On September 15, 2015 Cancer Research UK reported it is launching three new funding schemes to support the careers of cancer doctors researching new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease (Press release, Cancer Research UK, SEP 15, 2015, View Source [SID:1234507469]).

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!

Over the next few years, the charity’s Clinical Careers Committee hopes to fund twice as many fellowships as were previously available. And three schemes will be available for clinicians at different stages of their careers.

The Postdoctoral Research Bursary is available to clinicians to carry out research while completing speciality medical training. This bursary covers research costs for up to two years but does not cover salary.

The Clinician Scientist Fellowship is available to researchers with no previous post-doctoral fellowship experience. It provides the successful candidate’s salary and research costs for up to five years.

And the Advanced Clinician Scientist Fellowship is available to researchers with more than three years post-doctoral research experience. This fellowship provides up to five years funding for the successful candidate’s salary, the salary of another post-doctoral researcher and an assistant or technician in addition to equipment and running costs.

Dr Karen Noble, head of research training and fellowships at Cancer Research UK, said: "We’ve listened to the needs of the community and we’re tailoring our funding accordingly. These new schemes will allow us to support talented clinicians and help to advance research into new cancer treatments.

"Clinical research is the key to finding out if a new approach to cancer treatment works well – and is safe – in patients. It also helps us discover which treatments or strategies work best for certain types of cancer or groups of patients."

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK’s chief clinician, said: "Finding the next generation of clinical research leaders is one of our highest priorities at Cancer Research UK. People who can turn our amazing discoveries into things that will help patients in the clinic are vital to our future. We’re excited to further invest in the best clinical research taking place in the UK."

On September 15, 2015 Foundation Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMI) reported the expansion of its suite of molecular information-based products with GeneKitTM, a genomics solutions portal for pathologists (Press release, Foundation Medicine, SEP 15, 2015, View Source [SID:1234507470]). Uniquely differentiated by the power of FoundationCORETM, Foundation Medicine’s ever-growing comprehensive cancer genomics knowledgebase of more than 50,000 genomic profiles, GeneKit facilitates the interpretation of genomic data generated by pathologists from targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) and "hot spot" assays. This integration will help pathologists to more effectively support clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies via the rapid interpretation and efficient reporting of genomic information to oncology care teams.

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!

"To ensure that molecular information is used to inform therapeutic decisions and improve patient care, we are offering pathologists a sophisticated clinical interpretation system. GeneKit will allow pathologists to assess a patient’s specific tumor alterations against a knowledgebase of curated genomic variants, relevant scientific research, targeted therapy and clinical trial information, enabling the creation of actionable reports in a timely fashion for care teams," said David J. Daly, chief commercial officer of Foundation Medicine. "Today, a large number of institutions use manual interpretation procedures that can be incredibly arduous, technical and time-consuming. GeneKit overcomes these challenges of manual reporting and furnishes pathologists with highly relevant clinical and scientific data for the betterment of patient care."

Since hotspot panels are most widely used in pathology laboratories, GeneKit has been designed to seamlessly integrate into a pathologist’s standard workflow. GeneKit differs from other pathology reporting tools because of the following key features:

Integrates with any NGS assay that interrogates the variant status of up to 50 cancer-related genes that are known to be involved in the development, progression and/or treatment of cancers;

Relies upon FoundationCORE, Foundation Medicine’s knowledgebase of comprehensive genomic cancer information;
Efficiently and rapidly organizes and reports information on up to 50 genes using data from FoundationCORE, as well the customer’s proprietary data;

Easily integrates with other IT systems;

Offers a user-friendly interface that gives pathologists customized reporting options; and,

Provides a reflex option to Foundation Medicine’s comprehensive genomic profiling assays, FoundationOne and FoundationOne Heme.

GeneKit is a cloud-based software solution and is a component of Foundation Medicine’s molecular information-based suite of decision support solutions. GeneKit complements Interactive Cancer Explorer (ICE 2) with PatientMatchTM, the company’s innovative physician-facing decision support portal. Together, GeneKit and ICE 2 provide an unparalleled offering of molecular information-based solutions that empower cancer care teams to make informed diagnostic and therapeutic care choices based on the unique genomic drivers of each person’s cancer.

On September 15, 2015 Foundation Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:FMI) reported the launch of its precision medicine partner program, Precision Medicine Exchange Consortium (PMEC), to facilitate data exchange, advance research, and support education and applications of precision medicine in oncology and molecular pathology (Press release, Foundation Medicine, SEP 15, 2015, View Source [SID:1234507471]). PMEC brings together oncology thought leaders from academic medical centers, regional hospital systems, and community oncology networks, initially located in the U.S. and to be expanded internationally, who share a vision for utilizing precision medicine as a means for improving clinical outcomes in oncology treatment. The consortium intends to realize this vision through a collaborative exchange of molecular information and clinical outcomes data, and through a broader integration of comprehensive genomic profiling in cancer treatment.

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!

Founding members of PMEC include The Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute, Hackensack University Medical Center, The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, UC Davis Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and The Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"Progress in cancer care will be achieved by breaking down the information silos that exist in healthcare and collaborating towards clinically robust and relevant data exchange," said Brian Bolwell, MD, chairman of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Institute and founding member of PMEC. "We applaud Foundation Medicine and our partner institutions in PMEC for their innovative thinking, for valuing the exchange of information, and for taking a leadership role to effect a positive change for our patients with cancer."

PMEC is being established on the guiding principles of innovation, education and the exchange of highly validated molecular information and outcomes data to improve cancer care. PMEC members will have access to a suite of innovative information tools and programs tailored to fit the needs of the individual cancer centers who are members of PMEC.

A selection of these planned offerings include:

access to a shared data exchange platform of de-identified, matched clinical outcomes and genomic data contributed by Foundation Medicine and PMEC members to support research and clinical innovation;
access to clinical research programs that integrate comprehensive genomic profiling to improve cancer care; and
programs to support the advancement of precision medicine and molecular oncology through training, education and streamlined member services.
Additionally, PMEC members can elect to participate in best practices exchanges, where members will have the opportunity to share ideas advancing precision medicine.

"The promise of precision medicine rests on these national and international initiatives, including PMEC, which enable investigators to share crucial data. Only through that data sharing can we understand the implications of genomics for patient care," said Mary Zutter, M.D., assistant vice chancellor for Integrative Diagnostics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

"The Precision Medicine Exchange Consortium is being developed as the most comprehensive program of its kind and will align innovators in cancer care around molecular information and clinical data curation and exchange," said Vincent A. Miller, M.D., chief medical officer at Foundation Medicine. "Collectively, PMEC is poised to fuel innovation, support cancer research and extend valuable information and education in a way that heretofore has not happened within the cancer community. We’re proud to be launching this initiative with so many thought leaders across a broad spectrum of cancer institutions and practices. We’re actively seeking new members who share PMEC’s vision, and we welcome conversations with additional cancer centers, data and informatics organizations and payers who embrace the opportunity to collaborate for the betterment of cancer care."

vTv Therapeutics has filed a 10-Q – Quarterly report [Sections 13 or 15(d)] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-Q, vTv Therapeutics, 2017, SEP 14, 2015, View Source [SID1234521330]).

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 14, 2015 Cellular Biomedicine Group Inc. (NASDAQ: CBMG) ("CBMG" or the "Company"), a biomedicine firm engaged in the development of effective stem cell therapies for degenerative diseases and immunotherapies for cancer, reported a scheduled poster presentation during the 2015 European Cancer Congress (ECCO) annual meeting to be held in Vienna, Austria from September 25-29, 2015 (Press release, Cellular Biomedicine Group, SEP 14, 2015, View Source [SID:1234507489]).

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 presentation will detail PLAGH/CBMG’s Phase I clinical trial data using Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T-Cells (CAR-T) targeting HER-1 for the treatment of patients with HER-1 expressing advanced relapsed/refractory Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The CAR-T trial was designed and conducted by Chinese PLA General Hospital ("PLAGH", Beijing, also known as "301 Hospital"), led by Principal Investigator Wei Dong Han, MD, PhD, head of PLAGH’s cancer immunotherapy department. Dr. Han and his research team have authored several CAR-T publications, including "Tolerance and Efficacy of Autologous or Donor-derived T-Cells Expressing CD19 Chimeric Antigen Receptors in Adult B-ALL with Extramedullary Leukemia" and "Effective Response and Delayed Toxicities of Refractory Advanced Diffused Large B-cell Lymphoma Treated by CD20-directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor-modified T-cells". (OncoImmunology (Impact Factor: 6.28). 03/2015; DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2015.1027469 and Clin Immunol. 2014 Dec;155(2):160-75. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2014.10.002) The Company previously announced positive clinical data from its Phase I clinical trials for CD19, CD20 and CD30 constructs targeting late-stage blood cancers.

Title: Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T-Cells for the immunotherapy of Patients with HER-1 Expressing Advanced Relapsed/Refractory Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Poster Session: Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper), September 26 2015 from 16:45 to 18:45 (CEST)
Abstract Number: 516
Poster Number: P250
Location: Messe Wien Exhibition & Congress Centre, Hall C
Presenter: Wei Dong Han, MD, PhD, Chinese PLA General Hospital

Company management will participate in the meeting and be available for discussions. Full detail of the presented data will be available on the Company website following the presentation.