On February 6, 2024 Precigen, Inc. (Nasdaq: PGEN), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of innovative gene and cell therapies to improve the lives of patients, reported Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President and CEO of Precigen, will participate in the Oppenheimer 34th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference taking place virtually from February 13 to February 14, 2024 (Press release, Precigen, FEB 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234639890]). Precigen’s company presentation will take place on Tuesday, February 13 from 3:20 PM to 3:50 PM EST.

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!

Participants may view details for the event through Precigen’s website in the Events & Presentations section at investors.precigen.com/events-presentations.

On February 5, 2024 Immix Biopharma, Inc. ("ImmixBio", "Company", "We" or "Us" or "IMMX"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering personalized therapies for oncology and immunology, reported that it has priced an underwritten public offering of 5,535,055 shares of its common stock at an offering price of $2.71 per share of common stock (Press release, Immix Biopharma, FEB 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234639874]). ImmixBio has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 783,970 additional shares of its common stock sold in the offering on the same terms and conditions. The Company expects to close the offering on February 8, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

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!

Titan Partners Group, a division of American Capital Partners, is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering.

The gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $15 million, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by the Company. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for NXC-201 clinical trials, working capital and general corporate purposes.

The offering is being made pursuant to an effective "shelf" registration statement on (File No. 333-269100) previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on January 3, 2023, and declared effective by the SEC on January 11, 2023. The securities may be offered only by means of a prospectus. A preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the offering has been filed with the SEC. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and when available, copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, may be obtained by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by contacting Titan Partners Group LLC, a division of American Capital Partners, LLC, 4 World Trade Center, 29th Floor, New York, New York 10007, by phone at (929) 833-1246 or by email at [email protected].

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

On February 6, 2024 The Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines, the nonprofit drug development division of Scripps Research, reported that AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has expanded its collaboration to further explore Calibr-Skaggs’ switchable CAR-T (sCAR-T) platform in solid tumor indications and autoimmune diseases (Press release, The Scripps Research Institute, FEB 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234639891]).

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 activity of our switchable CAR-T cell platform has exceeded even our expectations in these early clinical results," says Travis Young, PhD, Calibr-Skaggs’ vice president of Biologics and lead on the sCAR-T program at Calibr-Skaggs. "We greatly value AbbVie’s ongoing partnership to explore this platform in solid tumors and autoimmune diseases. We believe this platform has potential to make a significant impact across solid tumors, an area where traditionally CAR-T has not demonstrated much activity."

CAR-T cell therapies rely on gathering a patient’s own T cells, modifying them to specifically target cancer cells, and delivering them back to the patient where they eradicate cancer cells in the body. Broader use of conventional CAR-T treatments has been limited by various factors, including safety concerns and infrequent responses against solid tumor cancers. The hallmark toxicities associated with traditional CAR-T approaches, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), often occur due to overactivation of the modified CAR-T cells in the body. Calibr-Skaggs’ sCAR-T approach is designed to overcome these challenges by controlling the activation of these cells using a novel antibody-based "switch" which binds to a tumor-antigen and to the sCAR-T cell component, when dosed at an interval. The unique mechanism of sCAR-T may also enhance effectiveness in solid tumors.

Patients, cancers and treatment responses are often highly heterogenous. Therefore, the use of a switchable molecule could allow physicians to tune treatment for a patient’s specific needs, whether it be in response to symptoms or to continue treatment.

"We are dedicated to pursuing innovation that offers a potential solution to existing treatment challenges in oncology and immunology," says Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., vice president and global head of discovery research at AbbVie. "Unlike traditional CAR-T cell therapies, Calibr-Skaggs’ innovative approach may offer enhanced control and precision for activating CAR-Ts, thus potentially reducing adverse effects of existing CAR-T cell therapies. We look forward to working with Calibr-Skaggs to further explore this promising avenue in the pursuit of next-generation treatments."

Under the terms of the license agreement, AbbVie will pay Calibr-Skaggs an upfront license fee and maintain exclusive access to Calibr-Skaggs’ switchable CAR-T platform for a term of up to five years. AbbVie also has the option to license existing Calibr-Skaggs cell therapy programs under development for hematological and solid tumors, including Calibr-Skaggs’ lead program and will have the option to explore the applicability of sCAR-Ts in autoimmune diseases. Calibr-Skaggs is eligible to receive success-based milestone payments and royalties.

On February 6, 2024 Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APRE) ("Aprea", or the "Company"), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on precision oncology through synthetic lethality, reported that it has submitted an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate clinical trials of APR-1051 (Press release, Aprea, FEB 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234639876]). APR-1051 is an oral inhibitor of WEE1 kinase, which plays important role in cell cycle regulation and DNA damage repair.

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!

Based on preclinical studies, we believe APR-1051 is potentially differentiated from other WEE1 inhibitors in its: 1) molecular structure; 2) selectivity for WEE1 versus off-target inhibition of the polo-like kinase, or PLK, family of kinases; and 3) potentially superior pharmacokinetic properties.* Aprea has conducted extensive pre-clinical studies with APR-1051, which have demonstrated that the molecule may have highly potent anti-tumor activity, with a potentially favorable pharmacokinetic (PK) profile.

"Submission of an IND represents an important milestone for our APR-1051 development program," said Dr. Oren Gilad, President and CEO of Aprea. "APR-1051 is a next generation inhibitor of WEE1 kinase and, based on its unique characteristics, we believe it will be best in class. Pending clearance of the IND by FDA, we plan to commence clinical testing in the first half of 2024."

Clearance of the IND application will allow Aprea to initiate a Phase 1/2a dose escalation trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of APR-1051 as a monotherapy in patients with a defined genetic and/or molecular signatures. Further details on the design of this study will be provided at a later date.

* No head-to-head studies have been conducted with APR-1051

On February 6, 2024 ESSA Pharma Inc. ("ESSA", or the "Company") (NASDAQ: EPIX), a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer, reported that the Company will be participating in a virtual fireside chat at the Oppenheimer 34th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference on Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at 12:40 p.m. ET (Press release, ESSA, FEB 6, 2024, View Source [SID1234639892]).

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!

David. R. Parkinson, President, and Chief Executive Officer; Peter Virsik, Chief Operating Officer; and David S. Wood, Chief Financial Officer, will host and participate in one-on-one meetings.

A live webcast of the fireside chat can be accessed in the Investors/Events & Presentations section of ESSA’s website at www.essapharma.com. Following the event, the webcast will be archived on the ESSA website for 90 days.