On September 19, 2016 Novocure (NASDAQ:NVCR) reported that CNS Oncology published Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) treatment planning and patient follow-up guidelines, providing a standardized resource for the use of the NovoTAL System to optimize TTFields intensity in Optune patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) (Press release, NovoCure, SEP 19, 2016, View Source [SID:SID1234515225]). Treatment planning with the NovoTAL System is an essential component of treatment with TTFields. The guidelines present a framework for utilizing the NovoTAL treatment planning software to start patients, monitor patient response and evaluate when TTFields treatment should be re-planned.

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!

"Transducer array placement and TTFields intensity are important factors in the success of treatment with Optune," said Dr. Eilon Kirson, Chief Science Officer and Head of Research and Development at Novocure. "We are pleased that CNS Oncology published treatment planning guidelines and believe the guidelines will advance Optune as a standard treatment option in GBM."

All glioblastoma patients starting Optune should receive treatment planning with the NovoTAL System. In simulation studies, personalized treatment planning with the NovoTAL system resulted in near doubling of TTFields intensity delivered to the tumor compared with TTFields delivered using a default symmetric array layout.

The guidelines explain that there may be a benefit to certified physicians conducting TTFields treatment planning because they have comprehensive information regarding the patients’ medical history, current medical status and knowledge of sequential imaging changes.

"The publication of TTFields treatment planning guidelines in CNS Oncology will increase physicians’ confidence when planning patients’ therapy with TTFields," said Dr. John Trusheim, lead author of the guidelines, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Medical Director of Neuro-oncology at the Virginia Piper Cancer Institute in Minneapolis. "This tool will help inform physicians on how to incorporate Optune into glioblastoma patients’ treatment, potentially resulting in better treatment outcomes."

Novocure’s EF-14 phase 3 pivotal trial data published in The Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2015 demonstrated that adding TTFields to maintenance temozolomide significantly extended progression free and overall survival in newly diagnosed GBM patients versus maintenance temozolomide alone.

About Glioblastoma Glioblastoma, also called glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, is a type of primary brain cancer. This means that GBM tumors begin in the brain, rather than traveling to the brain from other parts of the body, such as the lungs or breasts. GBM is the most common type of primary brain cancer in adults. It is more likely to appear in adults than children and to affect men than women.

Approved Indications
Optune is intended as a treatment for adult patients (22 years of age or older) with histologically-confirmed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).

Optune with temozolomide is indicated for the treatment of adult patients with newly diagnosed, supratentorial glioblastoma following maximal debulking surgery and completion of radiation therapy together with concomitant standard of care chemotherapy.

In the United States, for the treatment of recurrent GBM, Optune is indicated following histologically-or radiologically-confirmed recurrence in the supratentorial region of the brain after receiving chemotherapy. The device is intended to be used as a monotherapy, and is intended as an alternative to standard medical therapy for GBM after surgical and radiation options have been exhausted.

On September 19, 2016 Sutro Biopharma reported that it has presented findings from two studies of investigational antibody drug conjugates, or ADCs, that it developed to target CD74, a protein highly expressed in hematologic malignancies (Press release, Sutro Biopharma, SEP 19, 2016, View Source [SID1234516951]). The ADCs demonstrated efficient cell killing in multiple malignant B-cell lines and suppressed tumor growth in six mouse tumor models of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma. The findings were presented Friday, September 16 at the 2016 American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Meeting on Hematologic Malignancies in Chicago.
"The findings demonstrate that CD74 is an ideal target for Sutro’s novel antibody drug conjugates and underscore how we’re accelerating ADC development using Sutro’s proprietary cell-free platform through the late preclinical phase and towards the clinic," Sutro CEO Bill Newell said.
Sutro’s novel ADCs efficiently killed multiple myeloma, mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and other Non-Hodgkin lymphoma cell lines in vitro. In vivo, these ADCs significantly reduced tumor growth in ANBL-6, CAG and ARP-1 multiple myeloma models and WSU-DLCL2, OCI-Ly10, SU-DHL-6 lymphoma models.

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!

On September 19, 2016 Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRVS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel immuno-oncology therapies, reported that it will present preclinical data, and preliminary biomarker data from its ongoing Phase 1/1b study of CPI-444 as a single agent, and in combination with Genentech’s TECENTRIQ (atezolizumab)‎, in both oral and poster presentations at the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (CIMT) (Free CIMT Whitepaper): Translating Science into Survival, which is taking place from September 25-28 in New York (Press release, Corvus Pharmaceuticals, SEP 19, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2204373 [SID:SID1234515202]).

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!

Following are details of the oral and poster presentations.

ABSTRACT TITLE: CPI-444: A potent and selective inhibitor of A2AR induces antitumor responses alone and in combination with anti-PD-L1 in preclinical and clinical studies
PRESENTER: Stephen Willingham, Ph.D., senior scientist, Corvus
ORAL SESSION: Plenary Session 2: New Checkpoints
ORAL SESSION DATE, TIME AND LOCATION: Sunday, September 25, 1:30-4:40 p.m. ET, Sheraton Metropolitan Ballroom, Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel
POSTER SESSION: Poster Session A: New Checkpoints
POSTER NUMBER: A048
POSTER PRESENTATION DATE, TIME AND LOCATION: Sunday, September 25, 5:00-7:30 p.m. ET, Americas Hall I, New York Hilton Midtown

On September 16, 2016 Abingworth, the international investment group dedicated to life sciences, reported that it has seeded GammaDelta Therapeutics Ltd, a new immunotherapy company (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, SEP 16, 2016, View Source [SID1234523499]). GammaDelta Therapeutics also received support from three organisations, Cancer Research Technology (CRT), King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute. The company is being incubated at Abingworth’s London office.

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!

GammaDelta Therapeutics has been founded on pioneering research by Professor Adrian Hayday and Dr Oliver Nussbaumer at King’s College London and the Francis Crick Institute, funded in part by Cancer Research UK, into gamma delta (γδ) T cells. These are a unique and conserved population of lymphocytes that contribute to many types of immune responses and immunopathologies. The new company is focused on exploiting this work to develop improved immunotherapies for cancer and potentially other diseases.

Peter Goodfellow, an advisor to Abingworth and formerly Senior Vice President for Discovery Research at GlaxoSmithKline, is Chairman of the board, which also includes, Prof. Hayday; Raj Mehta of CRT; Stephen Parker, Institutes Director; Mike Owen, formerly Senior Vice President for Biopharmaceuticals Research at GlaxoSmithKline; and Tim Haines, Managing Partner of Abingworth.

Dr Phil L’Huillier, Cancer Research Technology’s director of business management, said: "We’re delighted to work with a world-class scientist and institutes to see this Cancer Research UK-funded science progress further towards the clinic and cancer patients. Immunotherapy is proving to be a powerful tool against cancer and we’re pleased to be at the cutting edge of research to develop new treatments."

Raj Mehta of CRT and Founder and Interim CEO of GammaDelta Therapeutics, said: "We are delighted to have attracted the support of Abingworth to the founding and development of GammaDelta Therapeutics and will use the proceeds to help us advance our innovative programmes into the clinic."

"GammaDelta’s technology is differentiated from other approaches to immunotherapy being pursued and has the potential to make a significant impact on the treatment of cancer," said Abingworth’s Tim Haines. "We look forward to working with the team to advance the discovery and development of novel therapeutic candidates based on this exciting approach."

On September 15, 2016 OncoImmune, Inc. reported that it has entered into an exclusive option and license agreement with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) for ONC-392, a novel, differentiated preclinical anti-CTLA4 monoclonal antibody in a deal worth up to $250 million in upfront and potential milestone payments (Press release, ONCOIMMUNE, SEP 15, 2016, View Source [SID1234517565]). Under the terms of the agreement, Pfizer plans to evaluate ONC-392 up until a certain agreed-upon time to determine whether it will exercise its option to exclusively license ONC-392 as well as any other OncoImmune anti-CTLA4 antibodies. If Pfizer exercises its option under the agreement, Pfizer would be responsible for all development and potential commercialization of the program, and OncoImmune would be eligible to receive potential developmental and commercial milestone payments as well as royalties, tiered from mid-single up to low-double digits, on sales of any potential resulting products.

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!

Recent advances in the field of immuno-oncology have demonstrated the ability to overcome cancer-mediated suppression and harness the natural power of the immune system to help combat disease. However, significant autoimmune side effects have been observed in clinical trials with immune-stimulating monoclonal antibodies. ONC-392 was identified using OncoImmune’s proprietary in vivo screening models for drug selection and is designed to help reduce the immune related toxicities while retaining potent anti-tumor immunity.