On March 22, 2022 Cardiff Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDF), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging PLK1 inhibition to develop novel therapies across a range of cancers, reported that CEO Mark Erlander, Ph.D., has been invited to present at the 2022 Virtual Growth Conference, presented by Maxim Group LLC and hosted by M-Vest, on March 28th – 30th from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM EDT (Press release, Cardiff Oncology, MAR 22, 2022, View Source [SID1234610610]).

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Details on the presentation can be found below.

In addition to the fireside chat, Dr. Erlander will also provide a pre-recorded overview of Cardiff Oncology’s clinical and corporate strategy. The pre-recorded presentation will be available throughout the duration of the conference, which will be streamed live on M-Vest. To attend, sign up to become an M-Vest member here.

A replay of the fireside chat will be available by visiting the "Events" section on the investor page of the Cardiff Oncology website after the conference’s conclusion.

On March 21, 2022 Oncorus, Inc. (Nasdaq: ONCR), a viral immunotherapies company focused on driving innovation to transform outcomes for cancer patients, reported that President and Chief Executive Officer, Theodore (Ted) Ashburn, M.D., Ph.D., will participate in a fireside chat at the Maxim Group 2022 Virtual Growth Conference on Monday, March 28, 2022 at 12:30 p.m. ET (Press release, Oncorus, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610457]). Dr. Ashburn will also present a corporate overview, which will become available for on-demand viewing on Monday, March 28, 2022 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

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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

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A live webcast of the fireside chat, as well as the on-demand corporate presentation, will be available to conference attendees from Monday, March 28 to Wednesday, March 30. Both presentations can be accessed by visiting the Investors & Media section of Oncorus’ website at View Source

On March 21, 2022 Qu Biologics Inc., a private clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing Site Specific Immunomodulators (SSIs), a novel platform of immunotherapies designed to restore innate immune function, reported the closing of a USD$12M equity financing to enable expansion of Qu’s team, initiation of an additional three Phase 2 clinical studies, and the acceleration of Qu’s novel immunomodulation platform (Press release, Qu Biologics, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610479]).
Hal Gunn, MD, CEO of Qu Biologics, stated, "Our team is grateful for this new equity funding that will allow us to expand our dedicated team and play an essential role in initiating three new Phase 2 randomized placebo-controlled clinical studies. Two of these important trials are in critical indications for which there are no effective treatments – innate immune decline in the elderly and post-operative innate immune suppression."

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"We are highly motivated and excited to be in the position to strategically move forward with the expansion of our science, manufacturing, and clinical teams to accelerate the development of Qu’s first-in-class multifaceted immunotherapy platform, which is designed to safely restore and mobilize the essential effector functions of the innate immune system through a process that involves innate immune training and tissue-specific targeting of activated immune cells. In contrast to other immunotherapies that try to target one cell or receptor, SSI therapy harnesses and directs the multiple components of innate immunity required by the body to overcome pathology and heal," said Dr. Shirin Kalyan (PhD), Qu’s VP Scientific Innovation. Dr. Gunn added, "Given the broad application of our SSI platform, this funding brings Qu Biologics one step closer to providing critical, game-changing treatments for people living with cancer, infections, and chronic inflammatory diseases."
For more information about Qu Biologics and the science behind SSIs, please visit www.qubiologics.com.

On March 21, 2022 Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, reported that it has established a global clinical collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb to evaluate the combination of TST001, an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody targeting Claudin18.2 developed by Transcenta, with Opdivo (nivolumab), Bristol Myers Squibb’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction cancer (GC/GEJ) (Press release, Transcenta, MAR 21, 2022, View Source;gastroesophageal-junction-cancer-301507217.html [SID1234610496]).

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This collaboration includes two global phase I/II open-label, multi-center studies, one to be held in the U.S. and one to be held in China, to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and anti-tumor efficacy of TST001 in combination with Opdivo in patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic Claudin18.2 expressing gastric / gastroesophageal junction cancer with or without previous treatment.

Under the terms of the agreement, Transcenta will be the sponsor of the trials and Bristol Myers Squibb will supply Opdivo to Transcenta for use in its combination therapy studies with TST001.

Metastatic GC/GEJ is one of the highly prevalent cancer types globally and there is urgent need for new therapies that can improve patients’ survival. Claudin18.2 is a pan-cancer target and is highly over-expressed in gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, gallbladder and biliary tract cancer, esophageal cancer, and other tumor types. TST001 is a high affinity humanized antibody developed by Transcenta in house, specifically targeting Claudin18.2 expressing tumor cells and can elicit strong NK cell mediated antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The combination of TST001 with checkpoint inhibitor such as Opdivo could provide greater clinical benefits to patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric /gastroesophageal junction cancer.

"TST001 is a high affinity humanized monoclonal antibody targeting Claudin18.2. It has shown to be safe in ongoing trials as monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy and displayed encouraging anti-tumor activity signals in gastric cancer and other solid tumor patients expressing Claudin18.2. TST001 works through NK cell mediated antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity to exert its anti-tumor activity, and the addition of PD-1 inhibitor and chemotherapy have resulted in synergistic effects in preclinical models. We are excited to test the combination of TST001 with Opdivo for the treatment of metastatic gastric / gastroesophageal junction cancer as a new potential treatment option for these patients." said Dr. Michael Shi, EVP, Head of Global R&D and CMO of Transcenta.

Opdivo is a trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

About TST001

TST001 is a high affinity humanized anti-Claudin18.2 monoclonal antibody with enhanced antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) activities and potent anti-tumor activities in tumor xenograft models. TST001 is the second Claudin18.2 targeting antibody therapeutic candidate being developed globally. TST001 is generated using Transcenta’s Immune Tolerance Breaking Technology (IMTB) platform. TST001 kills Claudin18.2 expressing tumor cells by mechanisms of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC). Leveraging advanced bioprocessing technology, the fucose content of TST001 was significantly reduced during the production, which further enhanced NK cells mediated ADCC activity of TST001. Clinical trials for TST001 are ongoing in China and US (NCT04396821, NCT04495296/CTR20201281). TST001 was granted Orphan Drug Designation in the US by FDA for the treatment of patients with gastric cancer or gastroesophageal junction (GC/GEJ).

On March 21, 2022 PokeAcell reported that Innovation Fund Denmark invests DKK 25 million in an innovation project developing it’s ImmPACT cell therapy for IND submission and clinical testing in Merkel Cell Carcinoma (Press release, PokeAcell, MAR 21, 2022, View Source [SID1234610458]).

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The project is an example of increasing innovation and expertise in cell therapy in Denmark and the great therapeutic potential that cell therapy is expected to have in the long term. The project has brought together an International partnership supporting the development of the technology and clinical testing at University of Washington and Fred Hutch Cancer Center.

"With the ImmPACT technology we can stimulate personally selected T cells from patient’s blood that we know is critical to tumor killing in Merkel Cell Carcinoma. With the ImmPACT activation the T cells will expand and be optimally profiled to kill the tumor. The patients then received their own personalized T cell product as treatment", Anne Reker Cordt, CEO at PokeAcell, explains.

DTU has invented the ImmPACT technology and together with leading doctors in the USA identified the T cells that are particularly crucial in connection with Merkel Celle Carcinoma.

PokeAcell has exclusive rights and expertise in developing cell products with ImmPACT and will in the project work with CBIO around the production of T cells.

University of Washington and its collaboration partner Fred Hutch Cancer Center are experts at Merkel Cell Carcinoma and sees great potential in the multitargeted T cell therapy. They will conduct the clinical trial in the project, where the goal is to show that the treatment is safe and effective.