Personalis Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

On November 6, 2024 Personalis, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSNL), a leader in advanced genomics for precision oncology, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, and provided recent business accomplishments (Press release, Personalis, NOV 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234647824]).

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Recent Business Accomplishments


Raised approximately $35.0 million in net financing proceeds from Tempus AI, Inc. (Tempus), consisting of $18.4 million from Tempus’ exercise of all its common stock warrants, at an average price of $2.00 per share, and $16.6 million net of expenses, from Tempus’ purchase of common stock at a price of $5.07 per share

Raised an additional $27.2 million in net proceeds from selling common stock under the Company’s At-The-Market (ATM) program at a weighted-average price of $5.84 per share

Delivered 945 total molecular tests in the third quarter of 2024, a 68% increase compared with the prior quarter

Highlighted clinical performance of NeXT Personal at the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Congress 2024 in Barcelona, Spain:
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Significant results from the TRACERx study presented by Professor Charles Swanton of University College London and the Francis Crick Institute with an expanded study cohort of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with strong detection rates for residual cancer in the challenging landmark period (first 10 to 120 days immediately after surgery)
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Compelling data for late-stage cancer patients on immunotherapy presented by Dr. Rodrigo Toledo of the Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology that accurately linked significant decreases in ctDNA levels in response to immunotherapy to longer overall survival than patients who did not respond well
"Our 96% biopharma revenue growth attests to the increasing customer confidence in both our technology’s and platform’s ability to provide valuable insights into patient care. In addition, the compelling NeXT Personal data presented by our collaborators over the past year provides important clinical evidence to support obtaining Medicare coverage," said Chris Hall, Chief Executive Officer. "As we continue to execute on our Win-in-MRD strategy, we are more confident than ever in our ability to become a leader in patient testing."

Third Quarter 2024 Results Compared to Third Quarter 2023


Reported total company revenue of $25.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 41% compared with $18.2 million
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Revenue from pharma testing and services of $15.7 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 96% compared with $8.0 million

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Revenue from Enterprise customers of $5.3 million in the third quarter of 2024, a decrease of 33% compared with $7.8 million
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Revenue from population sequencing for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Million Veterans Program (VA MVP) of $4.4 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 85% compared with $2.4 million

Other expense of $26.1 million in the third quarter of 2024, primarily reflecting non-cash expense of $26.0 million related to fair-value accounting for the warrants issued to Tempus

Net loss of $39.1 million in the third quarter of 2024, which includes a non-cash expense of $26.0 million related to fair-value accounting for the warrants issued to Tempus, compared with $29.1 million

Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments of $143.7 million as of September 30, 2024; includes $62.2 million of net financing proceeds from Tempus exercising their warrants for $18.4 million, $16.6 million of net financing proceeds from Tempus purchasing additional common stock, and $27.2 million of net financing proceeds from sales of common stock under the ATM program

Fourth Quarter and Revised Full Year 2024 Outlook

Personalis expects the following for the fourth quarter of 2024:


Total company revenue in the range of $15 to $16 million

Revenue from pharma tests, enterprise sales, and other customers in the range of $15 to $16 million

Revenue from population sequencing is expected to be zero due to completion of the prior VA MVP task order

Personalis expects the following for the full year of 2024:


Total company revenue in the range of $83 to $84 million, an increase from prior guidance of $79 to $81 million

Revenue from pharma tests, enterprise sales, and all other customers in the range of $76 to $77 million, an increase from prior guidance of $71 to $73 million

Revenue from population sequencing of approximately $7 million, a decrease from prior guidance of $8 million

Net loss of approximately $85 million, which includes approximately $18 million of net, non-cash expense from the warrants issued to Tempus

Cash usage in the range of $53 to $55 million, a decrease from prior guidance of $60 million

Webcast and Conference Call Information

Personalis will host a conference call to discuss the third quarter of 2024 financial results after market close on Wednesday, November 6, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time / 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The conference call can be accessed live by dialing 877-451-6152 for domestic callers or 201-389-0879 for international callers. The live webinar can be accessed at View Source A replay of the webinar will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the company’s website.

Oxford Vacmedix announces lead investment for Series B fund

On November 6, 2024 Oxford Vacmedix (OVM), the UK-based biopharma company developing vaccines to treat cancer reported the lead investment in its Series B fund of $3.0m from existing investors, Dx&Vx of Seoul, South Korea and Mr. Jin of Jia He Hui Investment of Beijing, China (Press release, Oxford Vacmedix, NOV 6, 2024, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=oxford-vacmedix-announces-lead-investment-for-series-b-fund [SID1234647823]). Dx&Vx is OVM’s largest shareholder, and Jia He Hui Investment is the second largest shareholder. The most recent investment has been made at the valuation for OVM of $54.0m, which reflects the substantial progress the company has made in developing the novel Recombinant Overlapping Peptide (ROP) technology. Funds will be used to accelerate the development of the lead cancer vaccine OVM-200 and support further research in the Professor Shisong Jiang’s labs in the Department of Oncology at the University of Oxford.

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OVM-200 targets survivin, a protein overexpressed by cancer cells that allow unregulated growth, and stimulates an immune response. The OVM-200 vaccine is in a Phase 1 clinical trial in the UK, which is focused on safety and on establishing an immune response in advanced cancer patients in three cancer indications: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. Initial results from the Phase 1a dose escalation study indicated good safety and a strong immune response. The ROP technology is unique in being suitable for all HLAs (human leucocyte antigen) and has potential to be used with mRNA technology. ROPs hold the promise of minimally invasive, cost effective and efficacious therapy that can also extend and enhance the effect of immunotherapy.

William Finch, CEO of OVM said:

We are delighted to have this support from our largest shareholders. It shows their confidence in OVM’s ROP technology and in the initial results with OVM-200. This funding will allow the completion of Phase 1 and preparation for Phase 2 trials of OVM-200 alone and in combination, to help patients with advanced cancer. We look forward to interest from other investors to complete Series B.

Kevin Kwon, CEO of Dx&Vx added:

We are very pleased to be supporting OVM through this investment. We look forward to completing licensing discussions for OVM-200 for S. Korea, China, and India. We plan to proceed with Phase 1b/ Phase 2 clinical trials and will try to launch OVM-200 through an accelerated approval that will allow patients to benefit early from these effective vaccines.

Merck to Participate in the UBS Global Healthcare Conference

On November 6, 2024 Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, reported that Jannie Oosthuizen, president, Human Health U.S., and Dr. Joerg Koglin, senior vice president and head of general medicine, global clinical development, Merck Research Laboratories, are scheduled to participate in a fireside chat at the UBS Global Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. EST / 9:30 a.m. PST (Press release, Merck & Co, NOV 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234647822]).

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Investors, analysts, members of the media and the general public are invited to listen to a live audio webcast of the presentation at this weblink.

MaxCyte Reports Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results and Updates Full Year 2024 Guidance

On November 6, 2024 MaxCyte, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXCT; LSE: MXCT), a leading, cell-engineering focused company providing enabling platform technologies to advance the discovery, development, and commercialization of next-generation cell therapeutics, reported its financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2024, and updated its 2024 guidance (Press release, MaxCyte, NOV 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234647821]).

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Third Quarter and Recent Highlights

● Total revenue of $8.2 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 2% over the third quarter of 2023.
● Core business revenue of $8.1 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 23% over the third quarter of 2023.
● No material Strategic Platform License (SPL) Program-related revenue was recorded in the third quarter of 2024, consistent with the Company’s expectations which reflected $6.0 million in SPL program-related revenue received during the first two quarters of 2024.
● Six new SPL clients signed year-to-date. Kamau Therapeutics signed in September, Legend Biotech signed in May, Be Biopharma signed in March, and Wugen, Imugene, and Lion TCR signed in January. The total number of SPL partners now stands at 29.
● Total cash, cash equivalents and investments were $196.6 million as of September 30, 2024.
"I am pleased with MaxCyte’s financial performance in the third quarter, and confident in our outlook for the remainder of 2024. We believe our strong core revenue growth and increasing demand for our platform was driven by exceptional commercial execution, and the value proposition that MaxCyte holds within the cell therapy industry. Coming out of a difficult 2023, this year we have consistently delivered with three strong quarters of core revenue, along with disciplined operational execution allowing us to maintain our healthy cash balance sheet," said Maher Masoud, President and CEO at MaxCyte.

"So far in 2024, we have signed 6 new SPLs, which represents a record number of new SPL clients in a single year for MaxCyte. Our most recently signed SPL, Kamau Therapeutics, brings our total number of SPLs to 29. We are very excited by our customers’ progress on their programs and remain focused on providing them with the best support possible in their development efforts. As we expand our technology to more customers and programs, the ExPERT Platform supports a growing number of technologies requiring multiple edits and steps, as well as therapies in a range of new indications."

In addition to growing revenue, MaxCyte continues to prioritize its investments towards those that it believes will provide the best return on investment and long-term growth. The Company is also continuously evaluating and executing on opportunities to reduce its cost structure and improve operational focus and efficiency. As part of these efforts, the Company is considering the costs and benefits of maintaining dual listings on AIM and Nasdaq. A potential cancellation of the admission of its common stock from trading on AIM would allow the Company to concentrate its efforts exclusively on the NASDAQ exchange, where the vast majority of its trading volume now occurs. Concentrating trading on a single exchange is expected to improve liquidity and reduce the administrative costs associated with maintaining dual listings. The Board is contemplating requesting shareholder approval to implement this strategy at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, although no decision has been taken by the Board at this time in respect of any such cancellation from admission to trading on AIM. The Company anticipates that the 2025 Annual Meeting will be held between May and July 2025, subject to the filing of a proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Keros Therapeutics Reports Recent Business Highlights and Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

On November 6, 2024 Keros Therapeutics, Inc. ("Keros" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: KROS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel therapeutics to treat a wide range of patients with disorders that are linked to dysfunctional signaling of the transforming growth factor-beta ("TGF-ß") family of proteins, reported a business update and announced financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2024 (Press release, Keros Therapeutics, NOV 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234647820]).

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"This continues to be a year of clinical execution for Keros. In the third quarter, we completed enrollment ahead of schedule in our Phase 2 TROPOS trial of cibotercept (KER-012) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension," said Jasbir S. Seehra, Ph.D., Chair and Chief Executive Officer. "This has set the stage for upcoming clinical data updates from our three clinical assets, which are expected over the next nine months."

Recent Corporate Highlights

•Executive leadership update: In October 2024, the Company announced that Yung H. Chyung, M.D., has been appointed to serve as the Company’s Chief Medical Officer, effective as of November 1, 2024.
•Cash position strengthened: The Company has utilized its existing at-the-market offering ("ATM") to sell additional shares of common stock, which strengthened its cash position. The Company expects that its cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2024, together with the net proceeds from the ATM through October 31, 2024, will enable the Company to fund its planned operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the third quarter of 2027.

Third Quarter 2024 Financial Results

Keros reported a net loss of $53.0 million in the third quarter of 2024 as compared to a net loss of $39.4 million in the third quarter of 2023. The increase of $13.5 million for the third quarter was largely due to increased research and development efforts as well as additional investments to support the achievement of Keros’ clinical and corporate goals.

Research and development expenses were $49.2 million for the third quarter of 2024 as compared to $34.1 million for the same period in 2023. The increase of $15.1 million was primarily due to additional research and development efforts, manufacturing activities and personnel expenses to support the advancement of Keros’ pipeline.

General and administrative expenses were $9.8 million for the third quarter of 2024 as compared to $9.1 million for the same period in 2023. The increase of $0.7 million was primarily due to increase in personnel expenses and other external expenses to support Keros’ organizational growth.

Keros’ cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2024 was $530.7 million compared to $331.1 million as of December 31, 2023. Keros expects that its cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2024, together with the net proceeds from the ATM through October 31, 2024, will enable Keros to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into the third quarter of 2027.