On March 9, 2021 Atomwise, a leader in using artificial intelligence (AI) for small -molecule drug discovery, reported it has been named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2021 (Press release, Atomwise, MAR 9, 2021, https://www.atomwise.com/2021/03/09/atomwise-named-to-fast-companys-annual-list-of-the-worlds-most-innovative-companies-for-2021/ [SID1234576302]). Atomwise was recognized for its unmatched AI platform, AtomNet️, as well as its growing pipeline and portfolio of partnerships and joint ventures tackling some of the most challenging targets in small molecule drug development.

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The list honors businesses that have not only found a way to be resilient in the past year, but also turned those challenges into impact-making processes. These companies did more than survive, they thrived—making an impact on their industries and culture as a whole. This year’s Most Innovative Companies list features 463 businesses from 29 countries.

"The Atomwise team is honored for this recognition from Fast Company," said Dr. Abraham Heifets, PhD, CEO and co-founder of Atomwise. "Achievements like these are a testament to our team’s hard work and dedication to addressing unmet needs for human disease."

Atomwise’s proprietary approach to identifying small molecules for challenging diseases has landed the startup market validation and recognition. With the addition of its robust internal R&D pipeline, the company has made headway to grow its portfolio. Additionally the company has made major traction with corporate partners that include top-tier pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly and Bayer, and emerging biotechnology companies in APAC like GC Pharma, Hansoh Pharmaceuticals and Bridge Biotherapeutics. The company recently unveiled its growing portfolio of emerging joint venture companies, with drug development programs spanning oncology, immunology, infectious disease, neuroscience and clotting disorders.

The company was also recognized for making notable traction in the area of infectious disease in a very short time. In 2020 the company was awarded a $2.3M grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the development of multiple global health programs to advance novel antimalarial and anti-tuberculosis small molecule therapies in collaboration with the foundation’s global network. Earlier that same year, Atomwise announced fifteen research collaborations underway with leading global universities to discover novel broad -spectrum antivirals for COVID-19 and other coronaviruses, marking the company’s ability to rapidly spin up multiple programs that tackle different disease mechanisms in parallel. The company also founded a joint venture, vAirus, to develop broad -spectrum antivirals against flaviviruses, a notorious family of viruses that include Zika virus, dengue fever, and West Nile virus.

Fast Company’s editors and writers sought out the most groundbreaking businesses across the globe and industries. They also judged nominations received through their application process.

The World’s Most Innovative Companies is Fast Company’s signature franchise and one of its most highly anticipated editorial efforts of the year. It provides both a snapshot and a road map for the future of innovation across the most dynamic sectors of the economy.

"In a year of unprecedented challenges, the companies on this list exhibit fearlessness, ingenuity, and creativity in the face of crisis," said Fast Company Deputy Editor David Lidsky, who oversaw the issue with Senior Editor Amy Farley.
To coincide with the issue launch, Fast Company will host its first-ever Most Innovative Companies Summit on March 9 and 10. This virtual, multiday summit will celebrate the Most Innovative Companies in business, provide an early look at major business trends, and offer the inspiration and practical insights on what it takes to innovate in 2021. Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies issue (March/April 2021) is now available online here, as well as in app form via iTunes and on newsstands beginning March 16, 2021. The hashtag is #FCMostInnovative.

On March 9, 2021 Atara Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATRA), a pioneer in T-cell immunotherapy, leveraging its novel allogeneic EBV T-cell platform to develop transformative therapies for patients with serious diseases including solid tumors, hematologic cancers and autoimmune diseases, reported that Pascal Touchon, President and Chief Executive Officer, and AJ Joshi, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, will participate in a fireside chat at the Virtual 33rd Annual ROTH Conference on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 4:30 p.m. EDT (Press release, Atara Biotherapeutics, MAR 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234576301]).

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A live webcast can be accessed by visiting the Investors & Media – News & Events section of atarabio.com. An archived replay will be available on the Company’s website for 30 days following the live webcast.

On March 9, 2021 HOOKIPA Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: HOOK, ‘HOOKIPA’), a company developing a new class of immunotherapeutics based on its proprietary arenavirus platform, reported that it will release fourth quarter and full year 2020 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, March 18, 2021 (Press release, Hookipa Pharma, MAR 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234576297]). Following the release, the Company will host a live conference call and webcast at 8:30 am EDT to discuss its financial results and corporate update.

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To access the live conference call, please register here. A live audio webcast of the event will also be available within the Investors & Media section of HOOKIPA’s website at View Source An archived replay will be accessible for 30 days following the event.

On March 9, 2021 Surface Oncology (Nasdaq: SURF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation therapies that target the tumor microenvironment, reported financial results and corporate highlights for the fourth quarter and full year 2020, as well as anticipated 2021 corporate milestones (Press release, Surface Oncology, MAR 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234576296]).

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"The fourth quarter of 2020 was transformational for Surface. During this quarter, we provided encouraging clinical data from our lead candidates and validated our preclinical discovery capabilities with a second major outlicense agreement that provided the company with substantial financial flexibility for several years," said Rob Ross, M.D., incoming chief executive officer. "Today, we are also announcing another clinical trial collaboration further enabling rapid assessment of our lead product candidates (in this case SRF388) in combination with pembrolizumab, focusing on patients with liver and kidney cancers. As we look forward into 2021, we are targeting ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) in June to share additional clinical data on SRF617 and SRF388, and we will work with our partner, GSK, to advance SRF813 into the clinic."

Recent Corporate Highlights:

On March 9, 2021, Surface announced a clinical trial collaboration with Merck to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining Surface’s SRF388, an investigational antibody therapy targeting IL-27, with Merck’s KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), the first anti-PD-1 therapy approved in the United States. This combination will be studied as a component of the first-in-human Phase 1 study of SRF388 and will be evaluated in patients with solid tumors, with a focus on patients with liver cancer and kidney cancer.
In December, Surface announced an agreement for GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to exclusively license worldwide development and commercial rights to Surface Oncology’s preclinical program SRF813, a fully human IgG1 antibody targeting PVRIG (also known as CD112R), an inhibitory protein expressed on natural killer cells (NK cells) and T cells. Under the terms of the agreement, GSK made an $85 million upfront payment in December 2020. In addition, Surface Oncology may receive up to an additional $730 million in future milestone payments, as well as be eligible to receive tiered royalties on global net sales.
In November, Surface announced that both of its lead clinical programs, SRF617 (targeting CD39) and SRF388 (targeting IL-27), have achieved predefined criteria for advancement into combination and expansion stages of the ongoing Phase 1 trials. These criteria include acceptable safety profiles at biologically relevant doses, as well as demonstration of target engagement and meaningful pharmacodynamic activity in the ongoing Phase 1 trials.
Effective April 1, 2021, Rob Ross, M.D., who has served as chief medical officer at Surface Oncology since 2016, will become the company’s president and chief executive officer and will also be appointed to the board of directors. Rob will succeed current CEO Jeff Goater, who will assume the role of chairman of the Surface Oncology board of directors.
Selected Anticipated Near-term Corporate Milestones:

Preclinical data presentations for SRF617 and SRF388 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting in April.

Targeting the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting in June for detailed clinical data presentations for SRF617 and SRF388.

Investigational new drug (IND) filing for SRF813 anticipated in 2021.
Financial Results:

As of December 31, 2020, cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities were $175.1 million, compared to $105.2 million on December 31, 2019.

Revenue recognized in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020 was $87.6 million, compared to revenue of less than $1.0 million for the same period in 2019. The increase was a result of the $85 million upfront payment received in the fourth quarter 2020 from GSK. Revenue recognized in the full year ended December 31, 2020 was $126.2 million, compared to $15.4 million for the same period in 2019. The increase was a result of the $85 million upfront payment received in the fourth quarter 2020 from GSK, as well as the expiration of the final Novartis option purchase period in January 2020 and the corresponding recognition of the remaining deferred revenue under the agreement.

Research and development (R&D) expenses were $10.7 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020, compared to $11.7 million for the same period in 2019. R&D expenses were $41.0 million for the full year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $52.1 million for the same period in 2019. This decrease was primarily driven by a reduction in expenses associated with contract manufacturing and other IND-enabling activities, as a result of the SRF617 and SRF388 IND filings in 2019, offset by an increase in spend on the SRF617 and SRF388 Phase 1 clinical trials, which began in 2020. R&D expenses included $2.8 million in stock-based compensation expense for the full year ended December 31, 2020.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $8.9 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020, compared to $5.1 million for the same period in 2019. G&A expenses were $23.6 million for the full year ended December 31, 2020, compared to $20.6 million for the same period in 2019. This increase was primarily due to increased consulting costs related to the GSK Agreement, as well as increased stock-based compensation expense and bonus achieved in 2020. G&A expenses included $4.9 million in stock-based compensation expense for the full year ended December 31, 2020.

For the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2020, net income was $67.3 million, or basic net income per share attributable to common stockholders of $1.66, and diluted net income per share attributable to common stockholders of $1.56. Net loss was $16.0 million for the same period in 2019, or basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders of $0.57. For the full year ended December 31, 2020 net income was $59.3 million, or basic net income per share attributable to common stockholders of $1.67, and diluted net income per share attributable to common stockholders of $1.57. Net loss was $54.8 million for the same period in 2019, or basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to common stockholders of $1.97.

Financial Outlook:

Based upon our current operating plan, Surface continues to project cash runway sufficient through 2023.

On March 9, 2021 Surface Oncology (Nasdaq: SURF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies that target the tumor microenvironment, reported it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, through a subsidiary, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining Surface’s SRF388, an investigational antibody therapy targeting IL-27, with Merck’s KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), the first anti-PD-1 therapy approved in the United States (Press release, Surface Oncology, MAR 9, 2021, View Source [SID1234576295]). This combination will be studied as a component of the first-in-human Phase 1 study of SRF388 and will be evaluated in patients with solid tumors, with a focus on patients with liver cancer and kidney cancer.

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"Surface is the only company with clinical-stage IL-27 research and we believe that this cytokine may play an important role in resistance to anti-PD-1 treatment," said Rob Ross, M.D., incoming chief executive officer at Surface Oncology. "This collaboration with Merck will add an important dimension to the SRF388 clinical program and allow us to more rapidly assess its potential to deliver truly breakthrough therapies that can transform treatment for people with cancer."

In November 2020, Surface announced that SRF388 achieved predefined criteria for advancement to the expansion stage of its ongoing Phase 1 trial. Detailed initial clinical results are expected to be reported at a medical conference in the first half of 2021.

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA.

About SRF388:
SRF388 is a fully human anti-IL-27 antibody designed to inhibit the activity of this immunosuppressive cytokine. Surface Oncology has identified particular tumor types, including liver and kidney cancer, where IL-27 appears to play an important role in the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and may contribute to resistance to treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. SRF388 targets the rate-limiting p28 subunit of IL-27, and preclinical studies have shown that treatment with SRF388 blocks the immuno-suppressive biologic effects of IL-27, resulting in immune cell activation in combination with other cancer therapies including anti-PD-1 therapy, as well as potent anti-tumor effects as a monotherapy. Furthermore, Surface Oncology has identified a potential biomarker associated with IL-27 that may be useful in helping to identify patients most likely to respond to SRF388. In November 2020, Surface announced that SRF388 was granted Orphan Drug designation and Fast Track designation for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma from the FDA.