On October 21, 2016 Myriad Genetics, Inc. (NASDAQ:MYGN), a global leader in personalized medicine, and ION Solutions, a part of AmerisourceBergen, and the largest physician services organization specializing in the support of community oncology, reported that they have entered into a relationship to deliver quality hereditary cancer test results and services to ION member practices (Press release, Myriad Genetics, OCT 21, 2016, View Source [SID1234515948]). Through this relationship, Myriad and ION will work together to enhance the operational and clinical value associated with hereditary cancer testing. Myriad will be ION’s preferred partner for hereditary cancer testing focused on bringing specialized tests and services to meet the specific needs of community oncology practices. This partnership will advance the organizations’ shared goals of providing accurate and comprehensive hereditary cancer test results and service to community oncologists and their patients.

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"Myriad has demonstrated its commitment to quality with its significant investments in research, laboratory processes, variant interpretation and exceptional customer service," said Mark Santos, RPh, president of ION GPO. "This relationship supports ION Solutions in making important genetic tests available to our members in a way that will help inform treatment decisions and build patient care plans in the context of specific practice processes and objectives."

"ION Solutions is the industry leader in bringing effective business and clinical solutions to the largest segment of community oncology practices in the nation," said Alexander Ford, president of Myriad Genetic Laboratories, Inc. "Our focus as a company is on providing accurate, affordable and clinically significant genetic test results to providers and the patients they care for. We believe we share this commitment with ION Solutions and their members, and that through this partnership, the largest, most innovative private practices in the country will gain enhanced access to our services."

On October 21, 2016 CEL-SCI Corporation (NYSE MKT: CVM) reported: following up on our press release issued on September 26, 2016, we have received the Partial Clinical Hold letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release, Cel-Sci, OCT 21, 2016, View Source [SID1234515949]). CEL-SCI has started working on a response to the FDA and will work diligently with the FDA to seek to have the partial clinical hold lifted.

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On October 20, 2016 Dilaforette Holding AB, a clinical-stage drug development company, reported its name change to Modus Therapeutics Holding AB and its intention to undertake an Initial Public Offering ("IPO") (Press release, Modus Therapeutics Holding, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234517242]). A rights issue is planned in connection with the IPO in order to finance the further clinical development of the Company’s lead candidate sevuparin for the treatment of sickle cell disease ("SCD").

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Commenting on today’s announcement, Christina Herder, CEO of Modus Therapeutics, said: "Modus Therapeutics is entering an exciting phase with the opportunity to develop sevuparin in sickle cell disease in two separate uses based on promising data, recently published in the British Journal of Haematology (Telen et al, August, 2016). Sevuparin is now in Phase II clinical trials and we have a clear objective to advance this promising candidate through these trials to establish clinical proof of concept in both a hospital and a home setting over the next years."

Viktor Drvota, Chief Investment Officer at Karolinska Development and recently elected as new member of Modus Therapeutics Board of Directors, said: "Modus Therapeutics has established a strong basis with sevuparin in SCD from which to advance to the next value inflection milestones. The proposed IPO would provide further support to the Company to build on its encouraging clinical findings with sevuparin and develop a potentially best- and first-in-class treatment for SCD patients with few effective therapeutic options. Modus Therapeutics is one of several companies in our portfolio that are expected to deliver important milestones in the coming years and we are delighted with how this portfolio is maturing."

For further information: Christina Herder, CEO, Tel: + 46 70 374 71 56, [email protected]

David Dible or Pip Batty, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, Tel: +44 207 282 2049/1022, [email protected]

On October 20 2016 Servier, headquartered in France, and Vernalis (R&D), a company based in the UK, reported that a new compound, discovered jointly by international pharmaceutical company has been shown by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Servier to block a protein that is essential for the sustained growth of up to a quarter of all cancers (Press release, Servier, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234515950]).

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The research presents a new way to efficiently kill these cancerous cells and holds promise for the treatment of blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, as well as solid cancers such as melanoma and cancers of the lung and breast. It is published online today in the journal Nature.

The Servier compound – S63845 – targets a protein of the BCL2 family, called MCL1, which is essential for the sustained survival of these cancer cells.

Institute scientist Associate Professor Guillaume Lessene, who led the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s research team in Melbourne, Australia, said the work provided the first clear preclinical evidence that inhibiting MCL1 was effective in targeting several cancer types.
"MCL1 is important for many cancers because it is a pro-survival protein that allows the cancerous cells to evade the process of programmed cell death that normally removes cancer cells from the body," Associate Professor Lessene said. "Extensive studies performed in a variety of cancer models have shown that S63845 potently targets cancer cells dependent on MCL1 for their survival."

The institute team of Associate Professor Lessene worked with haematologist Associate Professor Andrew Wei and Dr Donia Moujalled from The Alfred Hospital and Servier scientists, to demonstrate that not only was S63845 effective against several cancer types, but that it could also be delivered at doses that were well tolerated by normal cells.

Dr Olivier Geneste, Director of Oncology Research at Servier, said: "This preclinical research and the identification of drug candidates confirm the potential of MCL1 as a therapeutic target in cancers. S63845 was discovered through collaboration with the fragment and structure based discovery expertise at Vernalis. As part of the ongoing Servier / Novartis collaboration on this target class, clinical development of a MCL1 inhibitor should be launched in the near future."

Associate Professor Lessene said the research provided further evidence of the usefulness of a new class of anti-cancer drugs called BH3 mimetics. "BH3 mimetics inhibit a group of proteins known as the ‘pro-survival BCL-2 proteins’," he said. "MCL1 is a member of this protein family, and inhibiting it activates the process of programmed cell death. Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers revealed the role of BCL-2 in cancer more than 28 years ago and the essential role of MCL1 for the survival of malignant cells four years ago."

The research was supported through a research collaboration with Servier and through funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (US), Cancer Council Victoria, the Kay Kendall Leukemia Fund, Victorian Cancer Agency, Australian Cancer Research Foundation, the Victorian Government Operational Infrastructure Scheme and the estate of Anthony Redstone.

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute is the research powerhouse of the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, an alliance of leading Victorian hospitals and research centres committed to controlling cancer.

On October 20, 2016 Cantargia AB ("Cantargia") reported that it will be presenting new data at the Protein & Antibody Engineering Summit ("PEGS (View Source)"), an international scientific conference to be held in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 31st to November 4th 2016 (Press release, Cantargia, OCT 20, 2016, View Source [SID1234515952]). The company will be presenting data from preclinical studies in non-small cell lung cancer, where the product candidate CAN04, a humanised antibody against the IL1RAP target molecule, has been investigated. The presentation will take place on October 31st 2016.

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With the ambition of developing a new cancer therapy, Cantargia has developed a fully humanised antibody, CAN04, which binds with high affinity to Interleukin-1 Receptor Associated Protein ("IL1RAP"). The antibody blocks signalling from the inflammatory cytokine IL-1, which in turn reduces signals that promote tumour growth and survival. Cantargia has previously shown that antibodies against IL1RAP can stimulate killing of tumour cells in various preclinical PDX-models of leukemia.

In the new study Cantargia shows that high levels of IL1RAP are expressed also in several different solid tumours, including non-small cell lung cancer. CAN04 treatment of various solid tumour cell lines with IL1RAP on the cell surface led to a reduced secretion of the inflammatory and tumorigenic cytokines IL-6 and IL-8. CAN04 also stimulated cells from the immune system to directly destroy these tumour cells. In a PDX model, mice were transplanted directly with tumour cells from a patient with non-small cell lung cancer. In this model a microenvironment is developed in the tumour that is not obtained in classical cell line-based models. A statistically significant treatment effect was obtained with CAN04 in the study.

"We are very pleased to present new data on CAN04 at an important scientific conference. In addition to the documented effect in various models of non-small cell lung cancer, including a very aggressive PDX model, these results constitute an important base for continued studies of CAN04 both as monotherapy and in combination with other drugs", Göran Forsberg, CEO, says.

The poster, The CAN04 antibody targets IL1RAP and inhibits tumor growth in a PDX model for NSCLC, will be available at www.cantargia.com after the presentation.

This constitutes information that Cantargia is required to publish under the EU’s Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication through the above contact person on 20 October 2016, at 08.30.