On September 2, 2024 Theolytics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation oncolytic viral therapies, reported that it has been awarded £2M from Innovate UK’s prestigious Transforming Cancer Therapeutics grant funding competition to support the clinical development of its lead candidate THEO-260 (Press release, Theolytics, SEP 2, 2024, View Source [SID1234646268]). This non-dilutive funding adds to the £19M raised earlier this year from a strong investor syndicate comprising M Ventures, Taiho Ventures, Epidarex Capital, Oxford Science Enterprises, Sound Bioventures and Oxford University Innovation.

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Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, invests in innovative projects that are positioned to advance next-generation immunotherapies for cancer.

The grant will primarily support the Company’s upcoming Phase 1 multi-centre, open-label first-in-human trial to evaluate safety and tolerability of THEO-260 in patients with advanced-stage platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose. This trial is expected to begin in the coming months.

It will further allow for comprehensive analysis to elucidate and evidence THEO-260’s unique mechanism of action to destroy cancer cells and immune suppressive stromal cells, whilst also inducing T cell activation, through a comprehensive biomarker study, including the development of novel biomarker tests. Proceeds will also support the evolution of Theolytics as it continues to expand its footprint and reach as a clinical-stage oncology biotech company.

"This competitive award from Innovate UK in the category of "Transforming Cancer Therapeutics" reflects the novelty of our research as well as our ability to deliver operational excellence as we move forward to the clinic. This will allow us to precisely demonstrate the mechanism of action of THEO-260, which we anticipate will provide key information to enhance further development of this immunotherapeutic oncolytic virus and our wider platform," said Miriam Bazan Peregrino, Theolytics’ VP Translational Development.

About THEO-260

THEO-260 is a next-generation oncolytic adenovirus for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Positioned to tackle the complex, immune suppressed nature of advanced solid tumours. It demonstrates effective killing of cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), whilst inducing immune activation in advanced preclinical models, including extensive panels of ovarian cancer patient samples. THEO-260 will be evaluated in Phase I clinical trials by intravenous and intraperitoneal delivery to ovarian cancer patients.

On September 1, 2024 Collagen Medical, dba Lumina Pharmaceuticals, reported that the company has been awarded a $2 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Fast Track grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a member of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) (Press release, Lumina Pharmaceuticals, SEP 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234656611]). This award will focus on the development of an image-guided therapy paradigm for improving the management of gastric cancer by targeting fibrin in the tumor microenvironment. This SBIR grant follows numerous earlier NIH grants awarded to Lumina.

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"The Fast Track award from NCI represents another important milestone for Lumina as we continue to advance our platform of targeted molecular probes for medical imaging and radioligand therapy," said co-founder Dr. Gregory Sorensen. "This award will enable Lumina to further optimize our lead theranostic pair and acquire additional early clinical imaging data to inform our development plan."

Gastric cancer ranks as the fifth most prevalent malignancy and is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality globally. Despite advancements in the management of advanced gastric cancer, prognosis remains unfavorable, with median survival limited to 12–14 months even with combination chemotherapy.

Lumina’s theranostic strategy holds the potential to significantly enhance the quality of patient care in solid tumor cancers with high unmet need such as gastric cancer. The approach combines the use of a diagnostic imaging agent for patient selection with a precision medicine of targeted radioligand therapy.

This grant is provided by the National Cancer Institute under Award Number R44CA275590. The content of this release is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

On August 30, 2024 Innocure Therapeutics (CEO Yoo Hye-dong, Innocure), a company specializing in the development of targeted protein degradation (TPD) drugs, reported that Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) Kang Jong-seok will present the research results related to the company’s non-clinical candidate substance ‘ICT-1402’ decomposition agent at ‘BioCentury’s Grand Rounds R&D Conference 2024’ to be held in Nashville, Tennessee, USA from September 9th to 11th (local time) (Press release, InnoCure Therapeutics, AUG 30, 2024, View Source [SID1234651743]).

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This inaugural event, hosted by BioCentury, is a global conference that presents groundbreaking research, clinical insights, and innovative technologies with commercial potential for the next generation of biotech innovation.

InnoCure announced at the conference that its non-clinical non-small cell lung cancer decomposition agent ICT-1402 showed a tumor growth factor receptor (TGI) of 110% compared to the vehicle group in a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model experiment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 19 deletion and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) amplification mutation in the 6 mpk group, and was more effective than the control drug Tepotinib 6 mpk group with a TGI of 75%.

Yoo Hye-dong, CEO of Innocure, said, "Through this event, we will promote ICT-1402, a global leading MET decomposer, and achieve business results that will accelerate future technology transfer (L/O) efforts." Meanwhile, Innocure was selected as a baby unicorn company for the ‘Global Unicorn Development Project’ last June.

On August 30, 2024 Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) reported that it will present at the 2024 Wells Fargo Healthcare Conference at 9:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. Peter Griffith, executive vice president and chief financial officer at Amgen, and Jay Bradner, executive vice president of Research and Development and chief scientific officer at Amgen, will present at the conference (Press release, Amgen, AUG 30, 2024, View Source [SID1234646230]). The webcast will be broadcast over the internet simultaneously and will be available to members of the news media, investors and the general public.

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The webcast, as with other selected presentations regarding developments in Amgen’s business given by management at certain investor and medical conferences, can be found on Amgen’s website, www.amgen.com, under Investors. Information regarding presentation times, webcast availability and webcast links are noted on Amgen’s Investor Relations Events Calendar. The webcast will be archived and available for replay for at least 90 days after the event.

On August 30, 2024 Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT), the leader in precision genetic medicine for rare diseases, reported that senior management will participate in a fireside chat at the Morgan Stanley 22nd Annual Global Healthcare Conference at the New York Marriott Marquis in New York, NY. on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at 9:15 a.m. E.T (Press release, Sarepta Therapeutics, AUG 30, 2024, View Source [SID1234646256]).

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The presentation will be webcast live under the investor relations section of Sarepta’s website at View Source and will be archived there following the presentation for 90 days. Please connect to Sarepta’s website several minutes prior to the start of the broadcast to ensure adequate time for any software download that may be necessary.