On June 2, 2025 Kivu Bioscience, a biotech company developing next-generation antibody-drug conjugates, reported a manufacturing partnership with Sterling Pharma Solutions, a global contract development and manufacturing organisation, to produce cGMP-quality material for Phase 1 clinical trials of its lead oncology antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate, KIVU-107 (Press release, Kivu Bioscience, JUN 2, 2025, View Source [SID1234653658]).

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!

Under the agreement, Sterling will manufacture cGMP clinical material for KIVU-107 at its dedicated bioconjugation facility in Deeside, UK. The collaboration includes process familiarisation, analytical development, process optimisation, and scale-up activities in preparation for a cGMP manufacturing campaign.

"We chose Sterling as our manufacturing partner based on their deep expertise in ADC development, proven track record of clinical supply, and commitment to quality," said Mohit Trikha, Ph.D., President and Chief Operating Officer, Kivu Bioscience. "This partnership marks an important milestone as we advance KIVU-107 toward first-in-human studies and deliver on our mission to bring kinder, gentler and efficacious next-generation ADC therapies to patients."

KIVU-107 is a potential first-in-class antibody-targeted conjugate which enables site-specific conjugation. The resulting structure positions the linker-payload in a natural cavity in the antibody, providing excellent stability, reduced hydrophobicity, and an increased therapeutic index relative to first-generation ADC therapies.

"Our team at Deeside has extensive experience supporting complex ADC programs from early development through clinical manufacturing," said Chad Telgenhof, Chief Commercial Officer at Sterling Pharma Solutions. "We’re excited to support Kivu to bring this promising new oncology candidate into the clinic, leveraging our expertise and investment in world-class ADC development and clinical manufacturing capabilities."

Sterling’s 6,500-square-metre Deeside facility offers a range of ADC services, from discovery-stage development through to clinical supply. In October 2024, Sterling announced a £10 million investment at the site to double its GMP manufacturing capacity, as the second phase of an ongoing strategy to increase the capabilities that it can offer customers.

On June 2, 2025 Anixa Biosciences, Inc. ("Anixa" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: ANIX), a biotechnology company focused on the treatment and prevention of cancer, reported the completion of enrollment in the Phase 1 clinical trial of its breast cancer vaccine (Press release, Anixa Biosciences, JUN 2, 2025, View Source [SID1234653595]). This novel vaccine, invented at Cleveland Clinic, is also being developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic and the Phase 1 trial is fully funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

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 vaccine is designed to stimulate the immune system to target breast cancer before it can recur or develop. A total of 35 women have received the vaccine in the trial, including 26 in the triple-negative breast cancer ("TNBC") group, four in the prevention group, and five in the pembrolizumab group. These participants represent three distinct patient cohorts:

TNBC Group: Women who have completed treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, are currently cancer-free, and are at risk of recurrence.
Prevention Group: Women who are cancer-free but carry genetic mutations that place them at high risk of developing breast cancer and have elected to undergo preventative mastectomy to lower their risk.
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) Group: Women who are receiving pembrolizumab in a post-operative setting. These women are receiving the vaccine concurrently with pembrolizumab.
The final patient visits are scheduled for August 2025. Once completed, the final study report will be submitted to the Department of Defense. A Clinical Study Report (CSR) will then be prepared for submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. As part of the continued development process, the Investigational New Drug (IND) application will be transferred from Cleveland Clinic to Anixa.

Anixa and Cleveland Clinic plan to submit for presentation all trial data at a major upcoming scientific meeting.

Dr. Amit Kumar, Chairman and CEO of Anixa Biosciences, commented, "We are very encouraged by the data we are seeing from this trial. Preliminary results show that our breast cancer vaccine is well tolerated, with more than 70% of patients demonstrating protocol-defined immune responses. These encouraging findings are guiding our planning for Phase 2 trials, which will include discussions with the FDA, protocol development, manufacturing, and clinical site selection. While cancer vaccines have traditionally faced significant hurdles, our approach is aimed at a novel target that has not been previously explored in this context. We believe this could represent a new paradigm in immuno-oncology. The breast cancer market, particularly for triple-negative breast cancer and genetically high-risk populations, continues to face a major unmet need. Our vaccine may offer a unique, immunologic pathway for both prevention and treatment."

On June 2, 2025 IN8bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: INAB), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative gamma-delta (γδ) T cell therapies for cancer and autoimmune diseases, reported new long-term clinical data from its fully enrolled Phase 1 trial of INB-200 in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) (Press release, In8bio, JUN 2, 2025, View Source [SID1234653611]). The data were presented in an oral session on May 30th at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.

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!

"Half of the patients who received multiple doses remained progression free for greater than a year and a half, demonstrating functional recoveries, with several patients also having the ability to return to work. No new relapses have been reported since the last clinical update in October 2024" stated Burt Nabors, M.D., Division Director, Neuro-Oncology at the Heersink School of Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Principal Investigator of the study. "These early data highlight the potential of repeated intracranial dosing of IN8bio’s gamma-delta T cells to extend mPFS in GBM, including in patients with chemotherapy-resistant tumors."

The Phase 1 results of INB-200 demonstrate that repeated dosing of IN8bio’s proprietary Drug Resistant Immunotherapy (DRI) – which utilizes genetically modified gamma-delta T cells delivered directly into the brain – in combination with SOC maintenance chemotherapy (temozolomide), led to an mPFS of 16.1 months. This represents an improvement of more than double (+9.2 months or +132.6%) the historical mPFS of 6.9 months under the SOC Stupp protocol. These mPFS results have already surpassed the historical mOS of 14.6 months associated with the SOC Stupp protocol alone. By comparison, a 2 to 3 month improvement in mPFS has historically been considered as clinically significant and the bar for approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Importantly, no dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), CRS, or ICANS have been observed among patients treated with INB-200 (n=13). The majority of adverse events were Grade 1-2 and consistent with those typically associated with radiation and temozolomide. No treatment-related deaths have occurred.

Highlights from the Clinical Data as of May 31, 2025:

INB-200

Four patients (40%) who received repeated doses of INB-200 remain alive and progression free for a median of over two years, with three returning to work
No additional relapses were observed since the last data update on October 18, 2024
Among patients who received multiple doses of INB-200, mPFS reached 16.1 months, compared to 6.9 months with SOC and 8.3 months for patients who received only a single dose of INB-200
Repeat dosing demonstrated no additional safety risks, with most side effects being mild and attributable to the SOC therapy
50% of patients receiving repeated doses remained progression-free >18 months versus 0% of patients who received a single dose

INB-400

Data from our Phase 2 clinical trial of INB-400 in patients with newly diagnosed GBM, including three additional clinical sites, also show encouraging preliminary results: current mPFS is at 10.8 months. Additional updates expected late 2025

"Our goal is to achieve deeper responses and eliminate more cancer cells to ultimately extend the time patients can remain progression free and alive," stated William Ho, CEO and cofounder of IN8bio. "The data presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) by Dr. Nabors speaks to the potential of IN8bio’s gamma-delta T cells to provide a game-changing immunotherapy for this dire and life-threatening cancer. We believe that INB-200 represents a novel direction in therapy for the treatment of solid tumor cancers like GBM. The complete data from our Phase 1 trial and supporting data from our Phase 2 trial represent the first time a gamma-delta T cell therapy has shown the potential to extend mPFS beyond historical benchmarks."

IN8bio’s approach delivers gamma-delta T cells directly to the tumor cavity after surgery, applying sustained immune pressure to eliminate residual cancer cells. The Company’s DRI technology is designed to treat newly diagnosed GBM by harnessing the natural tumor-targeting power of gamma-delta T cells and the sensitizing effects of chemotherapy. This approach aims to eliminate the chemo-resistant cancer and stem cells that often survive SOC treatment and can lead to relapse.

Conference Call Details

IN8bio will host a conference call and webcast featuring Dr. Burt Nabors, the Principal Investigator, today, Monday, June 2, 2025 at 8:30 am EDT to review the updated clinical data from the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) presentation. The webcast can be accessed by clicking this link and can also be accessed on the Events & Presentations page of the Company’s website. To participate in the live call, please register using this link. It is recommended that participants register at least 15 minutes in advance of the call. Once registered, participants will be informed of the dial-in number and will be provided a unique PIN.

(1) Historical reported mPFS and mOS from Stupp Protocol (surgery, radiotherapy plus maintenance temozolomide); doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa043330

On June 2, 2025 UroGen Pharma Ltd. (Nasdaq: URGN), a biotech company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel solutions that treat urothelial and specialty cancers, reported the presentation of the uTRACT Registry study design at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL (Press release, UroGen Pharma, JUN 2, 2025, View Source [SID1234653627]). The uTRACT Registry is a single-arm, multicenter, prospective and retrospective study evaluating the real-world use of JELMYTO (mitomycin) for pyelocalyceal solution for the treatment of adult patients with low-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma (LG-UTUC) across the United States.

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!

"By capturing these real-world insights, the uTRACT Registry will inform best practices in the management of LG-UTUC," said Mark Schoenberg, Chief Medical Officer, UroGen. "This robust data set aims to support the ongoing clinical utility of JELMYTO in managing LG-UTUC, offering new insights into treatment patterns, long-term outcomes, and patient safety in real-world settings."

As of May 2025, the uTRACT Registry (NCT05874921) has enrolled 274 participants across 22 clinical sites nationwide, with a target enrollment of approximately 400 patients. Of these, about 340 are expected to have LG-UTUC, the population for which JELMYTO is FDA-approved. The study is designed to collect comprehensive data over a three-year period. This includes patient history and baseline disease characteristics prior to initiating treatment with JELMYTO, as well as details on the mode of administration, dosing regimens, surveillance endoscopy findings, and imaging results. Investigators will assess key clinical outcomes such as the presence of no evidence of disease at three months post-treatment, duration of response, recurrence-free survival, time to recurrence or progression, and adverse events.

About JELMYTO

JELMYTO (mitomycin) for pyelocalyceal solution is a mitomycin-containing reverse thermal gel containing 4 mg mitomycin per mL gel approved for the treatment of adult patients with LG-UTUC. JELMYTO is a viscous liquid when cooled and becomes a semi-solid gel at body temperature. The drug slowly dissolves over four to six hours after instillation and is removed from the urinary tract by normal urine flow and voiding. It is approved for administration in a retrograde manner via ureteral catheter or antegrade through a nephrostomy tube. The delivery system allows the initial liquid to coat and conform to the upper urinary tract anatomy. The eventual semisolid gel allows for chemoablative therapy to remain in the collecting system for four to six hours without immediately being diluted or washed away by urine flow.

About Upper Tract Urothelial Cancer

Urothelial cancer is the ninth most common cancer globally and the eighth most lethal neoplasm in men in the U.S. Between five percent and ten percent of primary urothelial cancers originate in the ureter or renal pelvis and are collectively referred to as UTUC. In the U.S., there are approximately 6,000 – 7,000 new or recurrent LG-UTUC patients annually. Most cases are diagnosed in patients over 70 years old, and these older patients often have multiple comorbidities. There are limited treatment options for UTUC, with the most common being endoscopic surgery or nephroureterectomy (removal of the entire kidney and ureter). Treatment with endoscopic surgery can be associated with a high rate of recurrence and relapse.

On June 2, 2025 Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) reported new Phase 1 data showing that its folate receptor alpha (FRα) antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) (LY4170156) demonstrated an encouraging safety profile and anti-tumor activity across dose and FRα expression levels in women with heavily pre-treated platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, including patients previously treated with mirvetuximab soravtansine (Press release, Eli Lilly, JUN 2, 2025, View Source [SID1234653643]). A preliminary overall objective response rate (ORR) of 55% was observed at the potential recommended Phase 2 dose of 4 mg/kg. Lilly’s FRα targeting ADC is composed of an Fc-silent, FRα specific humanized monoclonal antibody linked to exatecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, via a proprietary cleavable polysarcosine linker. These data will be presented today in a poster presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting.

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!

"ADCs have begun to change the treatment paradigm for some women with ovarian cancer, but a large proportion of patients still have a significant need for new therapies that improve outcomes regardless of FRα expression level," said Isabelle Ray-Coquard, M.D., Ph.D., president of the ENGOT (European Network of Gynecological Oncology Trial) group, medical oncologist at the Centre Léon Bérard Lyon France and principal investigator for the trial. "These initial data show activity across all doses and levels of FRα expression, including in patients previously treated with a FRα targeting treatment. Taken together with the emerging safety and tolerability profile, these data demonstrate early potential to meaningfully improve outcomes for women living with advanced ovarian cancer."

As of the March 9, 2025 data cutoff, the study enrolled 95 participants with high-grade serous ovarian cancer across four dose levels (2 – 6 mg/kg). Patients received a median of five prior systemic regimens (range 1-10), and 15% were previously treated with mirvetuximab soravtansine. Among the 95 patients, 51% had tumors with FRα expression less than 75%, 34% had FRα expression of 75% or higher, and 16% had expression results pending. Key endpoints were safety, pharmacokinetics, and anti-tumor activity per RECIST v1.1.

Efficacy results demonstrate responses at all dose levels, across all FRα expression levels, including in patients who progressed on prior mirvetuximab soravtansine. In the 58 efficacy-evaluable patients (37 patients remain ongoing prior to first response assessment and were therefore not yet efficacy-evaluable at the time of the data cutoff), the ORR was 45% (26/58 patients), and the disease control rate was 74% (43/58). At the potential recommended Phase 2 dose of 4 mg/kg, the ORR was 55% (11/20 patients). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events across all dose levels included nausea (64%), anemia (40%), fatigue (32%), vomiting (32%), diarrhea (28%), and neutropenia (27%). Treatment-emergent neuropathy and ocular toxicity has not been observed to date. No maximum tolerated dose has been established.

"We are excited to share these first clinical data for our FRα targeting ADC, demonstrating a promising tolerability and efficacy profile across all FRα expression levels," said David Hyman, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Lilly. "Based on these results, we believe there is the potential to significantly expand the number of ovarian cancer patients who could benefit from a FRα ADC. We are now focused on rapidly advancing this potential new medicine into registrational Phase 3 clinical trials."

For more information on Lilly’s oncology pipeline click here.

About LY4170156
LY4170156 is an investigational, next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting folate receptor alpha (FRα). FRα is a cell-surface glycoprotein encoded by the gene FOLR1 that binds to the essential nutrients folic acid and reduced folates, bringing them into cells to facilitate cell division and growth.1,2 FRα is overexpressed in many solid tumors such as ovarian, non-small cell lung, and colorectal cancers.1,3,4

LY4170156 was designed to target FRα across expression levels with an improved therapeutic index. LY4170156 is composed of an Fc-silent, FRα specific humanized monoclonal antibody linked to exatecan, a topoisomerase I inhibitor, via a proprietary cleavable polysarcosine linker (PSARlink). PSARlink’s unique structure "masks" the cytotoxic molecules enabling them to stay in the body longer, providing the potential to broaden the therapeutic index of ADCs. LY4170156 is currently being studied in patients with ovarian cancer as well as other FRα-expressing solid tumors, NCT06400472.