AMGEN ANNOUNCES WEBCAST OF 2022 JEFFERIES HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE

On June 3, 2022 Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) reported that it will present at the 2022 Jefferies Healthcare Conference at 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 (Press release, Amgen, JUN 3, 2022, View Source [SID1234615505]). Murdo Gordon, executive vice president of Global Commercial Operations at Amgen will present at the conference. 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.

Investigators from US Oncology Research, The US Oncology Network and Ontada Present Data Highlighting Key Advances and Insights at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting

On June 3, 2022 During the scientific program of the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, principal investigators from US Oncology Research, The US Oncology Network (The Network) and Ontada reported that it will present detailed results from more than 80 studies (Press release, US Oncology, JUN 3, 2022, View Source [SID1234615521]). Presentations include 10 oral sessions on topics including lung and ovarian cancers, as well as research involving value-based care and the use of health technologies. The ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, a leading conference delivering the latest in cancer science to the global community, will be held June 3-7, 2022 in Chicago.

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"The oncology community is constantly transforming, and past discoveries provide rationale for the community structures we have today, but new challenges, like changes in the healthcare landscape, will always present themselves," said Robert L. Coleman, MD, chief scientific officer, US Oncology Research. "The strengths of community-based research and dedication to improving patients’ outcomes and cancer care experience provide the tenacity needed to turn these challenges into opportunities. Our team of community-based researchers are committed to advancing research, offering ways for patients to receive care from virtual locations, and making access to leading treatments possible for a myriad of patients more than ever before."

MYLUNG Consortium Data to be Highlighted in Two Presentations

Included in the research presentations during this year’s meeting will be findings from Protocol 2 of the Molecularly Informed Lung Cancer Treatment in a Community Cancer Network: A Pragmatic Consortium (MYLUNG Consortium) clinical trial platform in non-small cell lung cancer (Abstract #1503), which will be presented during an oral session by Elizabeth Koselke, PharmD, BCOP, senior clinical pharmacist with The Network. Protocol 2 of the study platform included an examination of an oncology clinical pharmacist on the research team and the impact on clinical trial enrollment. The abstract "Impact of oncology clinical pharmacist intervention on clinical trial enrollment in The US Oncology Network’s MYLUNG Consortium," will be featured in the "Care Delivery and Regulatory Policy" session on Monday, June 6 at 4 p.m.

"This is one of the first studies that looked at the effectiveness of pharmacists in this role," said Koselke. "Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to make an impact on all aspects of care, including potentially identifying a patient who may qualify for a clinical study. Enrolling clinical studies has become more challenging, and community research teams need to be more efficient when identifying potential candidates in order to generate meaningful advances at a faster rate. Our hope is that the impact seen within the MYLUNG Consortium will advance how we think and assemble clinical research teams."

In addition to the oral presentation, Nicholas Robert, MD, chief medical officer of Ontada, will lead a poster presentation (Abstract #9004) from a retrospective study of MYLUNG Consortium Protocol 1. The abstract, "Predictors of biomarker testing among patients (pts) with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC)," analyzes the impact of clinical and/or social factors (such as race, histology and clinical practice size) on undertested populations. These data will be presented during the "Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic" session, which will be held Monday, June 6 at 8 a.m.

Additional Featured Research Selected for Presentation

An oral presentation (Abstract #LBA5500) on a phase 3 study evaluating rucaparib monotherapy titled, "ATHENA–MONO (GOG-3020/ENGOT-ov45): A randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial evaluating rucaparib monotherapy versus placebo as maintenance treatment following response to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy in ovarian cancer," was co-authored by Dr. Coleman. These data will be presented during the "Gynecologic Cancer" session on Monday, June 6 at 8 a.m.

"Survivorship of women with advanced ovarian cancer has improved, primarily the result of two key agents, bevacizumab and the Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. In the ATHENA trial, we demonstrate the substantial efficacy and safety of a third agent (rucaparib) for primary maintenance treatment," said Dr. Coleman. "Our team looks forward to presenting our findings involving PARP inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors and their potential as therapeutic options for patients in this population."

Alexander I. Spira, MD, PhD, FACP, director of the thoracic and Phase I program for Virginia Cancer Specialists, a practice in The Network, will have an oral presentation (Abstract #9002) on the effect of adagrasib (MRTX849) in patients with NSCLC titled, "KRYSTAL-1: Activity and safety of adagrasib (MRTX849) in patients with advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring a KRASG12C mutation." These data will be presented during the "Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic" session on Friday, June 3 at 1:24 p.m.

Additional key NSCLC data presentations involving Dr. Spira’s research include a late breaking abstract (#LBA9009) titled "Activity of adagrasib (MRTX849) in patients with KRASG12C-mutated NSCLC and active, untreated CNS metastases in the KRYSTAL-1 trial," which is being held during the "Including the Excluded: Advancing Care for All Patients With Lung Cancer" clinical symposium on Monday, June 6 at 4:30 p.m. Dr. Spira was also involved in the research featured in (Abstract #9008), "Amivantamab in patients with NSCLC with MET exon 14 skipping mutation: Updated results from the CHRYSALIS study," selected for oral presentation during the "Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic" session, which will be held on Friday, June 3 at 3:24 p.m.

"Immunotherapy research will ultimately lead to greater knowledge and more precise treatments for patients," said Dr. Spira. "There is still so much to learn in the area of precision oncology and targeted therapies in NSCLC, and we are constantly working towards ways to develop new and effective therapies that can create better outcomes for patients. The vital research showcased in this clinical symposium and oral presentations on the effect of adagrasib (MRTX849) and amivantamab in patients with NSCLC will help inform the clinical development of these targeted therapies and explain their potential clinical utility and promise."

Featured Health Technology-Related Research

An oral presentation (Abstract #1507) evaluating health technologies and their impact on quality of care and health disparities was co-authored by Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, executive vice president of public policy, payer relations and strategic initiatives at Texas Oncology, a practice in The Network. The presentation titled, "Evaluating mass implementation of digital health solutions to improve quality and reduce disparities in a large multisite community oncology practice," will be presented during the "Care Delivery and Regulatory Policy" session on Monday, June 6 at 5:12 p.m.

"Digital health solutions engage patients with our clinical teams and improve patient care," said Dr. Patt. "These solutions reduce response time for symptomatic patients and improve transparency and health literacy improving the partnership between our clinical teams and the patients we serve. Digital health solutions are of great value for all patients, especially those classified as ‘at risk’. I am grateful to be part of a practice leading some of these important efforts."

An abstract (#1521) evaluating the usage of a machine learning (ML) model titled "The initial outcome of deploying a mortality prediction tool at community oncology practices," will be presented during the "Care Delivery and Regulatory Policy" poster session. The ML model predicted 90-day mortality risk for patients with metastatic cancer and was designed to facilitate earlier end-of-life discussions, including hospice care, with the patients. These results, researched by members of The US Oncology Network, will be delivered on Saturday, June 4 at 1:15 p.m.

"Aligning care at the end of life with patients’ goals and values helps reduce the likelihood of undesirable hospitalization, ICU stays and side effects of therapy," said Ping Ye, PhD, a senior data scientist for The Network. "We deployed a predictive mortality tool to The Network practices to help physicians proactively initiate care discussions earlier with identified patients, allowing them access to care aligned with their wishes as they near life’s final stages."

BostonGene to Present at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting

On June 3, 2022 BostonGene reported that three abstracts have been accepted for poster presentations and one abstract has been accepted for online publication for the 2022 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper), which will be held June 3 – 7, 2022, at McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago, IL (Press release, BostonGene, JUN 3, 2022, View Source [SID1234615537]). BostonGene will also exhibit at booth 27087.

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"We are excited to share our latest research at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) that underscores the critical need for innovative analytical tools to understand the composition and activity of the tumor and the microenvironment to improve treatment outcomes for cancer patients," said Nathan Fowler MD, Chief Medical Officer at BostonGene.

Details about the abstracts selected for presentation can be found below:

Abstract Number: 4591
Title: A classification system for urothelial carcinoma (UC) defined by genomic drivers and the tumor microenvironment (TME) is predictive of immunotherapy response
Date and Time: Saturday, June 4 | 1:15 PM – 4:15 PM
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Hall A
Poster Number: 82
Speaker: Krystle Nomie, PhD, BostonGene

This presentation underscores the application of BostonGene’s transcriptome-based classification platform, previously reported by Bagaev et al., to identify TME subtypes for urothelial carcinoma that are predictive of response to immunotherapy.

Abstract Number: 3020
Title: A clinical AI-driven multiplex immunofluorescence imaging pipeline to characterize tumor microenvironment heterogeneity
Date and Time: Sunday, June 5 | 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM*
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Hall A
Poster Number: 12
Speaker: Zhongmin Xiang, PhD, BostonGene

*A follow-up poster discussion highlighting the AI-driven BostonGene MxIF analytical pipeline and its automated microenvironment characterization across cancers will take place from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM in Hall D2

This presentation highlights the importance of innovative MxIF platforms to characterize tumor heterogeneity at single-cell resolution with high accuracy across many cancers.

Abstract Number: 3142
Title: A digital imaging analysis (DIA) platform for identifying tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD)
Date and Time: Sunday, June 5 | 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Hall A
Poster Number: 134
Speaker: Ekaterina Postovalova, PhD, BostonGene

This presentation demonstrates the ability of novel and cutting-edge imaging technologies in the BostonGene pipeline to detect tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in lung cancer.

Online publication abstract:

Abstract Number: e20624
Title: Longitudinal Molecular Analysis of Tumor Exome and Transcriptome to Evaluate Clonal Evolution and Identify Novel Therapeutic Targets in Thymoma

This abstract highlights the importance of a longitudinal comprehensive molecular analysis using genomic and transcriptomic sequencing to improve the understanding of rare thymic epithelial tumors.

Research conducted with Massachusetts General Hospital

For more information, please visit the 2022 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting website. The abstracts will be published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology supplement for the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting Proceedings.

NanoMosaic Partners with BrickBio to Increase its Neurology Content with Novel Tau (Phospho-Thr217) Antibody

On June 3, 2022 NanoMosaic, the pioneer and leader of nanoneedle technology (MosaicNeedle) for proteomics and multi-omics, is increasing its capabilities in neurology companion diagnostics (CDx) and future diagnostic tests, by offering a novel, reported that highly sensitive site-specific conjugated antibody against phosphorylated Tau (Phospho-Thr217) (Press release, BrickBio, JUN 3, 2022, View Source [SID1234615554]). The novel antibody has been designed to have higher affinities and enhanced performance on NanoMosaic’s Tessie platform.

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The demand from pharmaceutical partners for a highly sensitive, wide dynamic range, proteomics platform in neurology, utilizing a fully automated sample preparation solution on a standard liquid handler, initiated the collaboration between NanoMosaic and BrickBio, the leader in unnatural amino acid (UAA) incorporation and site-specific conjugation. BrickBio has designed a novel Phospho-Thr217 antibody, and using its Site-Select Panel will rapidly procure variants of the antibody conjugated with proprietary NanoMosaic moieties at optimal performance enhancing sites. The final sites chosen will significantly emphasize key properties of the antibody’s performance, while working in conjunction with the surface chemistry dynamics on the NanoChip, that will result in a sensitive, label-free, robust proteomic neurology solution with digital quantitation.

"NanoMosaic’s unique approach to high-sensitivity detection is significantly enhanced by expanding our conjugation strategies," said Josh Ritchey, VP of Product Development at NanoMosaic. "Utilizing proprietary moieties to enable these unique binding modes truly places NanoMosaic at the forefront of proteomic assay performance," Ritchey concluded.

"The site-specific introduction of stable conjugation handles across the entire antibody scaffold, powered by BrickBio’s Site-Select Panel, continues to expand the repertoire of previously inaccessible applications," said James Italia, VP of Commercial Development at BrickBio. "No other technology enables the breadth of conjugation site flexibility necessary to drive spatially oriented surface functionalization with unprecedented control," Italia concluded.

"The collaboration between BrickBio and NanoMosaic to develop a novel Phospho-Thr217 antibody, for pharmaceutical partners developing CDx assays and future IVD, in vitro diagnostic, applications will enable unprecedented, fully automated workflow advantages that provide precise digital measurements at the highest throughput with the widest dynamic range, in comparison to any current commercial proteomics system," stated John Boyce, Co-Founder of Tiger Gene. "These development and measurement advantages may translate to a significant increase in efficacious treatments for patients," Boyce concluded.

Scilex Holding Company, a Sorrento Company, Announces Pre-Emptive Repurchase of $41.4 Million of its Senior Secured Notes

On June 3, 2022 Scilex Holding Company ("Scilex"), a nearly 100% (or over 99.9%) majority-owned subsidiary of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, "Sorrento"), a commercial biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing non-opioid therapies for patients with acute and chronic pain, reported that on June 3, 2022, it pre-emptively paid off and eliminated $41.4 million of the principal amount of its senior secured notes (the "Notes") (Press release, Sorrento Therapeutics, JUN 3, 2022, View Source [SID1234615489]). In connection with this payoff, the holders of the Notes agreed that Scilex can repurchase the remaining principal amount of the Notes at any time on or before September 30, 2022 for $41.4 million (subject to reduction for any quarterly royalty payments) and the holders of the Notes will forgive and discharge $28.0 million of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes.

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Scilex’s Executive Chairman and Sorrento Chairman and CEO, Henry Ji, Ph.D., stated, "We value our stockholders and our reputation as a stockholder-friendly company above all else. We have our sights set on some very big long-term objectives for Sorrento and Scilex. And we won’t get there by working against the interests of our equity holders. Paying down the Notes reduces uncertainty and further improves Scilex’s balance sheet. We look forward to identifying other opportunities to grow our stockholders’ interests and avoid unnecessary distractions in financing our progress as we move toward commercialization of additional non-opioid pain management solutions in the acute and chronic pain markets."

"As we prepare to complete our previously announced merger with Vickers Vantage Corp. I and begin our registration and pre-commercialization plans of our recently successfully completed SP-102 (SEMDEXATM) Phase 3 clinical trial program, this pre-emptive repurchase of part of the Notes is another important accomplishment of our company goals. It gives us the ability to attract new capital at competitive terms, preserve cash that would have been spent on royalty payments under the Notes, as well as being able to avoid the effects of negative debt leverage. We believe these advantages will be of significant benefit to Scilex and our stockholders as we continue to execute on our business plan," said Jaisim Shah, Chief Executive Officer of Scilex.

Scilex Holding Company and Vickers Vantage Corp. I (Nasdaq: VCKA) ("Vickers"), a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Vickers Venture Fund VI Pte Ltd and Vickers Venture Fund VI (Plan) Pte Ltd, have entered into a definitive business combination agreement ("BCA") on March 17, 2022. Upon the closing of the transaction, the combined company (the "Combined Company") will be renamed Scilex Holding Company, and its common stock and warrants to purchase common stock are expected to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "SCLX" and "SCLXW", respectively. The boards of directors of each of Vickers, Scilex and Sorrento have unanimously approved the proposed transaction. The closing of the transaction, which is expected to occur by the third quarter of 2022, is subject to the approval of Vickers’s shareholders and the satisfaction or waiver of certain other customary closing conditions.