On January 6, 2025 Orca Bio, a late-stage biotechnology company committed to transforming the lives of patients through high-precision cell therapy, reported that Ivan Dimov, Ph.D., Orca Bio’s co-founder and chief executive officer, will present at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco, CA (Press release, Orca Bio, JAN 6, 2025, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=orca-bio-to-present-at-the-43rd-annual-j-p-morgan-healthcare-conference [SID1234649436]).

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 company presentation will take place on Monday, January 13, 2025, at 8:00AM PST at the Westin St. Francis in the Golden Gate Room on the 32nd floor.

On January 6, 2025 Marijuana, Inc. (OTCPINK: MAJI), dba Exousia Pro, Inc., reported it has acquired 100% of Exousia AI in a cash and stock transaction from Ludwig Enterprises, Inc (Press release, Exousia Pro, JAN 6, 2025, View Source [SID1234656255]). Exousia Pro will issue 47,000,000 million restricted shares of its Common stock to Ludwig Enterprises.

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 47,000,000 shares being issued are restricted shares with certain lock-up features. The legend cannot be removed until six months AFTER Exousia Pro has completed its up-listing with NASDAQ or an equivalent exchange. The Company further agreed to assume liabilities under $75,000 and issued Ludwig a Note for $100,000.

Exousia AI is a leading USA-based biotechnology company in the field of Exosomes. The Company secured a worldwide license for its Exosome technology. The technology covers growing and extracting plant-based exosomes and loading them for use as a drug delivery system. The loading process can also be applied to human-derived exosomes. The acquisition includes an ongoing study on using Exosomes to treat Glioblastoma ("GBM"). The study is well underway, with very promising initial findings. Exousia AI is involved in other studies, including one study concluding in Italy. Exousia Pro will enter two additional studies covering dermatology and the dental market that are part of the acquisition.

Exousia Pro will manufacture and sell vials of wet exosomes or jars of dried exosomes to the nutraceutical and dermatology markets. The OTC exosome market, known as cosmeceuticals, is rapidly expanding due to consumer demand for antiaging and regenerative skincare solutions. A 30-day treatment for skin and hair sells for $400 a vial. Reports suggest a compound annual growth rate of 10%, growing from $310 million in 2025 to $633 million in 2033, for the exosomes skincare market; this is a global trend, with markets in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific showing strong growth.

Exousia is in talks to license several other patents using Exosomes, which, once secured, will allow the Company to expand its oncology studies beyond GBM.

When Exousia Pro proves its technology enhances current chemotherapy drugs on the market, it can contact the drug manufacturers and license the tech for use in their drug therapy.

"The exosome market is in its infancy, but poised for explosive growth, as evidence by a surge of promising studies," said CEO of Marijuana Inc., Michael Sheikh. "Mounting research points to the vast therapeutic potential of exosomes, highlighting their capacity to precisely target diseases while minimizing side effects. Investors may not fully appreciate the dominance of monoclonal antibodies, which now lead the pharmaceutical market in revenue. This success stems from their ability to target diseased cells, often delivering therapeutic payloads directly where needed. Every major pharmaceutical company is actively developing monoclonal antibody drugs, driven by the universal desire for treatments that alleviate symptoms without causing new ones."

"Exosomes represent the next generation of targeted therapies, surpassing monoclonal antibodies in several key aspects. They offer significant cost advantages in production, the capacity to deliver larger and more complex payloads, including sensitive molecules like DNA, and a broader range of applications. Importantly, exosomes also mitigate the risk of off-target effects and immune reactions often associated with current monoclonal antibody treatments. This would be a key selling point in the event of licensing discussions. Exosomes embody an elegant evolution in biotechnology, and Exousia Pro is committed to spearheading their commercialization and therapeutic development."

On January 6, 2025 ORIC Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ORIC), a clinical stage oncology company focused on developing treatments that address mechanisms of therapeutic resistance, reported that Jacob M. Chacko, M.D., chief executive officer, will present a company overview at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, at 11:15 a.m. PT (Press release, ORIC Pharmaceuticals, JAN 6, 2025, View Source [SID1234649437]).

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!

A live webcast of the company presentation will be available through the investor section of the company’s website at www.oricpharma.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days following the event.

On January 6, 2025 Adcentrx Therapeutics ("Adcentrx"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing innovative protein conjugates for cancer and other life-threatening diseases, reported the first patient dosed in the Phase 1a/b study of ADRX-0405 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors (Press release, Adcentrx Therapeutics, JAN 6, 2025, View Source [SID1234649421]).

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!

"Advancing our second program into clinical trials marks an important milestone for Adcentrx and further validates the potential of our ADC technology platform," said Hui Li, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Adcentrx. "STEAP1 is an attractive ADC target, and we are excited about the first-in-class potential for ADRX-0405. We believe this novel ADC offers a unique approach to treating patients with STEAP1-expressing cancers, such as metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, where a significant unmet need remains for new targeted therapies."

The first-in-human Phase 1a/b clinical trial of ADRX-0405 is an open-label dose escalation and dose expansion study being conducted across sites in the U.S. The trial is enrolling patients with select advanced solid tumors, with the primary objectives of characterizing the safety and tolerability of ADRX-0405 and determining its optimal dose. The company anticipates an initial data readout in 4Q 2025.

About ADRX-0405

ADRX-0405 is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) composed of a humanized IgG1 antibody targeting six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of the prostate 1 (STEAP1), a cell surface protein that is upregulated in prostate cancer and certain other cancers, yet has limited expression in normal healthy tissue.

Adcentrx’s proprietary i-Conjugation technology platform is an important component in the design of ADRX-0405. The platform utilizes protease-cleavable linkers and stable conjugation chemistry to enhance payload delivery. This advanced technology ensures a highly stable ADC with a topoisomerase inhibitor payload conjugated at a drug-to-antibody ratio of eight (DAR 8). ADRX-0405 preclinical studies have demonstrated its favorable pharmacokinetics, safety profile, and significant efficacy across multiple tumor models.

For more information about the ADRX-0405 Phase 1a/b clinical trial, please refer to the Study ID NCT06710379 on ClinicalTrials.gov.

On January 6, 2025 Rakovina Therapeutics Inc. (TSX-V: RKV), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of new cancer therapies based on novel DNA-damage response technologies, reported the successful synthesis of novel small-molecule drug candidates designed under the Company’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform collaboration (Press release, Rakovina Therapeutics, JAN 6, 2025, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rakovina-therapeutics-announces-receipt-of-ai-derived-drug-candidates-and-advancement-to-preclinical-validation [SID1234649438]).

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 initial batch of compounds have arrived at Rakovina’s state-of-the-art wet-lab facility at the University of British Columbia, where they will undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy. Designed to function as PARP1-selective inhibitors capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB); these candidates may address a critical gap in treating cancers involving the brain, such as BRCA-mutated breast cancer and glioblastoma.

This achievement highlights Rakovina’s commitment to leveraging AI for rapid and efficient identification of novel drug candidates, accelerating the development of promising cancer therapies. Using the Deep Docking AI platform, the Company screened billions of compounds in silico to pinpoint small molecules tailored to meet specific target product profiles. The compounds were designed to demonstrate favorable drug-like properties, including high potential for efficacy, safety, and optimal pharmacokinetic profiles, positioning them as strong contenders for further development.

Revolutionizing Cancer Care Through Innovation

First-generation poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have dramatically improved patient outcomes in certain mutated cancers but are limited by side effects and in their utility to treat central nervous system (CNS) malignancies as they cannot readily pass through the blood-brain barrier. The successful development of a PARP-1 selective CNS-penetrant inhibitor could reduce toxicity while providing a new therapeutic option for brain tumors.

"This is a transformative moment for Rakovina Therapeutics," said Prof. Mads Daugaard, Chief Scientific Officer of Rakovina Therapeutics. "The delivery of these AI-designed compounds underscores the extraordinary potential of Artificial Intelligence to reshape drug discovery. By navigating chemical space with unparalleled precision, we can address critical unmet needs in oncology while significantly reducing the risks and timelines of traditional drug development. We are energized by this progress and remain steadfast in our mission to deliver innovative therapies to patients around the globe."

"Indeed, Rakovina’s ability to marry cutting-edge AI with its world-class scientific expertise positions the Company as a leader in the rapidly evolving biopharmaceutical landscape," added Jeff Bacha, Executive Chairman. "By leveraging validated AI to streamline the drug discovery process, Rakovina is not just accelerating timelines but redefining what’s possible in cancer research. The potential market for CNS-penetrant PARP inhibitors is vast, with significant demand for therapies that can address both brain cancers and BRCA-mutated malignancies."

"This achievement builds on the legacy of the Deep Docking AI platform, which has seen incredible success in the drug development space, including a landmark licensing deal with Roche that the platform facilitated in 2015," he added.

The 2015 licensing agreement between Roche and the University of British Columbia (UBC) for a potential treatment for advanced prostate cancer served as a strong validation of Dr. Artem Cherkasov’s AI-driven drug discovery platform. The deal, valued at up to $141.7 million USD with upfront payments, milestone payments, and royalties, underscored the platform’s ability to design clinically relevant drug candidates that address significant unmet medical needs.

Dr. Artem Cherkasov remarked, "With these newly synthesized drug candidates identified and now advancing into testing, Rakovina Therapeutics is delivering on its promise of innovation. This achievement positions the company to lead in addressing some of the most challenging cancers."