On January 9, 2020 eFFECTOR Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in the development of selective translation regulators (STRs) for the treatment of cancer, and Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) reported an exclusive worldwide license and collaboration agreement to develop small-molecule inhibitors of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E), a key oncogenic driver located downstream from both the RAS and PI3K signaling pathways (Press release, eFFECTOR Therapeutics, JAN 9, 2020, View Source [SID1234553068]). eIF4E is an effector protein that is activated in a variety of human cancers and is linked to poor prognosis and resistance to certain therapies.

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Under terms of the agreement, eFFECTOR will receive a $15 million payment upfront, and will be eligible for additional potential $492M in R&D funding, development and sales milestone payments. eFFECTOR will receive royalties on sales of any products that may result from this collaboration if the program reaches commercialization and has an option to enter into a co-promotion and profit and loss share arrangement in the United States.

"This collaboration underscores the importance of the emerging field of translation regulation as an exciting new therapeutic approach," said Steve Worland, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of eFFECTOR. "It will leverage our collective development capabilities and Pfizer’s global commercial resources to build momentum around eIF4E inhibitor development and maximize the potential impact for cancer patients. Importantly, we believe that this agreement validates eFFECTOR’s pursuit of eIF4E, which has been a protein of interest for drug development for many years but has been very challenging to develop small molecules to target due to the nature of its binding site."

"We look forward to working with eFFECTOR with the goal of bringing a promising new therapy to patients with various treatment-refractory cancers," said Jeff Settleman, Ph.D., senior vice president and chief scientific officer, oncology, worldwide research, development & medical, Pfizer.

The Role of eIF4E in Cancer
eIF4E (eukaryotic initiation factor 4E) is a highly oncogenic and historically intractable target that is activated in a variety of human cancers and is linked to poor prognosis and resistance to certain therapies. eIF4E is an effector protein integrating signals from multiple important oncogenes and tumor suppressor proteins in the PI3K and RAS oncogenic pathways (including PI3K, AKT, mTOR, PTEN and BRAF), and selectively regulates the translation of a set of target mRNA distinct from those regulated by MNK1/2 and eIF4A. This may expand the potential patient population that may benefit from translation regulation therapy.

On January 9, 2020 Zai Lab Limited (NASDAQ: ZLAB), a China and U.S.-based innovative commercial stage biopharmaceutical company, and Novocure (NASDAQ: NVCR), a global oncology company with a proprietary platform technology called Tumor Treating Fields, reported that the first patient has been enrolled in a phase 2 pilot clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of Tumor Treating Fields in combination with chemotherapy as a first-line treatment in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (Press release, Zai Laboratory, JAN 9, 2020, View Source [SID1234552938]).

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"Zai Lab licensed Tumor Treating Fields from Novocure in September 2018, and we have since launched Optune in Hong Kong for the treatment of patients with recurrent, or newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and submitted a Marketing Authorization Application to the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for approval," said Dr. Samantha Du, Founder and CEO of Zai Lab. "Optune also has been granted the Innovative Device Designation which allows our team to accelerate dialogue with the NMPA. What is especially attractive about Tumor Treating Fields is its potential applicability to treat a wide variety of solid tumors including gastric cancer, the second most common cancer in China in terms of incidence rate. The initiation of this phase 2 pilot trial in gastric cancer represents our commitment to bringing Tumor Treating Fields to as many patients who may benefit in Greater China."

"Tumor Treating Fields is already approved for glioblastoma and malignant pleural mesothelioma in the U.S.," added William Doyle, Executive Chairman of Novocure. "We are moving forward with multiple clinical trials to evaluate Tumor Treating Fields for other indications including brain metastases, non-small cell lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, and ovarian cancer. It is very gratifying to see our partner engaged in active dialogue with the NMPA and studying Tumor Treating Fields for gastric cancer, a serious and unmet medical need in China."

The phase 2 pilot gastric cancer trial of Tumor Treating Fields is expected to enroll approximately 50 patients in Greater China. The study is a single arm, open-label, multi-center study, investigating the safety and efficacy of Tumor Treating Fields in combination with chemotherapy as the first-line treatment of unresectable gastric adenocarcinoma, or gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma. In the study, patients will receive Tumor Treating Fields at 150 kHz and XELOX chemotherapy, a combination of oxaliplatin and capecitabine, until disease progression. The primary endpoint is investigator-assessed objective response rate.

About Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer is the second most common cancer in China (679,100 newly diagnosed cases in 2015) and the second leading cause of death in China (498,000 deaths in 2015). The 5-year overall survival rate of gastric cancer is only 35.9%. Current therapies include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapy, which prolong progression free survival and overall survival to 6 months and 8-14 months, respectively.

About Tumor Treating Fields

Tumor Treating Fields is a cancer therapy that uses electric fields tuned to specific frequencies to disrupt cell division, inhibiting tumor growth and potentially causing cancer cells to die. Tumor Treating Fields does not stimulate or heat tissue and targets dividing cancer cells of a specific size. Tumor Treating Fields causes minimal damage to healthy cells. Mild to moderate skin irritation is the most common side effect reported. Tumor Treating Fields is approved in certain countries for the treatment of adults with glioblastoma and in the U.S. for mesothelioma, two of the most difficult cancer types to treat. The therapy shows promise in multiple solid tumor types – including some of the most aggressive forms of cancer.

On January 9, 2020 Adicet Bio, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of allogeneic cell therapies for cancer using innovative gamma delta T cells, reported that the company will present at the 38th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (Press release, Adicet Bio, JAN 9, 2020, View Source [SID1234552955]).

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Anil Singhal, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Adicet Bio, will provide a company overview on Thursday, January 16, 2020, at 7:30am PT.

On January 9, 2020 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC), currently developing pelareorep, an intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus, reported that ROTH Capital Partners (ROTH) will conduct a Key Opinion Leader call today at 10:30 am ET for their institutional clients (Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, JAN 9, 2020, View Source [SID1234552909]). The call, "Proteasome Inhibitors Augment Pelareorep in Multiple Myeloma" will feature Dr. Flavia Pichiorri Ph.D. and Dr. Craig Hofmeister M.D., both of whom are working on ongoing multiple myeloma studies with Oncolytics’ oncolytic virus, pelareorep.

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The equity research team at ROTH will host and moderate the call for their clients, with a focus on recent data presented at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting & Exposition, and how it could impact the design of future multiple myeloma trials with oncolytic viruses versus the standard of care.

Management plans to provide a recap of the call next week, including key messages and insights provided by Dr. Pichiorri and Dr. Hofmeister.

Dr. Flavia Pichiorri Ph.D., Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research, City of Hope, Duarte, CA and Department of Hematologic Malignancies Translational Science, Beckman Research Institute, City of Hope, Duarte, CA.

Dr. Craig Hofmeister M.D., Winship Cancer Institute /Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.

About Pelareorep

Pelareorep is a non-pathogenic, proprietary isolate of the unmodified reovirus: a first-in-class intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The compound induces selective tumor lysis and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype through innate and adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers and has been demonstrated to be able to escape neutralizing antibodies found in patients.

On January 9, 2020 TScan Therapeutics reported the completion of its Series B raise with the inclusion of Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), Pitango Venture Capital, and Astellas Venture Management (the wholly-owned venture capital organization of Astellas Pharma Inc) (Press release, TScan Therapeutics, JAN 9, 2020, View Source [SID1234552939]). In addition, Series B investors include 6 Dimensions Capital, Longwood Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners, GV, and Novartis Venture Fund.

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"We welcome Astellas Venture Management, Pitango and NIBR as new TScan investors into our Series B," said David P. Southwell, President and Chief Executive Officer, TScan. "They join the Series A investors 6 Dimensions, Longwood Fund (our founding investor), Google Ventures, Bessemer, and Novartis Venture Fund. With this round, TScan has raised approximately $60 million in funding and is well positioned to discover novel targets of tumor reactive T-cell receptors (TCRs), and to develop these pairs in both liquid and solid tumor indications in oncology."