On March 10, 2021 Genmab A/S (Nasdaq: GMAB) reported that two posters evaluating investigational medicines created using Genmab’s DuoBody technology will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021, taking place virtually April 10-15 and May 17-21 (Press release, Genmab, MAR 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234576409]). The posters summarize data from a preclinical evaluation of the investigational medicine, epcoritamab (DuoBody-CD3xCD20) in combination with standard of care therapies for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas, and a preclinical mechanism of action evaluation of GEN1042 (DuoBody-CD40x4-1BB). The abstracts have been published on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) website and may be accessed via the Online Meeting Planner. All e-poster presentations will be made available on the on-demand Virtual Congress platform on www.aacr.org. Epcoritamab is being co-developed by Genmab and AbbVie. GEN1042 is being co-developed by Genmab and BioNTech.

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"We are excited to present data showcasing the progress we are making with key investigational medicines in our product pipeline utilizing the innovative DuoBody bispecific antibody platform," said Jan van de Winkel, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Genmab. "Together with our partners, we continue to employ the DuoBody technology platform to effectively create opportunities for innovative antibody drug design and development with the goal of transforming cancer treatment."

Epcoritamab (DuoBody-CD3xCD20):
Preclinical evaluation of epcoritamab combined with standard of care therapies for the treatment of B-cell lymphomas

GEN1042 (DuoBody-CD40x4-1BB):
DuoBody-CD40x4-1BB (GEN1042) induces dendritic-cell maturation and enhances T-cell activation and effector functions in vitro by conditional CD40 and 4-1BB agonist activity

About Epcoritamab
Epcoritamab is an investigational IgG1-bispecific antibody created using Genmab’s proprietary DuoBody technology. Genmab’s DuoBody-CD3 technology is designed to direct cytotoxic T cells selectively to tumors to elicit an immune response towards malignant cells. Epcoritamab is designed to simultaneously bind to CD3 on T cells and CD20 on B cells and induces T cell mediated killing of lymphoma B cells.1 CD20 is a clinically validated therapeutic target, and is expressed on many B-cell malignancies, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.2,3 Epcoritamab is being co-developed by Genmab and AbbVie as part of the companies’ broad oncology collaboration.

About GEN1042 (DuoBody-CD40x4-1BB)
GEN1042 (DuoBody-CD40x4-1BB) is a proprietary bispecific antibody, jointly owned by Genmab and BioNTech, created using Genmab’s DuoBody technology. It is being co-developed under an agreement in which the companies share all costs and future profits for the product on a 50:50 basis. CD40 and 4-1BB were selected as targets to enhance both dendritic cells (DC) and antigen-dependent T-cell activation, using an inert DuoBody format.

On March 10, 2021 InDex Pharmaceuticals Holding AB (publ) reported that CEO Peter Zerhouni will present the company at Barclays Global Healthcare Conference on Thursday March 11, 2021 and at Carnegie Nordic Virtual Healthcare Seminar on Friday March 12, 2021, both at 13:30 CET (Press release, InDex Pharmaceuticals, MAR 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234576408]).

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The presentation at Barclays Global Healthcare Conference can be followed live or seen afterwards at View Source, and will also be available on InDex’s website (www.indexpharma.com) after the event.

Publication
The information was submitted for publication through the agency of the contact person set out above at 11:30 CET on March 10, 2021.

On March 10, 2021 Zymeworks Inc. (NYSE: ZYME), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing multifunctional biotherapeutics, reported the acceptance of five abstracts for poster presentation at the upcoming American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021 taking place virtually from April 10 – 15, 2021 (Press release, Zymeworks, MAR 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234576407]).

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The poster presentations will be available on Saturday, April 10 at 8:30 am ET on the conference website as well as the Zymeworks website.

Presentation Details

Title: PROTECT, a novel antibody platform for integrating tumor-specific immune modulation and enhancing the therapeutic window of targeted multispecific biologics
Abstract: 924
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: Antibody Technologies

Title: Increasing the therapeutic index of IL-12 by engineering for tumor-specific protease activation
Abstract: 1788
Session Category: Immunology
Session Title: Modifiers of the Tumor Microenvironment

Title: Understanding the geometry and valency of bispecific antibodies in the optimization of tumor-dependent activation of 4-1BB
Abstract: 1737
Session Category: Immunology
Session Title: Immunomodulatory Agents and Interventions

Title: Super-resolution imaging studies of zanidatamab: providing insights into its bispecific mode of action
Abstract: 1032
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: Cellular Responses to Anticancer Drugs

Title: The bispecific antibody zanidatamab’s (ZW25’s) unique mechanisms of action and durable anti-tumor activity in HER2-expressing cancers
Abstract: 1005
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: Cellular Responses to Anticancer Drugs

On March 10, 2021 Veracyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCYT) reported the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for its new, revised recommendations that expand eligibility for lung cancer screening (Press release, Veracyte, MAR 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234576406]). The updated recommendations lower the age for current and former smokers to begin screening from 55 to 50 years and reduces smoking intensity – from a 30 "pack-year" history to 20. The independent expert panel’s final recommendations appear online in the Journal of the American Medical Association and are expected to increase the number of people in the United States who are eligible for annual screening with low dose CT (LDCT) scans to nearly 15 million.

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"We commend the USPSTF for their new lung cancer screening recommendations, which will help ensure that more lives are saved through early detection," said Bonnie Anderson, Veracyte’s chairman and chief executive officer. "Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States because too often the disease is found after it has spread and is less treatable. Expanding screening eligibility – as well as the number of people who actually undergo screening – will be key to saving lives.

"Much work remains in the fight against lung cancer, including ensuring that physicians have optimal tools to help guide patient care when potentially cancerous lung nodules are found through screening. We are proud to be part of the healthcare sector that is utilizing novel genomic science to improve lung cancer early detection, diagnosis and treatment."

Veracyte’s Percepta Genomic Sequencing Classifier is available to improve the diagnosis of potentially cancerous lung nodules found on CT scans. The company is developing a first-of-its-kind, noninvasive nasal swab test to help determine which patients with lung nodules should undergo additional diagnostic procedures and which can simply be monitored. Additionally, the company is developing a comprehensive genomic profiling test to inform treatment decisions at the time of diagnosis. Both tests are scheduled for introduction in the second half of 2021.

About Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer globally, killing more than 1.75 million people worldwide each year, according to the World Health Organization. Early detection is key, with a five-year survival rate of nearly 60 percent when the cancer is found early, compared to six percent when it is found at a later stage, according to the American Lung Association. Lung nodules are typically the first sign of lung cancer. While the vast majority of lung nodules ultimately prove to be benign, physicians currently lack clear diagnostic tools to determine which patients have cancer and which do not. This can lead to unnecessary invasive biopsies, which are costly and risky, as well as to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

On March 10, 2021 Arch Oncology, Inc., a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company focused on the discovery and development of anti-CD47 antibody therapies, reported the presentation of new preclinical data on AO-176 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021 (Press release, Arch Oncology, MAR 10, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=arch-oncology-announces-two-new-preclinical-data-presentations-on-highly-differentiated-anti-cd47-antibody-ao-176-at-aacr-2021 [SID1234576405]). AO-176 is an anti-CD47 antibody with a potential best-in-class profile that works by blocking the "don’t eat me" signal and also by directly killing tumor cells, with preferential binding to tumor versus normal cells. Currently, AO-176 is being evaluated in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with select solid tumors and multiple myeloma, both as monotherapy and in combination with standard therapies.

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"At AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) this year, we will present two new nonclinical datasets demonstrating AO-176’s strong therapeutic potential in lymphoma and pediatric T-ALL" said Daniel Pereira, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Arch Oncology. "In lymphoma, we are presenting AO-176’s potent in vivo activity in a lymphoma xenograft, where induction of inflammatory cytokines and immune infiltrates is also observed. Enhanced binding and phagocytosis of lymphoma cells at acidic pH will also be shown in vitro by AO-176 or in combination with rituximab. Finally, AO-176’s unique ability to induce Annexin V positivity and DAMPs that ultimately may aid in inducing immunogenic cell death of the lymphoma cells will also be presented. Additionally, we look forward to sharing new nonclinical data in pediatric T-ALL during a late-breaking poster presentation at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) next month. Data continue to support AO-176’s highly-differentiated mechanisms, reinforcing our therapy’s potential to offer an improved efficacy and safety profile among anti-CD47 agents in development for patients with solid tumors and hematologic malignancies."

AACR Annual Meeting 2021

Late-Breaking Poster Presentation Title: The differentiated CD47 monoclonal antibody AO-176 exhibits significant in vivo activity against xenograft models of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (Abstract #LB171)
Session Category: Immunology
Session Title: Therapeutic Antibodies, Including Engineered Antibodies

Poster Presentation Title: AO-176, a highly differentiated clinical stage anti-CD47 antibody, is efficacious in pre-clinical models of lymphoma (Abstract #954)
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: Biological Therapeutic Agents

Information on the abstracts is available on AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)’s website.

On Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 8:30 am ET when posters are available online for AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) meeting participants, a copy of the poster presentations will be posted at View Source

About AO-176

AO-176 is a humanized anti-CD47 IgG2 antibody with a potential best-in-class profile. AO-176 is highly differentiated, with the potential to improve upon the safety and efficacy profile relative to other agents in this class of innate checkpoint inhibitors. AO-176 works by blocking the "don’t eat me" signal, the standard mechanism of anti-CD47 antibodies. Beyond blocking this signal, AO-176 has additional mechanisms, including directly killing tumor cells and inducing DAMPs (Damage Associated Molecular Patterns), resulting in Immunogenic Cell Death. Importantly, AO-176 binds preferentially to tumor cells, instead of to normal cells, and binds even more potently to tumors in their acidic microenvironment (low pH). Publications and presentations on AO-176 can be found at View Source

AO-176 is being evaluated in Phase 1/2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with select solid tumors and multiple myeloma, both as monotherapy and in combination with standard therapies. In a Phase 1 trial in solid tumors, AO-176 demonstrated encouraging safety and evidence of anti-tumor activity when administered as a single agent. Additional information about these trials may be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov using the trial identification number NCT03834948 (solid tumors) or NCT04445701 (multiple myeloma).