On August 6, 2018 DotBio, a new company focused on the development of novel immuno-oncology drugs based on humanized domain antibodies, reported the company has officially launched and has successfully raised US$2.3 million in seed financing led by the HeungKong Group via Futec Biomedical Investments Limited (Press release, DotBio, AUG 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234646736]). DotBio is an independent biotechnology company that has spun out from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

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DotBio aims to develop a broad pipeline of drug candidates to address the pressing need for new oncology treatments based on its proprietary DotBody technology. DotBodies are domain therapeutic antibodies which are multi-specific, humanized and highly-stable.

As a result of their small size, domain antibodies benefit from superior tumor penetration and can be used as building blocks for multi-specific antibodies. DotBodies are optimized by a unique proprietary technology that improves antibody stability, reduces aggregation and lowers the risk of immunogenicity – increasing the probability of their success in clinical trials. The higher stability and small size of DotBodies make them highly modular, allowing rapid optimization of pharmacokinetics, multi-valency and multi-specificity.

DotBio was founded by Professor Pär Nordlund, a world leading structural biologist at NTU and Karolinska Institute, who has pioneered strategies to define cancer drug mechanisms, and Dr. Ignacio Asial, who designed and conceptualized the DotBody technology based on his expertise in protein and antibody engineering at NTU’s School of Biological Sciences. Dr. Asial will lead DotBio as Chief Executive Officer and Dr. Kelly Hew will serve as Chief Operating Officer. Professor Nordlund will be scientific advisor to the company.

As part of the spin-out agreement with NTU, DotBio will acquire the rights to the domain antibody technology through NTUitive – the university’s innovation and enterprise company – as well as certain assets developed under a previous collaboration agreement between ASLAN Pharmaceuticals (ASLAN) and NTU. NTU and ASLAN will take minority equity stakes in DotBio. Kingsley Leung, representing HeungKong Group, and Carl Firth, Chief Executive Officer of ASLAN, will join the Board of DotBio as non-executive directors.

The funds raised will enable DotBio to generate a number of therapeutic candidates and complete validation studies. In addition to agreed collaborations with NTU and Karolinska Institute, DotBio is establishing partnerships in industry and academia to advance DotBodies in clinical development. DotBio’s current internal pipeline is focused on multi-specific immuno-oncology drugs targeting different checkpoint blockades, positive immune signals and tumor specific processes with several candidates planned to enter preclinical studies during 2018. The broad applicability of the DotBody technology will enable DotBio to consider other therapeutic areas on a case-by-case basis.

Dr Ignacio Asial, Chief Executive Officer, DotBio, commented: "This is an exciting time for us to launch DotBio, the potential of domain antibody technology to change the way we treat cancer is clear. Our focus is on applying the world-leading protein science expertise of our team to revolutionize multi-specific, CAR-T and ADC therapies, positioning DotBio as a leader in next-generation immuno-oncology drugs."

Professor Pär Nordlund, Co-Founder of DotBio, added: "Multi-specific domain antibodies offer a more refined means to activate the antitumor immune response and to minimize adverse effects as compared to standard antibody-based combination therapies. It is our belief that DotBio´s powerful domain antibody technology uniquely positions the company to become a leader in next-generation multi-specific cancer therapies. The DotBody technology can also be applied to many other therapeutic areas and we look forward to opportunities to collaborate with industry partners and academia to realize the enormous potential of our technology."

On August 3, 2018 Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER) reported that the company will issue its second quarter 2018 financial results for the period ended June 30, 2018, on Thursday, August 9, 2018, after the market closes (Press release, Omeros, AUG 3, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2361970 [SID1234528383]). Omeros management will host a conference call and webcast that day at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. Pacific Time) to discuss the financial results.

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Conference Call Details

To access the live conference call via phone, please dial (844) 831-4029 from the United States and Canada or (920) 663-6278 internationally. The participant passcode is 3989669. Please dial in approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. A telephone replay will be available for one week following the call and may be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 from the United States and Canada or (404) 537-3406 internationally. The replay passcode is 3989669.

To access the live and subsequently archived webcast of the conference call, go to Omeros’ website at www.omeros.com and go to "Events" under the Investors section of the website. Please connect to the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to allow for any software download that may be necessary.

On August 3, 2018 bluebird bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLUE) reported that members of the management team will present at the 2018 Wedbush PacGrow Healthcare Conference, Tuesday, August 14, at 8:35 a.m. ET at the Parker New York Hotel, New York City (Press release, bluebird bio, AUG 3, 2018, View Source [SID1234528416]).

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To access the live webcast of bluebird bio’s presentation, please visit the "Events & Presentations" page within the Investors and Media section of the bluebird bio website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be available on the bluebird bio website for 90 days following the conference.

On August 3, 2018 Zenyaku Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Japanese-only website) and Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4519) reported that Zenyaku filed an application for approval with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody RITUXAN injection 100 mg and 500 mg [generic name: rituximab (genetical recombination)] for the treatment of "CD20-positive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) (Press release, Chugai, AUG 3, 2018, View Source [SID1234528993]). RITUXIAN is co-marketed by the two companies in Japan.

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Zenyaku received a request from the MHLW to develop RITUXAN for the treatment of CD20-positive CLL issued on April 6, 2012, as a result of the evaluation by the "11th Review Committee on Unapproved Drugs and Indications with High Medical Needs" held on March 23, 2012, and has been preparing to file for the addition of this indication. On March 20, 2018, the orphan drug designation was granted for RITUXAN for CD20-positive CLL as the estimated number of newly diagnosed CLL patient per year is about 400.

CLL is a disease in which small mature B lymphocytes proliferate monoclonally and proliferate in peripheral blood, bone marrow, lymph nodes and spleen, many of which progress slowly. This rare disease is mostly prevalent in elderly people, and considered as difficult to cure with current treatments while many patients often experience recurrence and progression repeatedly. The number of patients in Japan is small, reportedly about 0.3 to 100,000 people per year. The age of onset is typically over 50 years, and rarely seen in people under 30 years of age. In patients with CLL, the ratio of females to males is higher at about 1.5 or 2 to 1*.

Zenyaku and Chugai will continue to work for the early approval of the product to provide RITUXAN for CLL patients and medical professionals who are waiting for a new treatment option.

* Center for Cancer Control and Information Services. Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia / Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma View Source (Japanese only)

On August 3, 2018 NantHealth, Inc. (NASDAQ-GS: NH), a next-generation, evidence-based, personalized healthcare company, reported that it will report financial results for its 2018 second quarter on Thursday, August 9, 2018, after market close (Press release, NantHealth, AUG 3, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2361969 [SID1234528368]). NantHealth management will host a conference call that same day at 1:30 p.m. PT (4:30 p.m. ET) to review the company’s performance.

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The conference call will be available to interested parties by dialing 844-309-3709 from the U.S. or Canada, or 281-962-4864 from international locations, passcode 3132409. The call will be broadcast via the Internet at www.nanthealth.com.