On April 14, 2020 Hansoh Pharma (3692:HK), a leading biopharmaceutical company in China, and Atomwise, the leader in artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery, reported the expansion of their strategic partnership for AI-accelerated drug discovery (Press release, Atomwise, APR 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234556296]). Expansion of the partnership immediately follows completion of their first hit-discovery collaboration, which successfully identified and experimentally confirmed several novel hit compounds for a previously challenging oncology target in only 4 months.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The collaboration began in November 2019, focusing on identifying hit compounds that are specific towards an intractable drug target. Atomwise performed AI-based molecular screening using their proprietary AI technology, AtomNet, to generate compound hits with predicted activity against multiple mutant forms of the oncology targets for Hansoh. With AtomNet, the collaboration was able to screen an ultra-large and diverse virtual library of over 12 billion compounds, finding 200 predicted candidates displaying specificity for the targets in only 2 weeks from a single virtual screen.

"We are really impressed by Atomwise’s capability to deliver potential candidates," said Rudi Bao, M.D. Ph.D., SVP of Hansoh R&D. "Our expanded partnership will accelerate major initiatives to discover innovative medicines for patients."

"It is a privilege to partner with Hansoh Pharma to develop their first-in-class or best-in-class portfolio of novel small molecule therapies," said Dr. Abraham Heifets, CEO of Atomwise. "Therapies with high specificity and potency are urgently needed for oncology, infectious diseases, and personalized medicine. We look forward to expanding our work with Hansoh on additional challenging targets."

On April 14, 2020 BioInvent International AB ("BioInvent" or the "Company") (OMXS: BINV) reported a preliminary insight into progress of its Phase I/IIa trial of BI-1206 in combination with rituximab for treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) (Press release, BioInvent, APR 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234556312]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

In the Phase I part of the trial, three separate responses have been observed across different subtypes of NHL at doses of BI-1206 below what is believed to be optimal. In particular, a patient in the 70mg cohort has achieved a complete response. The patient is reported to be in "a very good general condition and without any signs of toxicity". In the 30mg cohort, one patient with FL remained on treatment for the full maintenance period of one year, and one patient with MCL showed complete depletion of circulating MCL cells. The dose escalation process continues as planned.

The Phase I/IIa study is a dose escalation, consecutive-cohort, open-label trial of BI-1206 in combination with rituximab in subjects with indolent relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL. It consists of two main parts: Phase l, with dose escalation cohorts using a 3+3 dose-escalation design and selection of the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D); and Phase IIa, an expansion cohort at the RP2D, enriched with patients with MCL.

Martin Welschof, CEO of BioInvent, says: "Although it is early days and this Phase I part of the trial is designed to evaluate safety and tolerability, we are very pleased to observe initial signs of efficacy. We are particularly impressed by the complete response of one NHL patient, and the complete depletion of circulating mantle cell lymphoma cells in another patient already before reaching the optimal dose. Early results from the Phase I part of the trial are on track for H2 2020. Meanwhile, we are closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 and for now, our ongoing clinical trials and planned initiations remain on track. There may be potential changes depending on how the spread develops. We will provide updates as necessary."

On April 14, 2020 Orion reported that Interim Report for January-March 2020 on Tuesday 28 April 2020 (Press release, Orion Biotechnology, APR 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234556313]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Orion will publish Interim Report for January-March 2020 on Tuesday, 28 April 2020 approximately at 12.00 noon EEST. The report and related presentation material will be available on the company’s website at www.orion.fi/en/investors after publishing.

Webcast and conference call

A webcast and a conference call for analysts, investors and media will be held on Tuesday, 28 April 2020 at 13.30 EEST. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the event will be exceptionally held only online and by conference call.

A link to the live webcast will be available on Orion’s website at www.orion.fi/en/investors. A recording of the event will be available on the website later the same day.

On April 14, 2020 Case Western Reserve University reported a new $6 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health extends funding for the Silvio O. Conte Cleveland Digestive Diseases Research Core Center (DDRCC), a cross-institutional collaboration of digestive disease investigators (Press release, Case Western Reserve University, APR 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234556299]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

In 2015, an initial $6 million, five-year NIH grant established the DDRCC as one of only 17 in the country. (There are now 18.)

The Cleveland collaborative, which includes the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (UH) and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (LSCVAMC), works to develop and advance research on digestive inflammation, gastrointestinal cancer and liver and metabolic diseases.

"The overall objective of the Cleveland DDRCC," said Fabio Cominelli, professor of medicine and pathology and associate dean for program development at the School of Medicine and the center’s director, "is to increase the availability of resources for center members and foster research, collaborations and new directions in digestive disease research, leading to important scientific discoveries."

Cominelli, the Herman Menges, MD Professor in Internal Medicine at the School of Medicine and chief scientific officer of the Digestive Health Institute at UH, is an internationally recognized expert in such conditions as inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, gastrointestinal cancer and ulcerative colitis.

The Cleveland DDRCC’s mission is to:

Enhance the research capabilities of its investigators;
Develop and implement programs to support young investigators;
Attract established investigators not currently involved in digestive disease research;
Facilitate the translation of basic research discoveries to the clinical arena.
The center currently includes 47 full members and 35 associate members from 25 academic departments across Case Western Reserve, Cleveland Clinic, UH and LSCVAMC, representing a steady expansion during the previous funding cycle.

Together, these investigators comprise the center’s research base, which consists of $17.3 million in peer-reviewed federal and foundation grants for two specific focus research areas—digestive inflammation and tumorigenesis, and liver disease and metabolism.

On April 14, 2020 Grid Therapeutics, LLC, a biotechnology company developing a first-in-class, novel human-derived targeted immunotherapy for cancer, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved its investigational new drug (IND) application for GT103, Grid’s lead therapeutic candidate for the treatment of solid tumors (Press release, Grid Therapeutics, APR 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234556315]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Under this IND, the Company is now poised to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with refractory non-small cell lung cancer. Expected to begin in the second quarter of 2020, the clinical trial is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary anti-tumor activity of GT103. The study shall begin at Duke University Health System, where startup activities are currently underway. Additional sites will be added once the initial site is up and recruiting patients.

"The FDA’s IND clearance for GT103 marks a critical milestone for Grid Therapeutics as we evaluate this first in class therapeutic in the clinic," said Dr. Edward Patz, Jr., CEO of Grid. "We believe GT103 has the potential to improve clinical responses in lung cancer patients, including those who are refractory to currently approved immunotherapies. As the only company developing human-derived antibodies from single B cells against novel targets, we hold a differentiated and important position in the immuno-oncology space."