenosine tri-phosphate), is produced within the tumor microenvironment where it may bind to the adenosine A2A receptor present on immune cells and block their activity. CD39 and CD73 are enzymes on the surface of tumor cells and immune cells. These enzymes work in concert to convert ATP to adenosine. In vitro and preclinical studies have shown that dual blockade of CD73 and the A2A receptor may be synergistic.

About CPI-006
CPI-006 is a potent humanized monoclonal antibody that reacts with the active site of CD73, blocking the conversion of AMP to adenosine. This antibody also possesses immunomodulatory activity resulting in activation of lymphocytes and effects on lymphocyte trafficking, which are independent of adenosine. In vitro studies of CPI-006 have shown it is capable of substantially inhibiting the production of adenosine by blocking the CD73 enzyme.

About CPI-818
CPI-818 is a small molecule drug given orally that has been shown to selectively inhibit ITK (interleukin-2-inducible T-cell kinase). It was developed to possess dual properties: to block malignant T-cell growth and modulate immune responses. ITK, an enzyme, is expressed predominantly in T-cells and plays a role in T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell lymphomas and leukemias, as well as in normal immune function. Interference with ITK signaling can modulate immune responses to various antigens. The inhibition of specific molecular targets in T-cells may be of therapeutic benefit for patients with T-cell lymphomas – similar to the role of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) in B-cells. BTK is now an established target for treating various B-cell lymphomas, and two BTK inhibitors, ibrutinib and aclarabrutinib, have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for lymphoma indications.

On October 29, 2019 Cellectis (Paris:ALCLS) (NASDAQ:CLLS) (Euronext Growth: ALCLS; Nasdaq: CLLS), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene-edited off-the-shelf CAR T-cells (UCART), reported the Company has dosed the first patient in its UCARTCS1 clinical trial, MELANI-01, the first allogeneic off-the-shelf CAR-T product candidate the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared to enter into clinical development for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (R/R MM) (Press release, Cellectis, OCT 29, 2019, View Source [SID1234549963]). The UCARTCS1 clinical trial is a Phase 1 dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety, expansion, persistence and clinical activity of UCARTCS1 cells in R/R MM patients.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"This first patient dosing for our MELANI-01 clinical trial is an important advancement, as our team has worked tirelessly to develop and take the CS1 target from the lab to the clinic," said Dr. André Choulika, Chairman and CEO, Cellectis. "In taking this next clinical step, we look forward to deepening our understanding of UCARTCS1 as a potential new treatment option for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma patients in the future."

The MELANI-01 clinical trial is currently open at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, under the supervision of Dr. Krina Patel, Principal Investigator, Study Coordinating Investigator, Assistant Professor, Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Division of Cancer Medicine at MD Anderson Cancer Center, as well as Hackensack Meridian in New Jersey under the supervision of Dr. David Siegel, Director of the Multiple Myeloma Institute at John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) at Hackensack University Medical Center. Another site is planned to open at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York under the leadership of Dr. Adriana Rossi, Associate Clinical Director, Myeloma Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology.

About Multiple Myeloma (MM)
Multiple myeloma is a cancer that affects a type of white blood cells called plasma cells that are specialized mature B cells, which secrete antibodies to combat infections. Multiple myeloma is characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of neoplastic plasma cells in the bone marrow, where they overcrowd healthy blood cells. Although MM is a chronic disease and an exact cause has not yet been identified, researchers have made significant progress over the years in managing the disease through better understanding MM’s pathophysiology. The progress in finding a cure needs to be continued as The American Cancer Society estimates that 32,110 new cases of MM will be diagnosed, and 12,960 deaths are expected to occur in 2019 in the U.S. alone.

About UCARTCS1
UCARTCS1 is an allogeneic, off-the-shelf, gene-edited T-cell product candidate designed for the treatment of multiple myeloma. CS1 (SLAMF7) is highly expressed on MM tumor cells and is an attractive target. The limitation so far has been the presence of the CS1 target on the surface of T-cells, which has hindered the access to CAR-Ts. For example, the introduction of a CAR construct in T-cells induces cross T-cell reactivity and leads to destruction of the CS1+ T-cell population during manufacturing. Cellectis solved this issue by using TALEN gene editing to knock out the CS1 gene from T-cells before introducing the CS1 CAR construct.

On October 29, 2019 ArQule, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQL), reported new clinical and preclinical data demonstrating the potential of the company’s AKT inhibitor ARQ 751 in treating solid tumors characterized by mutations in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway (Press release, ArQule, OCT 29, 2019, View Source [SID1234549962]). The findings were detailed in two poster presentations at the 2019 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"Traditional tumor biopsies used to identify tumor mutational status can be burdensome for patients; therefore, using biomarkers such as ctDNA from standard blood sampling would be an improved method of identifying mutations and predicting disease response," said Dr. Brian Schwartz, Chief Medical Officer of ArQule.

A poster entitled "The use of biomarkers and ctDNA in a phase 1 trial of ARQ 751" detailed the molecular profiling of a subgroup of patients in the phase 1 clinical trial of ARQ 751 in solid tumor indications characterized by AKT, PIK3CA or PTEN mutations. Key findings suggest that ctDNA could be a valuable measure of patient response to ARQ 751. Specific highlights include:

There is a high concordance (76%) between the pre-study mutation and the mutation as measured using ctDNA profiling
Though patient data are limited, analysis of the correlation between ctDNA mutational status and patient response suggest that PIK3CA H1047R has prognostic value
ARQ 751 exposure correlates with glucose and insulin levels and indicates on-target engagement
A poster entitled "In vitro and in vivo combination of ARQ 751 with PARP inhibitors, CDK4/6 inhibitors, Fulvestrant and Paclitaxel" details preclinical findings from studies of ARQ 751 treatment in combination with a variety of therapeutic agents, in experimental breast cancer models. Overall, data show that the addition of any of the evaluated agents enhances the activity of ARQ 751 in vivo and in vitro and support the therapeutic potential of ARQ 751. Specific highlights include:

The combination of ARQ 751 with an ER antagonist (fulvestrant) or a CDK4/6 inhibitor (palbociclib) or with both agents showed enhanced anti-tumor activity in comparison to the single agents and enhanced pathway inhibition in vivo. A combination of ARQ 751 with both agents showed tumor regression in vivo
The combination of ARQ 751 with chemotherapy (paclitaxel) showed enhanced anti-tumor activity in comparison to single agents in vivo
The combination of ARQ 751 with PARP inhibitors (olaparib, talazoparib, rucaparib) showed enhanced anti-proliferative activity in vitro
A phase 1b clinical study of ARQ 751 in a molecularly defined patient population as single agent or in combination with fulvestrant or paclitaxel is ongoing (NCT02761694).

About ARQ 751
ARQ 751 is orally bioavailable, selective small molecule inhibitor of the AKT serine/threonine kinase. The AKT pathway when abnormally activated is implicated in multiple oncogenic processes such as cell proliferation and apoptosis. This pathway has emerged as a target of potential therapeutic relevance for compounds that inhibit its activity, which has been linked to a variety of cancers as well as to select non-oncology indications.