On December 10, 2025 Diakonos Oncology Corp., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of immunotherapies to treat challenging and aggressive cancers, reported that the Company was selected for a Product Development Research Grant through The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), an award valued at more than $7 million. The Company was selected for funding as one of nine awardees out of 164 applicants for its proposal titled ‘Advancing DOC1021: Phase 1/2 Refractory Melanoma Study,’ which aims to expand DOC1021 into early-stage clinical development in a third target indication.

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"We are honored to have CPRIT’s support as we bring DOC1021 into a new and critically underserved indication," said Jay Hartenbach, President and COO of Diakonos Oncology. "Across more than two dozen preclinical tumor models and multiple clinical indications, our personalized dendritic cell vaccine platform has shown a consistent pattern of potent immune activation and efficacy. With CPRIT’s support, we are now able to evaluate whether these same immune mechanisms can also benefit patients with refractory melanoma, a population with significant unmet medical need."

Melanoma is a serious and often aggressive form of skin cancer that arises from melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin. While many cases can be treated effectively when detected early, some patients experience disease progression despite available therapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors or targeted therapies. In the case of refractory melanoma, the disease no longer responds to immune checkpoint inhibitors, resulting in limited options and poor clinical outcomes. Diakonos’ planned Phase 1/2 study will evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of DOC1021, along with ctDNA and immune biomarker responses, in this particularly high-need patient population.

"Despite the remarkable progress made with targeted therapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors, patients with refractory melanoma still have very limited options," said Ryan J. Sullivan, MD, Director of the Cutaneous Medical Oncology Program at Massachusetts General Brigham Cancer Institute. "DOC1021’s personalized dendritic cell approach, which presents each patient’s own tumor antigens in a viral-mimicking context, offers a compelling new way to re-engage the immune system against tumors that have escaped standard therapies. This trial will allow us to rigorously evaluate whether that biology can translate into meaningful benefit for this high-risk patient population."

Enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical study of DOC1021 for patients with refractory melanoma is expected to begin in January 2026, representing an important step forward in the Company’s efforts to advance this investigational therapy into early-stage clinical development.

About DOC1021

DOC1021 is a first-in-class, patient-derived double-loaded dendritic cell therapy that uniquely combines tumor lysate and amplified tumor-derived mRNA. The immunotherapy is made with a patient’s dendritic cells combined with mRNA and proteins prepared from freshly obtained patient tumor specimens.

The unique double-loading approach, which mimics a viral infection, unlocks a synergistic and exponentially more powerful tumor killing TH1 response driven by dual protein and RNA antigen sourcing, and it allows targeting of the complete cancer antigen pool. Moreover, the approach does not require any molecular modification of the patient’s immune cells for manufacturing and does not require preconditioning chemotherapy or high dose IL-2 for administration. DOC1021 allows for simple administration in the outpatient setting and broad reach via community cancer centers.

Diakonos currently has two active clinical trials with DOC102, a Phase 1 pancreatic cancer study (NCT04157127) and a Phase 2 glioblastoma (GBM) study (NCT06805305). Diakonos has received Fast Track designations from the FDA for both the GBM and pancreatic cancer programs, in October 2023 and May 2024, respectively. The company also received Orphan Drug Designation for the GBM program in January 2024. The refractory melanoma Phase 1/2 study with DOC1021 will be initiated with the facilitation and support of the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

(Press release, Diakonos Oncology, DEC 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234661356])

On December 10, 2025 Bantam Pharmaceutical, a clinical-stage company pioneering mitochondrial biology to develop first-in-class medicines for treating aggressive cancers, reported that the first patient was treated at The Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada in its Phase 1 clinical trial studying BTM-3566.

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This milestone is an important step as the company begins testing the safety, tolerability, and early signs of effectiveness of BTM-3566 in patients. BTM-3566 is a new type of medicine that targets aggressive cancers by modulating a stress pathway inside cells which may help patients whose cancer has worsened after other treatments.

This first-in-class small molecule works by activating the OMA1-ATF4 integrated stress response (ISR) pathway – a newly described mechanism that governs mitochondrial functions and how cells respond to stress. Instead of targeting an individual protein and its cancer-driver mutations, BTM-3566 specifically uses the machinery of the cancer cell to trigger cell death, making it an ideal treatment option for patients whose cancers no longer respond to standard therapies.

"Enrolling the first patient in our Phase 1 trial is a pivotal milestone in our clinical development efforts," said Michael Stocum, President & CEO of Bantam Pharmaceutical. "Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is an esteemed institution, and we are proud to collaborate with their expert investigators to advance this study for patients with limited treatment options."

Bantam’s Phase 1 program is active in both the U.S. and Canada to study BTM-3566 in lymphomas and solid tumors. The lymphoma cohort includes patients with relapsed/refractory mature B-cell lymphomas. The solid tumor cohort includes a broad range of cancers such as head and neck, lung, gastroesophageal/gastrointestinal, colorectal, sarcomas, uterine, renal and bladder, among others.

"Princess Margaret Cancer Centre is excited to be the first institution to enroll a patient in Bantam’s study of this novel therapeutic approach for those who no longer respond to standard treatments," said Dr. Albiruni Razak, Medical Oncology Lead, Sarcoma at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Bantam expects to have early information from the first patient available during J.P. Morgan Week in January 2026, along with a full summary of all non-clinical monotherapy and combination data underpinning its regulatory filings in the US and Canada.

For information about the ongoing U.S. trials, visit ClinicalTrials.gov and search NCT06792734 and NCT07266285. For information about the ongoing Canadian trial, visit ISRCTN.com and search ISRCTN15438979.

About BTM-3566

BTM-3566 is a first-in-class small molecule targeting aggressive cancers by activating the OMA1-ATF4 ISR pathway—a newly described mechanism that governs mitochondrial homeostasis and cell survival under stress. Unlike many therapies that target specific tumor mutations, this approach triggers intrinsic apoptotic pathways by modulating mitochondrial function, making it an ideal treatment option when patients progress.
In pre-clinical studies, BTM-3566 demonstrated potent anti-cancer activity, showing complete regressions in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models of aggressive B-cell lymphomas, including double- and triple-hit DLBCL and in MCL PDX models from patient tumors that progressed on rituximab, BTK inhibitors and CAR-T therapies. BTM-3566 exhibits activity in solid tumors, including tumor regressions in multiple PDX models, where low FAM210B RNA expression is a potential biomarker for patient selection. BTM-3566 also exhibits strong synergy in combination with other drugs, including BH3 mimetics, hypomethylating agents and rituximab, enabling both monotherapy and combination development strategies.

(Press release, Bantam Pharmaceutical, DEC 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234661357])

On December 10, 2025 BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (Nasdaq: BCTX, BCTXW) (TSX: BCT) ("BriaCell" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company that develops novel immunotherapies to transform cancer care, reported positive Phase 2 survival, and Phase 3 biomarker data across three clinical posters at the 2025 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS ) taking place December 9-12, 2025 at Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, Texas.

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"We are very excited to see the robust and positive biomarker data, which may enable us to more confidently predict clinical responses in patients treated with the Bria-IMT regimen early in their treatment course," stated Kelly E. McCann, MD, PhD, breast medical oncologist at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and lead investigator at UCLA for the Bria-ABC pivotal Phase 3 study. "These biomarkers could serve as highly valuable tools for clinicians, helping them inform treatment decisions for metastatic breast cancer, a complex disease in which many patients have limited or no remaining treatment options."

"BriaCell’s data shows the promise of the Bria-IMT regimen to address major unmet needs in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer, including in patients with CNS metastasis who have progressed on several lines of therapy – median 6 prior treatments," stated Chaitali S. Nangia, MD, Partner, Hoag Medical Group and first author of the poster.

"Our findings support further evaluation of cytokine and chemokine biomarkers as potential predictors of survival and clinical benefit with our Bria-IMT regimen, establishing a path towards more personalized therapeutic strategies in metastatic breast cancer patients with limited treatment options," commented Miguel A. Lopez-Lago, PhD, BriaCell’s Chief Scientific Officer.

The details of the poster presentations are listed below.

Late-Breaking Abstract Number: 3688
Presentation Number: PS1-13-22
Presentation Title: Impact of Prior Therapy, Genotype Matching, and Biomarkers in the Bria-ABC Phase 3 Trial
Poster Presentation Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM CST

Summary
In BriaCell’s pivotal Phase 3 study in metastatic breast cancer, patients are randomized 1:1:1 to receive Bria-IMT plus an immune check point inhibitor (CPI), Bria-IMT monotherapy or Treatment of Physician’s Choice (TPC). A pooled interim analysis of 116 patients with available MHC subtyping and median 6 prior lines of therapy assessed safety, biomarker correlations and progression-free-survival (PFS) per imaging. All data remains blinded to date.

Key Findings

Favorable safety profile: The Bria-IMT regimen was well tolerated with no treatment-related discontinuations due to adverse events (AEs). The most common AEs were fatigue, anemia, and nausea and were predominantly low grade.
Early PFS signals by subtype: Median PFS values appeared highest in patients with HR+/HER2- disease (3.7 months) and HER2-Low disease (3.9 months).
Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) as a potential predictive biomarker: Consistent with findings from the Phase 2 study , the Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) continues to show potential as a biomarker of clinical benefit. Patients with favorable NLR of 0.7 – 2.3 demonstrated longer PFS with a median of 4.4 months vs 2.6 months in those with NLR <0.7 or >2.3.
Conclusion
Biomarkers previously associated with PFS and overall survival (OS) in BriaCell’s phase 2 study continue to show a direct relationship with PFS in this ongoing phase 3 study. Further analysis is planned as enrolment progresses, and as OS data mature.

Late-Breaking Abstract Number: 3713
Presentation Number: PS1-13-23
Presentation Title: Survival Results of Phase II Bria-IMT Allogenic Whole Cell-Based Cancer Vaccine
Poster Presentation Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM CST

The data analysis of Phase 1/2 study evaluating the Bria-IMT regimen in combination with an anti–PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) in 54 metastatic breast cancer is presented below. Six patients had Central Nervous System (CNS) metastasis.

Summary
Positive Delayed Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) may be key predictor of clinical benefit as median overall survival (OS) was significantly (P=0.0001) higher in patients who were DTH+ (11.3 months) vs those who were DTH- (4.7 months).

In four evaluable patients with CNS metastasis, best clinical benefit Rate (CBR) including complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease (SD) in patients was 100% in HER2+ patients, 100% in HR+ patients, 50% in patients with TNBC, and 75% overall.

Conclusion
Maturing positive Phase 2 data continue to support the potentially meaningful clinical benefit of the Bria-IMT regimen and the ongoing pivotal Phase 3 study is further evaluating this immunotherapy and the role of biomarkers in predicting patient response.

Abstract Number: 1614
Presentation Number: PS2-09-03
Presentation Title: Th1-biased cytokine signatures as biomarkers of clinical benefit following SV-BR-1-GM cancer vaccination in breast cancer.
Poster Presentation Date/Time: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM CST

Analysis of 35 different blood cytokines/chemokines from 30 patients enrolled in the Phase 1/2 studies of Bria-IMT alone or in combination with an immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI).

Summary

Bria-IMT immunotherapy produced Th1 biased cytokine and chemokine changes consistent with immune activation suggesting their use as potential biomarkers to predict clinical responses of cancer patients to Bria-IMT regimen.
Patients with Stable Disease (SD) or PR (Partial Response) showed significantly higher levels of immune activating factors including IL-2, IL-15, IL-27, TNF-α, CXCL10, CCL2, CCL13, CCL26, and IL-17Apost-treatment, suggesting enhanced T-cell activation and pro-inflammatory signaling.
No induction of Th2- or regulatory-associated cytokines was observed suggesting that the Bria-IMT regimen did not suppress immune activation.
Elevated post-treatment levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and MCP-4 were associated with better Overall Survival (OS).
Conclusion
BriaCell’s data suggests that Th1 biased cytokines and chemokines may serve as potential predictive biomarkers of clinical responses to the Bria-IMT regimen in metastatic breast cancer.

Copies of the posters will be made available at View Source

(Press release, BriaCell Therapeutics, DEC 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234661342])

On December 10, 2025 IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: IDYA), a leading precision medicine oncology company, reported the submission of an investigational new drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for IDE574, a potential first-in-class KAT6/7 dual inhibitor with high selectivity over related KAT5/8 enzymes. The company is targeting to begin a Phase 1 dose escalation trial of monotherapy IDE574 in the first quarter of 2026.

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"IDE574 is a promising potential first-in-class molecule that potently inhibits two tumor-promoting epigenetic modulators, KAT6 and KAT7, while sparing other structurally similar KAT family members. Preclinical studies demonstrate KAT6 and KAT7 collaboratively control lineage-specific tumorigenic transcription factor activity essential for tumor cell proliferation and survival. Dual KAT6/7 inhibition by IDE574 disrupts tumor lineage identity and delivers robust anti-tumor activity in patient-derived lung and breast cancer xenograft models dependent upon lineage-specific transcription factor activity," said Michael White, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of IDEAYA Biosciences.

IDE574 is an equipotent, highly selective, small molecule dual inhibitor of the lysine acetyltransferase (KAT) 6 and 7, both of which have been shown to support cancer cell survival. IND-enabling studies support the potential clinical evaluation of IDE574 monotherapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, lung adenocarcinoma as well as additional opportunities associated with lineage addiction. IDEAYA is targeting to share data from its preclinical work with IDE574 at a medical conference in the first half of 2026.

(Press release, Ideaya Biosciences, DEC 10, 2025, View Source [SID1234661358])

On December 10, 2025 GENFIT (Euronext: GNFT), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with rare and life-threatening liver diseases, reported encouraging preliminary Phase 1b data from its CCA clinical trial evaluating GNS561 in combination.

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Clinical trial context and objective
CCA is a rare and aggressive cancer of the bile ducts, often diagnosed at an advanced stage. The unmet medical need is characterized by strong limitations in current treatments and poor prognosis. GNS561 is an investigational small molecule that targets PPT1, leading to autophagy inhibition and lysosomal dysfunction, which disrupt cancer cell survival mechanisms. By blocking autophagy, GNS561 aims to promote cancer cell death and may enhance sensitivity to other treatments. Combining GNS561 with a MEKi aims to unlock synergistic potential by simultaneously targeting autophagy and MAPK signaling pathways. In the on-going Phase 1b study, patients with advanced KRAS mutated CCA who have previously failed one or two lines of prior standard of care therapies are enrolled to evaluate the safety and tolerability of GNS561 when given in combination with trametinib, a MEKi, and to identify the recommended doses of the combination to be administered in Phase 2.

Preliminary results
The analysis evaluated 9 patients with measurable disease at baseline, 4 of them reaching tumor assessment at week 6. At this point, the combination therapy demonstrated:

Disease stabilization observed in all 4 evaluated patients, who had all shown disease progression during previous treatment;
Tumor shrinkage in a subgroup of patients with the best response showing a 20% reduction approaching the partial response (PR) threshold.
Achieving disease control and tumor reduction in such heavily pretreated patient population with advanced CCA is a significant signal of antitumor activity.

Clinical Impact

The results to date show a potential to address a critical unmet medical need in oncology. Patients with advanced solid tumors who have progressed on multiple prior therapies have limited treatment options and poor prognoses. The ability of the investigational drug GNS561 associated with a MEKi to achieve disease control in this challenging patient population would represent a significant advance. The consistent pattern of disease stabilization observed across all evaluated patients, combined with objective tumor shrinkage in a subgroup of heavily pretreated patients, suggests the combination has the potential to provide meaningful clinical benefit. Optimization of dosing and patient selection could lead to further improvement in response rates.

Dr. Mark Yarchoan, Associate Professor of Oncology at John Hopkins Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA), principal investigator of the program, commented: "Advanced KRAS-mutated cholangiocarcinoma remains a formidable clinical challenge, and the emerging activity seen in this initial study is encouraging. Because MEK inhibition alone has historically shown limited efficacy in this setting, the early signs of benefit with dual targeting of autophagy and MAPK signaling provide meaningful rationale for continued evaluation of this combination strategy."

Pascal Prigent, Chief Executive Officer of GENFIT, added: "These early results suggest a potential breakthrough for patients with limited options, and we are committed to advancing this program rapidly to individuals impacted by cholangiocarcinoma. We will also explore GNS561 potential in combination with other agents and in other tumors where autophagy inhibition plays a central role."

Next development steps

Phase 1b dose escalation will continue as planned to confirm the activity signal, with new data for the next patient cohorts expected in 1Q26. These results will be used to establish the recommended Phase 2 combination doses, with completion expected in 1H26. Phase 2 initiation is targeted for 2H26.

(Press release, Genfit, DEC 10, 2025, https://ir.genfit.com/news-releases/news-release-details/genfit-gns561-shows-promising-antitumor-activity-combination [SID1234661343])