On November 2, 2022 ROME Therapeutics and Enara Bio, two leading biotechnology companies focused on developing novel medicines driven by insights to the dark genome, reported that they will host the inaugural Dark Genome Symposium on Monday, November 7, 2022 at ROME’s headquarters in Boston (Press release, Rome Therapeutics, NOV 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234622829]). This one-day event brings together leaders from academia, biotech and pharma working on the dark genome to share knowledge, opportunities, applications and challenges to solve as a community.

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The dark genome, that is the 98% of the genome that is not traditionally associated with protein-encoding genes, is increasingly found to be associated with human diseases, from autoimmune and neurodegeneration to cancer and aging. A key goal of the meeting is to catalyze collaborations around dark genome research and its medical application, in order to accelerate discovery and development of new therapies.

"The therapeutic potential of the dark genome to address numerous debilitating conditions is increasingly clear, and it has been incredibly exciting to see the momentum growing for therapeutic application of this science in interesting and complementary ways," said Rosana Kapeller, M.D., Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of ROME. "This event will convene some of the top minds working on the dark genome to share insights and new ideas as we work toward a common goal of unlocking the dark genome to improve human health, and we are thrilled to co-host this inaugural symposium with Enara Bio."

"We all recognize the complexity of the dark genome and know that it will take ambitious collaborations to speed progress in this field," said Kevin Pojasek, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Enara Bio. "Alongside ROME, we’re excited to establish this event to share learnings widely, spark new avenues for research and new connections across our community. It’s vital we forge strong collaborative efforts to fully realize the potential of the dark genome for bringing new therapies to patients as quickly as possible."

The symposium will feature presentations and panel discussions on topics including viral mimicry, Dark Antigens in cancer, mapping of the dark genome and gene regulation. A list of confirmed speakers and the agenda for the event can be found here. Participation at the in-person symposium is by invitation. Those interested in attending the livestream may reach out to [email protected] for more details.

On November 2, 2022 Alterome Therapeutics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the development of alteration-specific targeted therapies for the treatment of cancer, reported that it has raised more than $35 million in a Series A2 financing, bringing total funds raised to nearly $100 million (Press release, Alterome Therapeutics, NOV 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234622828]). Colt Ventures and OrbiMed co-led the round, with participation from all Series A investors including Nextech Invest, Vida Ventures, and Boxer Capital. The original round of $64 million closed in January 2022.

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The proceeds will be used to advance Alterome’s pipeline of three next-generation precision oncology programs designed using "The Kraken," its in-house computational chemistry platform. The Kraken provides precise, atomic-level insights into molecular interactions and enables ligand activity and binding mode predictions that inform the company’s expert team of medicinal chemists with approaches to design novel, exquisitely selective, alteration-specific therapies.

"We are very pleased to welcome Colt Ventures to our investor syndicate and are grateful to our existing investors for their continued support of our vision to relentlessly push the boundaries of cancer treatments to transform the lives of patients, one alteration at a time," said Eric Murphy, Ph.D., founder, CEO and CSO of Alterome Therapeutics. "Our unique blend of computational chemistry, medicinal chemistry, and translational biology experience combined with next-generation drug discovery technologies enable the discovery of therapeutics that address well-known oncogenic drivers while increasing the safety profile."

Sundeep Agrawal, M.D., General Partner at Colt Ventures said, "By bringing the latest advances in chemistry, biology, pharmacology, and genomics to bear on genomically-defined alterations, we believe that Alterome can make a meaningful impact on patients with cancers where too few treatment options exist. We are thrilled to lead this funding round and believe Alterome’s experienced leadership team is well-positioned to deliver a truly transformational approach to precision cancer therapeutics."

On November 2, 2022 GlycoMimetics, Inc. (Nasdaq: GLYC), reported that it will host a conference call and webcast to report third quarter financial results on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. ET (Press release, GlycoMimetics, NOV 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234622827]).

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To access the call by phone, please go to this registration link and you will be provided with dial in details. Participants are encouraged to connect 15 minutes in advance of the scheduled start time.

A live webcast of the call will be available on the "Investors" tab on the GlycoMimetics website. A webcast replay will be available for 30 days following the call.

On November 2, 2022 Peak Bio Co., Ltd. ("Peak Bio"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing the next-generation of therapeutics to treat oncology and inflammatory diseases, reported the completion of its business combination (the "Business Combination") with Ignyte Acquisition Corp. (Nasdaq: IGNY) ("Ignyte"), a special purpose acquisition company (Press release, Peak Bio, NOV 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234622826]).

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The transaction was approved at a special meeting of Ignyte’s stockholders held on October 25, 2022 (the "Special Meeting"). Ignyte’s stockholders also voted to approve all other proposals presented at the Special Meeting. Ignyte’s Board of Directors had previously approved the business combination and recommended that its stockholders vote in favor of it and all of the proposals relating to the Business Combination.

The combined company will operate under the name "Peak Bio, Inc." (the "Combined Company") under the direction of Hoyoung Huh, M.D., Ph.D., founder and Chairman, and Stephen LaMond, PharmD, MBA, Chief Operating Officer. Commencing at the open of trading on or about November 2, 2022, on NASDAQ, the Combined Company’s common stock and public warrants will trade under the new trading symbols "PKBO" and "PKBOW," respectively.

"We believe that Peak Bio is now well positioned to succeed in the public markets and look forward to updating the entire investment community on our progress in our differentiated approach in both oncology and rare inflammatory diseases," said Hoyoung Huh, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman and founder of Peak Bio.

On November 2, 2022 Bluestar Genomics, Inc., an early cancer detection company leading the development and commercialization of next-generation liquid biopsy tests focused on non-invasive detection of high-mortality cancers in high-risk patient populations, reported the results of a validation study for its early pancreatic cancer detection test (Press release, Bluestar Genomics, NOV 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234622825]).

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Based on the positive study results, Bluestar Genomics initiated a physician experience program to enable patients to gain access to the Bluestar Genomics test, designed specifically for pancreatic cancer detection in people at high risk of developing the disease due to various factors, such as a recent Type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

"Despite the alarming statistics associated with pancreatic cancer, current diagnostics offerings have limited clinicians’ ability to identify patients with pancreatic cancer at the earliest stages of the disease, when treatments can still be effective," said Dave Mullarkey, chief executive officer at Bluestar Genomics. "With our focus on high-mortality cancer detection in high-risk patients, we can finally start changing this paradigm by offering clinicians and their patients a better way to identify the disease during its treatable stage."

Bluestar Genomics’ epigenomics-based pancreatic cancer signal detection test assesses whether an individual has an abnormal DNA signal associated with pancreatic cancer by measuring levels of the biomarker 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). The 5hmC biomarker is stable, sensitive, and precise enough to detect not just the presence of cancer, but to also specify the location.

The results from the recently completed case-control validation study show the Bluestar Genomics test performing at 67% sensitivity and 97% specificity in a population of 2,150 patients over age 50. Its study cohort included patients recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, a population with eight times the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. The full data will be shared during an oral presentation at the American Pancreatic Association annual meeting on November 4 in Orlando, Fla.

"Pancreatic cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States, largely due to its frequent diagnosis in later stages when it is less treatable. In fact, the vast majority (65%) of pancreatic cancers are not detected until they have already spread," said Michelle Welch, M.D., practicing endocrinologist at Diabetes and Metabolism Specialists, San Antonio in San Antonio, Texas. "By testing people recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes – a known risk factor for pancreatic cancer – we hope to identify this cancer earlier for this group of patients at high risk of the disease."

Bluestar Genomics has built a body of scientific and clinical evidence demonstrating the scientific validity and clinical application of its 5hmC-based approach to pancreatic cancer detection. Based on these findings, the company announced the availability of its pancreatic cancer signal detection test for recently diagnosed Type 2 patients aged 50 and older. This physician experience program aims to make the Pancreatic Cancer Signal Detection test available to more patients at high risk for developing pancreatic cancer, leading to broader availability in coming months. To learn more about participation, visit: View Source