On April 29, 2025 Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) technology, reported the presentation of additional human imaging data that validate the potential of MT1-MMP, a tumor antigen overexpressed in many cancers, as a novel target for cancer treatment and demonstrate the positive properties of Bicycle Radioconjugates (BRC) for radiopharmaceutical imaging (Press release, Bicycle Therapeutics, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652303]). The data will be presented today during a poster session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2025 in Chicago.

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 additional imaging data using an early BRC molecule continue to validate the potential of MT1-MMP as a novel cancer target, demonstrate the translatability of our preclinical data and position our technology for use as potential radiopharmaceutical therapies," said Michael Skynner, Ph.D., chief technology officer of Bicycle Therapeutics. "The new imaging data from the second patient with breast and bladder cancer presented today build on what was previously demonstrated in the first patient with advanced lung cancer, and we are encouraged that these data represent what we have seen so far in 12 patients with various solid tumors. We continue to advance our radiopharmaceuticals pipeline and look forward to sharing additional updates in the future, including initial human imaging data for our second target EphA2 later this year and the start of our first company-sponsored clinical radiopharmaceutical trials next year."

AACR 2025 Data Highlights

The German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), part of a cooperative network with the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), will present human imaging data conducted with an early BRC molecule targeting MT1-MMP. Imaging was performed in a 65-year-old male diagnosed with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma, the most common type of non-small cell lung cancer, and an 84-year-old female diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer and high-grade urothelial (bladder) cancer.

The 65-year-old male patient with advanced pulmonary adenocarcinoma underwent fluorine-18-labelled FDG-PET/CT imaging and two weeks later underwent MT1-MMP-PET/CT imaging up to one hour post injection of the gallium-68-labelled BRC tracer. As presented at a previous medical meeting, the MT1-MMP-PET scan demonstrated BRC tracer uptake in the primary tumor in the lung and in the lymph nodes and bones where the cancer had spread, corroborating the findings of the FDG-PET scan. While MT1-MMP-PET imaging demonstrated lower BRC tracer uptake in the primary tumor compared to FDG-PET imaging [maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) 6.0 g/mL vs. 10.3 g/mL], MT1-MMP-PET BRC tracer uptake was comparable in lymph node metastases (SUVmax 4.7 g/mL vs. 4.4 g/mL) and higher in bone metastases (SUVmax 7.9 g/mL vs. 6.0 g/mL).

The 84-year-old female patient with invasive ductal breast cancer and high-grade urothelial cancer underwent contrast-enhanced CT imaging and later underwent MT1-MMP-PET/CT imaging up to one hour post injection of the gallium-68-labelled BRC tracer. The MT1-MMP-PET scan revealed higher BRC tracer uptake in the primary tumors in the breast (SUVmax 4.5 g/mL) and the bladder (SUVmax 6.6 g/mL) compared to contrast-enhanced CT imaging. The MT1-MMP-PET scan also showed the cancer spread to the lymph nodes, lower spine (sacral bone) and skull, and detected a mass in the adrenal gland above the left kidney. Surgery confirmed the patient had bladder cancer that spread to the lymph nodes, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) testing confirmed MT1-MMP expression in the tumor cells.

These data are representative of the results seen in 12 out of 14 patients with various cancers, including those affecting the lung, head and neck, and bladder, who have undergone MT1-MMP-PET imaging to date. Imaging was unsuccessful or inconclusive in two patients. Overall, the results demonstrate the rapid distribution of the BRC tracer throughout the body, high uptake of the BRC tracer in the primary tumor(s) and/or in metastases where the cancer spread in the body, and elimination through the kidneys. Scans showing retention in the kidneys were in line with expectations given the imaging was conducted using a pathfinder non-optimized BRC imaging agent. Additional and more detailed analyses of the data and confirmation of MT1-MMP expression in the tumors via IHC are ongoing.

The poster presentation, "Development and clinical translation of phage display derived MT1-MMP-specific bicyclic peptide for radiotheranostic applications," is available in the Publications section of the Bicycle Therapeutics website.

On April 29, 2025 Shorla Oncology (‘Shorla’), a U.S.-Ireland specialty pharmaceutical company, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted approval for 100 mg/10mL multi-dose vial of TEPYLUTE, a ready-to-dilute formulation of thiotepa to treat breast and ovarian cancer, that eliminates the need for reconstitution and may reduce preparation time and errors offering more scheduling flexibility for their patients (Press release, Shorla Oncology, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652341]).

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!

"We are pleased to offer another viable treatment option for patients with breast and ovarian cancer," said Sharon Cunningham, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Shorla Oncology. "Once opened, our 100mg vial of TEPYLUTE is stable for 14 days when properly stored, giving providers the flexibility they need when preparing and administering this very important treatment.

TEPYLUTE is a ready to dilute formulation of a well-established, standard of care oncology drug thiotepa that has been manufactured as freeze-dried powder since the 1950s.

"This is a huge win for providers because TEPYLUTE avoids the need for complicated and time-consuming reconstitution," said Orlaith Ryan, Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder of Shorla Oncology.

We are excited to bring TEPYLUTE to the US Market. It provides consistent dosing accuracy and allows for "just in time" preparation, which benefits everyone, especially patients." said Rayna Herman, Chief Commercial Officer, Shorla Oncology.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 300,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in the U.S in 2025.2 About 20,890 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2025.

On April 29, 2025 Blacksmith Medicines, Inc. (Blacksmith), a leading biopharma dedicated to discovering and developing therapeutics targeting metalloenzymes, reported the company will present data on its oncology program targeting flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1), a structure-specific metallonuclease that cleaves 5′ DNA flaps during replication and repair, at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2025, taking place April 25-30 at the McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, IL (Press release, Blacksmith Medicines, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652304]).

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!

Details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Abstract Number: 5720
Title: "Novel FEN1 nuclease inhibitor shows synergy with PARP-targeting drugs"
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics
Session Title: PARP Inhibitors
Session Date and Time: Tuesday April 29, 2025 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Location: Poster Section 24
Poster Board Number: 7

The abstract is now available on the conference website at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2025.

About FEN1
Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is a structure-specific di-magnesium metallonuclease that cleaves 5′ DNA flaps during replication and repair. FEN1 is an attractive target for development of anticancer therapeutics because it is overexpressed in many tumor types and has a large number of synthetic lethality partners including genes in Homologous Recombination (HR) pathway.

About metalloenzymes and the Blacksmith platform
Metalloenzymes utilize a metal ion cofactor in the enzyme active site to perform essential biological functions. This diverse class of targets has historically been difficult to drug due to small molecule chemistry limitations that have plagued the industry. The Blacksmith metalloenzyme platform has solved this problem by leveraging the following:

A large proprietary fragment library of metal-binding pharmacophores (MBPs);
A comprehensive database containing a full characterization of the metalloenzyme genome including functions, metal cofactors, and associations to disease;
A first-of-its-kind metallo-CRISPR library of custom single guide RNAs;
An industry-leading metalloenzyme computational toolkit for docking, modeling and structure-based drug design; and
A robust and blocking intellectual property estate covering bioinorganic, medicinal, and computational chemistry approaches for metalloenzyme-targeted medicines.

On April 29, 2025 Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: TNXP) (Tonix or the Company), a fully-integrated biopharmaceutical company with marketed products and a pipeline of development candidates, reported data in a poster presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2025 Annual Meeting, held April 25-30, 2025, in Chicago, IL (Press release, TONIX Pharmaceuticals, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652325]). A copy of the Company’s presentation is available under the Scientific Presentations tab of the Tonix website at www.tonixpharma.com. The presentation titled, "TFF2-mediated CXCR4 partial agonism outperforms CXCR4 antagonism in reducing murine gastric cancer by suppressing PMN-MDSC generation," demonstrated positive data in gastric cancer animal models. In the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) presentation, a fusion protein of murine trefoil factor family member 2- murine serum albumin (mTFF2-MSA) was studied. Tonix is developing human TFF2-human serum albumin (hTFF2-HAS) as TNX-1700.

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 combination therapy of mTFF2-MSA with anti-PD1 treatment shows promise in reducing immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) in animal models," said Seth Lederman, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Tonix Pharmaceuticals. "We are excited to develop TNX-1700 (TFF2-HAS) as the lead program in our immuno-oncology pipeline, by testing potential dosing strategies, and establishing potential clinical biomarkers through preclinical models."

Immunosuppressive neutrophils, also known as polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs), are a major component in solid tumors that significantly hinder anti-tumor activity1,2. Despite being short-lived, their continuous replenishment from the bone marrow sustains their potent immunosuppression in the TME3. Stromal cells in the TME promote immunosuppression by recruiting MDSCs via secretion of CXCL12. Trefoil Factor 2 (TFF2), a secreted peptide of the trefoil factor family, has displayed activity as a partial agonist of CXCR44,5. Data presented in the poster demonstrated that TFF2-MSA selectively reduces immunosuppressive neutrophils and cancer-driven granulopoiesis. Treatment with TFF2-MSA, in combination with an anti-PD1 antibody, induced robust anti-tumoral CD8+ T cell responses, inhibiting tumor invasion. TFF2 reduction correlated with elevated PMN-MDSCs in gastric cancer patients, highlighting the potential negative correlation between TFF2 and PMN-MDSCs levels.

About Trefoil Factor Family Member 2 (TFF2)

Human TFF2 is a secreted protein, encoded by the TFF2 gene in humans, that is expressed in gastrointestinal mucosa where it functions to protect and repair mucosa. TFF2 is also expressed at low levels in splenic immune cells and is now appreciated to have intravascular roles in the spleen and in the tumor microenvironment. In gastric cancer, TFF2 is epigenetically silenced, and TFF2 is suggested to be protective against cancer development through several mechanisms. Tonix is developing TNX-1700 (rTFF2-HSA) for the treatment of gastric and colon cancers under a license from Columbia University. The inventor of the core technology at Columbia is Dr. Timothy Wang, who is an expert in the molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis whose research has focused on the carcinogenic role of inflammation in modulating stem cell functions. Dr. Wang demonstrated that knocking out the mTFF2 gene in mice leads to faster tumor growth and that overexpression of TFF2 markedly suppresses tumor growth by curtailing the homing, differentiation, and expansion of MDSCs to allow activation of cancer-killing CD8+ T cells. He went on to show that a novel engineered form of recombinant murine TFF2 (mTFF2-CTP) had an extended half-life in vivo and was able to suppress MDSCs and tumor growth in an animal model of colorectal cancer. Later, he showed in gastric cancer models that suppressing MDSCs using chemotherapy enhances the effectiveness of anti-PD1 therapy and significantly reduces tumor growth. Dr. Wang proposed the concept of employing rTFF2 in combination with other therapies in cancer prevention and early treatment.

On April 29, 2025 Ensoma, a genomic medicines company advancing the future of medicine through one-time, in vivo therapies designed to precisely and durably engineer the hematopoietic system to treat chronic diseases, reported it will present preclinical data and manufacturing advancements at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 28th Annual Meeting, hosted May 13-17 in New Orleans (Press release, Ensoma, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652342]).

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’s poster presentations will highlight key programs that leverage its in vivo HSC engineering platform. Ensoma combines a unique delivery system with an advanced gene engineering toolkit, offering the potential for durable, transformative therapies to address chronic diseases, improve patient access and significantly reduce treatment burden. The platform uses virus-like particles (VLPs) that preferentially bind to HSCs, efficiently deliver DNA to the nucleus and de-target the liver. With a 35-kilobase cargo capacity, these VLPs carry a diverse range of genomic engineering constructs, including control elements that enable specific cargo expression in targeted cells, from single base edits to large multi-gene insertions.

"We look forward to presenting preclinical data at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) that underscore the potential of our in vivo HSC engineering platform to address complex genetic disorders and cancer," said Robert Peters, Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Ensoma. "Exciting new findings from our non-human primate studies reinforce the precision and effectiveness of our VLPs, showcasing their ability to safely deliver genetic therapies with targeted biodistribution and expression. With this strong progress, Ensoma remains on track to initiate our first clinical trial in the second half of 2025—marking a major step toward bringing this groundbreaking therapy to patients."

"Building on this momentum, our novel adenovirus production process is a significant milestone for Ensoma, ensuring the scalable and high-quality production of VLPs needed for clinical trials," said Dan Leblanc, chief technology officer of Ensoma. "This robust suspension manufacturing process is delivering consistent product yield and quality to support the clinical use of EN-374 for the treatment of X-CGD. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our platform move closer to delivering potentially transformative therapies to patients."

Poster Presentations at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 28th Annual Meeting:

Title: In Vivo Engineering of Hematopoietic Stem Cells with Virus-like Particles to Generate Multi-Lineage CAR Immune Cell Therapy for Cancer (1783)
Poster Presentation Time/Date: 5:30-7:30 p.m. CT, Thursday, May 15
Location: Poster Hall I2
Presenter: Chirayu Chokshi, Ph.D., Ensoma

Data Summary: Ensoma will present updated data from its preclinical HER2 CAR program. An HSC-targeted VLP encoding lineage-specific regulatory elements to direct CAR expression resulted in robust generation of HSC-derived CAR-M, NK and T cells in vivo. This lineage-restricted, multi-cellular CAR therapy mediated tumor control and microenvironment remodeling, supporting Ensoma’s technology as a highly differentiated approach to addressing solid tumors.

Title: Novel In Vivo Gene Therapy Approach to Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Engineering Creates Durable HSC-Derived Neutrophils to Treat X-Linked Chronic Granulomatous Disease (1780)
Poster Presentation Time/Date: 5:30-7:30 p.m. CT, Thursday, May 15

Location: Poster Hall I2

Presenter: Sravya Kattula, Ph.D., Ensoma

Data Summary: Ensoma will present updated preclinical data from its X-CGD program with EN-374, which highlights the use of its VLP platform to efficiently modify HSCs in vivo and restore neutrophil function. In this preclinical study in a CGD mouse model, EN-374 provided durable gene correction in neutrophils to restore CYBB protein expression and activity. This study sets the foundation for Ensoma’s in vivo HSC gene therapy to reach the clinic and be applied to a range of genetic disorders that thus far have only been addressed with ex vivo gene therapies.

Title: Acute Safety and Biodistribution Profile of Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Targeting Virus-like Particles Based on Helper-dependent Adenovirus Serotype 5/35++ in Non-human Primates (1779)
Poster Presentation Time/Date: 5:30-7:30 p.m. CT, Thursday, May 15
Location: Poster Hall I2
Presenter: Patrick Au, Ph.D., Ensoma

Data Summary: Ensoma will present data from a non-human primate study evaluating the safety, biodistribution and transgene expression profiles of its HSC-targeting VLPs. Results showed favorable tolerability without any clinical signs of toxicity and a well-characterized biodistribution, supporting the continued development of Ensoma’s VLP-based platform as a safe and effective solution for in vivo HSC engineering.

Title: Development and Scale-up of a Novel Adenovirus Production Process (2016)
Poster Presentation Time/Date: 6:00-7:30 p.m. CT, Tuesday, May 13
Location: Poster Hall I2
Presenter: Chapman Wright, Ph.D., Ensoma

Data Summary: Ensoma will present the establishment of a novel, serum-free suspension manufacturing process for large-scale, high-efficiency VLP manufacturing. The presentation will address adaptation of an adherent cell line to a serum-free suspension cell culture, followed by a design-of-experiment strategy for efficient development of a clinical-scale production process.