On January 22, 2018 The biopharmaceutical company MOLOGEN AG (ISIN DE0006637200; Frankfurt Stock Exchange Prime Standard: MGN) reported data on its lead compound, the TLR9 agonist and immune surveillance reactivator lefitolimod, at the Annual 2018 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO GI) in San Francisco (18 – 20 January 2018) (Press release, Mologen, JAN 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234523467]).

Monotherapy with lefitolimod resulted in a beneficial modulation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) associated with a reduced tumor growth in a murine model of colorectal cancer. The beneficial lefitolimod-induced modulation of the TME strongly supports its potential as cancer immunotherapeutic agent. Hence, in addition to its potential in monotherapy, lefitolimod may also be an ideal partner for immuno-oncology combination approaches, i.e. with checkpoint inhibitors.

"Beneficial modulation of the TME, in other words making immunologically "cold" tumors "hot", is a crucial requirement for the response to immunotherapeutic approaches. The presented data clearly support the mode-of-action of lefitolimod in our late-stage IMPALA study with single-agent lefitolimod in colorectal cancer. In addition they provide an excellent rationale for combining lefitolimod with checkpoint inhibitors. We know that checkpoint inhibitors need help to fully unfold their enormous potential and we believe that our TLR9 agonist lefitolimod will play a major role also in this context", said Dr Matthias Baumann, CMO of MOLOGEN AG.

Beneficial lefitolimod-induced modulation of the TME

After intratumoral injection of lefitolimod an increased infiltration of T cells (CD3+ T cells, especially CD8+ T cells) into the tumor was observed. Furthermore, also an increase of activated CD8+ T cells with cytolytic ("cell destruction capability") potential was determined. In addition, the injection of lefitolimod had a positive impact regarding so-called tumor-associated macrophages – immune cells that interact with tumor cells to influence the initiation, growth and metastasis of tumors. Lefitolimod led to an increase of anti-tumor M1-type macrophages within the tumor, accompanied with a decrease of pro-tumorigenic M2-type macrophages.
Importantly, this beneficial TME modulation from an immunosuppressed ("cold") towards a more immunoreactive ("hot") stage translated into a reduction of tumor growth in the mice.

Lefitolimod as a partner for immuno-oncological combination therapies

The lefitolimod-induced pathway provides the rationale for combining lefitolimod with checkpoint inhibitors. Response rates to checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy vary between different tumor entities and depend on the nature of the TME. "Hot" tumors with a T cell infiltrated TME show better responses. Therefore modulation of the TME is a crucial requirement for the response to immunotherapeutic approaches.
First combination data of lefitolimod with checkpoint inhibitors have been presented at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI 2017. The data showed that lefitolimod can significantly improve the anti-tumor effect of checkpoint inhibitors, particularly anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 antibodies, and thus prolong survival in murine tumor models.

For more information on ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) GI please visit the website:
View Source

On January 22, 2018 Altimmune, Inc. (Nasdaq:ALT), a clinical-stage immunotherapeutics company, reported that Bill Enright, President and Chief Executive Officer, will provide a corporate overview at NobleCon14 – Noble Capital Markets’ Fourteenth Annual Investor Conference, being held January 29-30, 2018 at the W Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Press release, Altimmune, JAN 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234523403]).

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14th Annual Investor Conference Presentation Details
Date: Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Time: 2:30pm Eastern Time
Location: W Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Studio 2
Webcast: View Source
A high-definition, video webcast of the presentation will be available the following day on the Company’s web site www.altimmune.com and as part of a complete catalog of presentations available at Noble Capital Markets’ websites: www.noblecapitalmarkets.com, and www.nobleconference.com. You will require a Microsoft SilverLight viewer (a free download from the presentation link) to participate. The webcast and presentation will be archived on the company’s website and on the Noble websites for 90 days following the event.

On January 22, 2018 BioSpecifics Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ: BSTC), a biopharmaceutical company that originated and continues to develop collagenase based-therapies with a first in class collagenase-based product marketed as XIAFLEX in the U.S. and Xiapex in Europe, reported that BioSpecifics’ President, Tom Wegman, will present a corporate overview at the upcoming at NobleCon14 – Noble Capital Markets’ Fourteenth Annual Investor Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday, January 29th at 2:00pm E.T (Press release, BioSpecifics Technologies, JAN 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234523409]).

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A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed under "Events and Presentation" in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.biospecifics.com or at View Source

On January 22 2018 AskAt reported Ningbo NewBay Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (Headquarters in Ningbo, China, CEO: Zhenhai Shen, NewBay), a subsidiary company of Ningbo Tai Kang Medical Technology Co., Ltd ("Ningbo Tai Kang"), which licensed AskAt Inc.’s EP4 antagonist AAT-007 (generic name: grapiprant) for oncology in China, has filed an IND application with the China Food and Drug Administration (Press release, AskAt, JAN 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234535057]).

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AskAt Inc. will receive a milestone payment according to the terms of the License Agreement executed between Ningbo Tai Kang and AskAt as a result of achieving this filing.

On January 22, 2018 Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:CLRB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of cancer, reported that company management will be participating in Noble Capital Markets’ Fourteenth Annual Investor Conference taking place January 29-30, 2018 at the W Hotel, Fort Lauderdale, Florida. James Caruso, president and chief executive officer of Cellectar Biosciences, will present a company overview and update on Monday, January 29, 2018 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time (Press release, Cellectar Biosciences, JAN 22, 2018, View Source [SID1234523412]).

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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

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Mr. Caruso’s presentation will be webcast live at noble.mediasite.com/mediasite/Play/bd87d408fdd34479a0030edf85b4af221d and will be accessible on the Events and Presentations section of the company’s website where it will be archived for a period of time.

About Phospholipid Drug Conjugates (PDCs)
Cellectar’s product candidates are built upon its patented cancer cell-targeting delivery and retention platform of optimized phospholipid ether-drug conjugates (PDCs). The PDCTM platform provides selective delivery of a diverse range of oncologic payloads to cancerous cells, whether a hematologic cancer or solid tumor, the primary tumor, a metastatic tumor or cancer stem cells. The selective delivery of oncologic payloads allows for the modification of the payloads’ therapeutic window which may maintain or enhance drug potency while reducing the number and severity of adverse events. The PDC platform takes advantage of a metabolic pathway utilized by all tumor cell types in all stages of the tumor "cycle." This allows the PDC molecules to gain access to the intracellular compartment of the tumor cells and for the PDCs to continue to accumulate over time, which enhances drug efficacy. The PDC platform’s mechanism of entry does not rely upon specific cell surface epitopes or antigens as are required by other targeted delivery platforms. In addition to the benefits provided by the mechanism of entry, PDCs offer the potential advantage of having the ability to be conjugated to molecules in numerous ways, thereby increasing the types of molecules selectively delivered via the PDC. The PDC platform possesses the potential for the discovery and development of the next generation of cancer-targeting agents.