On February 26, 2025 Renovaro Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ: RENB), a TechBio leader focused on next-generation diagnostics, drug discovery, and genetically enhanced cancer therapies, reported a definitive agreement to merge with BioSymetrics, an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery and biomarker identification company (Press release, Renovaro Biosciences, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650756]). This transformative partnership is designed to enhance Renovaro’s data repository, biomarker discovery capabilities, accelerate translational research, and bring precision medicine solutions to cancer and other critical disease areas.

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At the core of this collaboration is BioSymetrics’ proprietary Elion platform, a cutting-edge AI and machine learning engine that uncovers complex biological relationships to accelerate the discovery of diagnostics and therapeutics. BioSymetrics’ Phenograph provides a translational engine that maps human clinical signals to prioritized therapeutic targets and is designed to expedite and improve target and biomarker identification and enable patient stratification and drug repurposing. BioSymetrics’ advanced AI in vivo modeling and machine vision systems enable high throughput phenotypic screening, leveraging AI-powered analysis to detect subtle biological responses with unprecedented accuracy. Through in vivo modeling BioSymetrics has amassed an incredible database of proprietary in vivo experimentation, with associated behavioural and morphological analysis. This integrated approach hastens the discovery and validation of transformative therapeutics by bridging computational insights with real-world biological validation, and has enabled platform and analytic partnerships with Janssen, Pfizer, Merck, Supernus Pharma, and Deerfield Cures. By integrating Elion into Renovaro’s workflow, the combined entity aims to streamline the translation of biomarker insights into accelerated discovery timelines, enhancing precision in target identification and improving overall research efficiency, ultimately enabling faster and more effective drug discovery and therapeutic development.

"This merger represents a pivotal step in our mission to diagnose cancer and advance precision medicine," said David Weinstein, CEO of Renovaro. "By combining our expertise in oncology with BioSymetrics’ AI-driven biomarker discovery, we are creating a powerful synergy that will enhance our ability to identify new therapeutic targets, validate diagnostics and accelerate drug development."

BioSymetrics’ AI technology has been instrumental in uncovering novel disease signatures and optimizing precision medicine strategies. Through this merger, Renovaro will gain access to cutting-edge computational tools that enhance the ability to stratify patients, predict treatment responses, and drive more effective therapeutic interventions.

"We are excited to join forces with Renovaro to translate cutting-edge biomarker discoveries into tangible advancements in drug development," said Anthony Iacovone, CEO of BioSymetrics. "Our AI-driven Elion platform is significantly impacting precision medicine and by aligning with Renovaro’s deep expertise in immunotherapy and oncology, we can accelerate the journey from discovery to clinical application."

On February 26, 2025 IN8bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: INAB), a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative gamma-delta T cell therapies, reported that William Ho, CEO and co-founder, will be presenting at the TD Cowen 45th Annual Health Care Conference on Monday, March 3, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. ET (Press release, In8bio, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650629]).

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A live webcast and replay will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the News & Presentations section of the IN8bio website at View Source

On February 26, 2025 Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) ("Halozyme") reported that Dr. Helen Torley, president and chief executive officer, will present and host investor meetings at the TD Cowen 45th Annual Healthcare Conference (Press release, Halozyme, FEB 26, 2025, View Source [SID1234650645]).

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The presentation is scheduled for Wednesday, March 5 at 8:50am PT / 11:50am ET.

A live audio webcast will be available on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website. Replays of the audio webcasts will be available for 90 days following the conference.

On February 26, 2025 Neogap Therapeutics AB, a Swedish clinical-stage biotechnology company, reported that it has been awarded a USD 125,000 ScaleReady G-Rex Grant to optimise the development and manufacturing of its innovative personalised cancer immunotherapy, pTTL (Press release, Neogap Therapeutics, FEB 26, 2025, View Source;g-rex-grant-to-advance-personalised-cancer-immunotherapy,c4110383 [SID1234650547]). The funding supports Neogap’s efforts to further advance the manufacturing of their cell therapy product by developing a bioreactor process able to support large-scale manufacturing.

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The G-Rex Grant is part of ScaleReady’s USD 20 million programme aimed at advancing Cell and Gene Therapy (CGT) development and manufacturing. With this funding, Neogap Therapeutics will optimise manufacturing for pTTL (personalised Tumour Trained Lymphocytes), an ATMP (Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product) that combines EpiTCer technology with the PIOR AI platform.

Designed to target neoantigens with precision, pTTL uses the patient’s immune cells to generate tumour-specific T cells. It is currently being evaluated in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

"We are very excited to have been selected for this significant grant from ScaleReady and look forward to incorporating the G-Rex platform into our pTTL manufacturing process," says Kristine Bylund, Head of Cell Therapy Production and Development at Neogap Therapeutics. "Our development team has already completed preliminary experiments, and this grant will allow us to continue the development of a robust and cost-effective bioreactor process required to meet our quality and safety standards for clinical production, bringing us closer to our goal of delivering personalised medicine to patients in need."

"We are fortunate to have the opportunity to help Neogap develop a cost-effective G-Rex centric manufacturing process to create personalised Tumour Trained Lymphocytes. Neogap’s novel approach has the potential to make a highly favorable impact on clinical outcomes for patients with advanced colorectal cancer and are grateful for the opportunity to participate," says John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Wolf and co-inventor of G-Rex. ​

About Neogap’s immunotherapy, pTTL
pTTL (personalised Tumour Trained Lymphocytes) is a cell-based immunotherapy that enhances the patient’s own T cells to fight cancer. The therapy combines advanced DNA analysis with T-cell expansion in a precision treatment for solid tumours. It is based on Neogap’s patented technologies, PIOR and EpiTCer. The goal is to provide patients with a tailored and innovative therapy that meets their specific needs.

On February 26, 2025 IngenOx Therapeutics the Oxford-based biopharmaceutical company, reported positive interim results from its Phase 2 clinical trial investigating zabadinostat in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (Press release, IngenOx Therapeutics, FEB 26, 2025, https://ingenox.com/interim-phase-2-results-suggest-zabadinostat-combination-improves-overall-survival-in-advanced-liver-cancer [SID1234650630]). The findings were presented at The Lancet Summit 2025 in Shanghai, China.

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Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly used to treat advanced HCC. While some patients experience lasting responses, resistance to therapy is a common challenge. Collaborative preclinical research has shown that IngenOx’s zabadinostat reversed resistance to immune checkpoint inhibition in a clinically relevant orthotopic mouse HCC model (Tu et al., 2024). This study provided a strong scientific rationale for the clinical development of zabadinostat in combination with an ICI as a treatment for HCC patients who have become resistant to checkpoint blockade.

IngenOx is supporting a randomised Phase 2 clinical trial conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) to evaluate the safety and efficacy of zabadinostat combined with geptanolimab in ICI-resistant HCC patients (Experimental Arm), compared with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor such as lenvatinib or sorafenib (Control Arm). Geptanolimab is an ICI that targets the programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) receptor.

Interim results were presented by investigators at The Lancet Summit on Cancer Control in China, recently held in Shanghai (https://thelancetsummit.com/cancer-control-china/index.html). The results showed that the experimental combination with zabadinostat was associated with a higher disease stabilisation rate (61.5%; 95% CI 35–88%; n = 13) compared to the control group (46.2%; 95% CI 19–73%; n = 13). No difference in progression-free survival was observed between the groups. Median overall survival was 13.9 months (95% CI 8–14) in the Experimental Arm, compared to 9.3 months (95% CI 2–NR) in the Control Arm (HR 0.16, 95% CI 0.08–1.36, p = 0.12). These preliminary findings indicate that the combination therapy is well tolerated, associated with a higher disease control rate, and suggests a trend towards improved outcomes. The positive clinical results support the continued development of zabadinostat combinations for advanced cancer treatment.

David Kerr, CMO of IngenOx and Professor of Cancer Medicine at the University of Oxford commented:

"These promising clinical trial findings give us great confidence that we can recapitulate in patients the extraordinary results seen in mice models and deliver a telling blow to this awful disease. Our sophisticated trial design gives us the necessary clinical data to continue recruitment and stays true to our commitment to precision medicine as we interrogate the serial biopsies from our patients to discover potentially predictive biomarkers to further improve clinical outcomes."

Nick La Thangue, CEO of IngenOx and Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Oxford commented:

"These encouraging early results continue to endorse zabadinostat as a potentially significant drug in resistant liver cancer. We are pleased to support this trial and look forward to continuing our important collaboration with colleagues in Hong Kong."