On June 2, 2022 NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NSTG), a leading provider of life science tools for discovery and translational research, reported plans to commercially unveil the CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager (SMI) and its new spatial informatics portal during a Spatial Multiomic Symposium, which will be held on Monday, June 6 from noon to 4:00 pm EDT (Press release, NanoString Technologies, JUN 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234615452]). The event will be live-streamed and held in person, and details can be found here: Spatial Multiomics Symposium – NanoString. In addition, scientists will present 20 studies demonstrating the power of NanoString spatial biology platforms during the scientific portion of the AGBT General Meeting.

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CosMx SMI enables high-resolution imaging of more than 1,000 RNA and over 100 protein analytes within morphologically intact whole tissue sections. The technology combines the power of high-plex profiling with high-resolution imaging, allowing researchers to visualize and quantify gene and protein expression at single cell and subcellular resolutions within both fresh frozen and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples. CosMx SMI serves scientists across the continuum of research using a tunable workflow that can prioritize either unbiased whole-slide imaging at high-plex for discovery or high-throughput biology-driven analysis for translation.

NanoString is dedicated to developing spatial biology solutions for any scale of research. The GeoMx DSP is the leading platform for measuring whole transcriptome at high-throughput in multi-cellular functional regions and the CosMx SMI extends capability to single cell and subcellular resolution across the entire tissue section. Together, GeoMx DSP and CosMx SMI technologies provide unprecedented scientific power for novel spatial discoveries.

Spatial biology experiments are data-intensive, creating up to 1 terabyte of data per sample. NanoString is developing a new cloud-based spatial informatics portal that will provide researchers with a scalable solution to store large GeoMx and CosMx datasets, reduce compute times, and enable secure data sharing and collaboration across institutes.

The Spatial Multiomic Symposium will showcase the application of these powerful tools to resolve biological heterogeneity. Attendees will learn about the latest innovations and will have the opportunity to hear how leading experts are applying these technologies to make novel discoveries in immunology, infectious diseases, oncology and neuroscience.

"We believe spatial biology is the next revolution in life sciences, and we’re honored to bring together experts to showcase cutting-edge spatial technologies and techniques," said Brad Gray, president and CEO, NanoString Technologies. "The volume and quality of NanoString-driven science being presented at AGBT 2022 is a testament to the power of our spatial biology ecosystem."

The Spatial Multiomic Summit Agenda: Speakers and Scientific Presentations

Keynote: Spatial gene expression changes in human skin biology induced from spaceflight: Christopher Mason, Ph.D., Professor; Director, WorldQuant Initiative for Quantitative Prediction; Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine
Spatially resolved, single cell atlas of human pancreatic islets of Langerhans in type 2 diabetic and healthy controls: Grant Kolar, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor Director, Research Microscopy and Histology Core, St. Louis University
Deep spatiotemporal insights into COVID-19: a multi-organ study: Arutha Kulasinghe, Ph.D., National Health and Medical Research Council Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
Spatial reconstruction of joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis: Kevin Wei, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Spatially resolved Alzheimer’s disease in mouse model: Miranda Orr, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine
To learn more and register for the event, please visit: Spatial Multiomics Symposium – NanoString

At AGBT 2022, 20 posters and oral presentations will showcase unique biological insights generated using NanoString’s spatial platforms. These abstracts include studies exploring spatial biology using the GeoMx DSP and the CosMx SMI platforms.

"As single-cell resolution spatial transcriptomics and proteomics pioneer the next frontier in spatial biology, our understanding of fundamental processes in biology will deepen and perhaps pave the way for next-generation diagnostic and pathology tools," said Joe Beechem, chief scientific officer, NanoString Technologies. "The CosMx SMI system is ideal for deeper single-cell exploration downstream of whole transcriptome analysis carried out on GeoMx DSP and the two systems can essentially be used for complementary experiments on a set of samples."

Several studies and presentations that feature NanoString’s spatial biology platforms are highlighted below.

Oral Presentations

Multicellular spatial neighborhoods in pancreatic cancer remodeled by neoadjuvant treatment will be presented by Will Hwang, M.D., Ph.D., radiation oncologist and research fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center/Harvard Medical School, on June 6 from 6:05-6:25 pm. Discover the unique interaction between malignant cells and nerves/microenvironment during the response to treatment for PDAC, using GeoMx DSP and CosMx SMI platforms.

Building a spatial single-cell multi-omics atlas and cellular interactome for skin cancer will be presented by Quan Nguyen, Ph.D., the University of Queensland on June 7 from 7:50-8:10 pm. Learn how CosMx profiling enables spatial interactome analysis that provides new insights in the development of skin cancer. This will be a comparison of six spatial platforms.

High-plex (> 1000), multi-omic (RNA plus protein), spatial molecular imaging with sub-cellular resolution in FFPE tissue, will be presented by Joe Beechem, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, NanoString Technologies. Concurrent sessions will run from 8:50-9:10 pm on June 8. Learn how high-plex multi-omic (RNA and protein) targets detected in FFPE samples using CosMx SMI, at subcellular and single-cell resolution in >1 million cells from a single slide uncovers novel biological insights that were previously lost in space.

Scientific Posters

Poster: Spatial characterization of the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer with whole transcriptome profiling and high plex single-cell imaging.
David Ting, M.D., Chief Medical Information Officer, Mass General Physicians Organization, Co-Director, MGH Center for Innovation in Digital HealthCare, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
See the origin of exosomes in tumor microenvironments and the effect of their migrations in pancreatic cancer tissues using the CosMx SMI platform.

Poster: Characterization of human brain organoids with single-cell resolution and molecular specificity
Florent Ginhoux, Ph.D., Senior Principal Investigator · Singapore Immunology Network, Agency for Science, Technology and Research
Learn how CosMx single-cell imager enables unique analyses and understanding of human brain organoid cells in space.

Poster: Spatially-mapped quantitative single-cell characterization of PD-L1-related RNA microenvironments in triple-negative breast cancer
Aubrey Thompson, Ph.D., Co-director of the Mayo Clinic Breast Cancer Translational Genomics Program
Learn how CosMx and GeoMx spatial platforms generate consistent data for clinical biomarkers of response to IO therapy.

Poster: Spatial Single Cell characterization of SIV reservoirs in lymphoid tissues and B cell follicles in rhesus macaques
Jake Estes, Ph.D., Professor, VGTI-Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute; Chief, Division of Pathobiology & Immunology, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Uncover how subcellular localization of SIV RNAs in NHP revealed by CosMx and response to drug targets in infected-cell microenvironments studied using GeoMx DSP provides novel analysis tools for vaccine development.

Poster: High-plex spatial single cell in situ analysis of lung SARS-CoV-2
Arutha Kulasinghe, Ph.D., NHMRC Research Fellow, Queensland University of Technology
Discover the consistent insights in COVID biology and biomarkers uncovered by the CosMx SMI and GeoMx DSP platforms at different scales.

To see the complete list of 2022 AGBT posters and learn more about the data presented on the GeoMx DSP and CosMx SMI platforms, visit NanoString’s AGBT event page.

On June 2, 2022 Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company unlocking the power of T cells against oncogenic driver mutations, reported that the clinical strategy for enhancing the efficacy of its Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV)-specific T cell receptor (TCR) program for the treatment of PD-1 refractory Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), from its strategic collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2022 (Press release, Affini-T Therapeutics, JUN 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234615468]). The poster presentation will be delivered by Joshua Veatch, M.D., Ph.D., from Fred Hutch.

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"We recognize that MCC patients are in desperate need of new treatments, in particular due to having no curative therapeutic options and a five-year survival rate of less than ten percent in those who have developed widespread disease," said Loïc Vincent, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Affini-T. "The clinical strategy to be presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) is the result of tumor biopsy analyses generated from treating MCC patients and reflects the recent addition of an MHC-I boosting molecule to the MCPyV-specific T cell Phase I/II study protocol. By enhancing MHC-I expression on MCC tumors, we hope to minimize immune system evasion and maximize the clinical efficacy of MCPyV-specific T cells to treat MCC patients."

Poster presentation details are as follows:

Title: ATTAC-MCC: Phase I/II study of Autologous CD8+ and CD4+ Transgenic T cells expressing a high-affinity MCPyV-specific TCR combined with checkpoint inhibitors and Class I MHC-upregulation in patients with metastatic MCC refractory to PD-1 axis blockade
Presenting Author: Joshua Veatch, M.D., Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center
Abstract Number: TPS9596
Poster Number: 186b
Poster Session Title: Melanoma/Skin Cancers
Date & Time: June 6, 2022, 2:15 PM EDT

About Merkel Cell Carcinoma and Merkel Cell Polyomavirus
Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive skin cancer, with an incidence that has doubled in the last 20 years to approximately 3,000 cases per year in the U.S. Over one-third of patients will develop widespread disease and outcomes for these patients have been historically poor with a five-year survival rate of less than ten percent. Cancer-causing Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV) is expressed in most MCC tumors and can be leveraged to target these tumors. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting relevant biochemical pathways show promise, most MCC patients will eventually relapse. There is no standard of care for patients whose cancer has become resistant to ICIs. We believe that cellular immune therapies targeting MCPyV may provide additional clinical benefit to these patients.

On June 2, 2022 Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) reported that members of the company’s executive management team will participate in the following investor conferences (Press release, Emergent BioSolutions, JUN 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234615487]):

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Benchmark Healthcare House Call Virtual 1X1 Conference
June 2, 2022
NYSE Healthcare & Technology Virtual Investor Access Day
June 8, 2022
East Coast IDEAS Conference
June 22, 2022
Pre-recorded presentation will be accessible beginning at 6:00 am ET
View Source
For conferences where a presentation is planned, the company’s webcast presentation may include a discussion of the company’s recent business developments as well as its financial results and guidance. The webcasts will be available both live, if possible, and by replay, and will be accessible from the Emergent website.

On June 2, 2022 Proxygen, a leader in the discovery and development of molecular glue degraders, reported that the company has entered into a strategic multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Merck (Press release, Proxygen, JUN 2, 2022, View Source [SID1234615419]). Proxygen is eligible to receive up to €495 million ($554 million at the average USD/EUR FX rate of Q1 2022) in continuous R&D funding, upfront and success-based pre-clinical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial milestones, as well as additional royalty payments. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will jointly identify and develop molecular glue degraders up to a clinical candidate stage.

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"We are incredibly excited to start this long-term collaboration with Merck, a globally recognized player in the pharmaceutical industry that shares our drive towards dynamic innovation for the benefit of patients. The partnership validates the unique potential of Proxygen’s glue degrader platform and strategically leverages our common strengths in the targeted protein degradation field", says Dr. Bernd Boidol, CEO of Proxygen.

Molecular glue degraders re-direct the cell’s own quality control machinery towards disease-causing proteins, inducing their selective and complete elimination. Because of their capability to modulate protein classes that would not be amenable to traditional drug discovery approaches, glue degraders hold the promise of unlocking a large proportion of the undruggable target space and delivering innovative therapies for diseases with high medical need. The lack of scalable discovery strategies has however so far hindered the full exploitation of the clinical potential of molecular glue degraders.

By streamlining and fully integrating cutting-edge genomic, proteomic, and biochemical technologies, Proxygen has successfully developed a highly versatile glue degrader discovery engine. The ligase-agnostic screening approach enables the specific and unbiased identification of molecular glue degraders against difficult-to-drug or completely undruggable targets at large scale. The vast amounts of know-how and data generated in the discovery and chemical optimization of degrader molecules continuously improve the understanding of this novel modality and contribute to Proxygen’s pioneering role in the molecular glue degrader space.

On June 2, 2022 OnKure, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing the next generation of oncology precision medicines, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1b/2 Nautilus trial of OKI-179, the Company’s oral Class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, in combination with binimetinib (MEKTOVI), Pfizer’s MEK inhibitor, in patients with advanced NRAS-mutated melanoma (Press release, OnKure, JUN 2, 2022, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=onkure-therapeutics-announces-first-patient-dosed-in-the-phase-1b-2-nautilus-trial-of-oki-179-in-combination-with-binimetinib-in-patients-with-advanced-nras-mutated-melanoma [SID1234615437]).

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"We are pleased to advance the clinical development of our lead candidate, OKI-179, and for the first time, investigate its potential in combination with a MEK inhibitor," said Jennifer Diamond, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of OnKure. "The combination of HDAC inhibition with MEK inhibition is synthetically lethal in RAS-pathway mutated cancers, resulting in increased tumor regressions by inducing DNA damage that is not seen with either agent alone. Given the favorable safety and tolerability profile of OKI-179, we believe its synergistic combination with binimetinib has the potential to be an effective treatment option for patients diagnosed with this highly aggressive melanoma."

The Phase 1b/2 Nautilus study is an open-label, dose-escalation and expansion trial designed to determine the safety and efficacy of OKI-179 combined with binimetinib in patients with NRAS-mutated melanoma. OKI-179 will be administered on a 4 days on/3 days off schedule, with binimetinib administered BID continuously. The Phase 1b portion of this study will determine the maximum tolerated dose, the dose-limiting toxicities, and the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of OKI-179 and binimetinib in patients with RAS-pathway mutated solid tumors. The Phase 2 portion of the trial is designed as a Simon’s optimal 2-stage study that will investigate the efficacy of the combination of OKI-179 and binimetinib at the RP2D in patients with previously treated NRAS-mutated melanoma. For more information about the study, please visit www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05340621).

About NRAS-Mutated Melanoma
NRAS is the second most common oncogenic driver in melanoma, accounting for 20% of all melanomas. Tumors bearing NRAS mutations are more aggressive and are associated with poorer patient outcomes. Despite the prevalence of NRAS mutations and the severity of the resulting disease, treatment options for NRAS-mutated melanoma remain limited, with little efficacy.

About OKI-179
OKI-179 is a novel, oral Class I histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor for the potential treatment of a wide range of solid and hematological malignancies. HDAC inhibitors have shown great promise in preclinical models, however they have had little success treating solid tumors, often due to poor tolerability, inappropriate dosing regimens, poorly conceived combinations, and a lack of stratifying biomarkers. OKI-179 is designed to have improved potency, selectivity, tolerability, as well as easy combinability to overcome the historic limitations of other HDAC inhibitors.