On May 24, 2022 Genexine (KOSDAQ: 095700) a publicly traded, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel biologics for the treatment of unmet medical needs, reported the appointment of Neil Warma as its President and Chief Executive Officer (Press release, Genexine, MAY 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234614998]). Mr. Warma who has over 25 years of experience as a global entrepreneur, company builder and successful CEO will lead Genexine onto the world stage with a focus on advancing Genexine’s key products to market, expanding its pipeline and focusing on global drug development.

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Mr. Warma has been a successful healthcare entrepreneur for over 25 years having led and managed numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies across the globe. From 2019-2022, Mr. Warma was the General Manager of I-Mab Biopharma U.S., (Nasdaq:IMAB) with offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Lishui and Hong Kong in China, and Maryland and San Diego, in the U.S., where he was a member of the executive team responsible for the Company’s expansion onto the global stage and for establishing I-Mab’s state-of-the-art research facilities in San Diego, California. From 2008-2017, Mr. Warma was President, CEO and Director of Opexa Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPXA), a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company developing novel cellular therapies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, where he orchestrated global deals with Novartis and Merck Serono. From 2004-2007, he was President, CEO and Director of Viron Therapeutics, a private biotechnology company developing novel protein-based therapeutics for cardiovascular disease and transplantation. In 2000, Mr. Warma co-founded and later sold MedExact, a health-technology company dedicated to providing an interface between physicians and pharmaceutical companies. From 1992-2000, Mr. Warma held several key senior management roles at Novartis Pharmaceuticals at its corporate headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, in Pharma Policy and Global Marketing. Mr. Warma obtained an honors Bachelor of Science degree specializing in neuroscience from the University of Toronto and an International MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. Mr. Warma currently serves on the Board of ProMIS Neurosciences (TSX:PMN) and the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). Mr. Warma has also been a member of the Board of Directors of Genexine since March 2021 and will continue to serve on the Board as an Executive Director.

"I am deeply honored to have been selected as Genexine’s new CEO by the Board of Directors," said Mr. Warma. "The Company has built a strong scientific foundation based on novel science and differentiated technology over several years. My focus will be to commercialize existing late stage products and further expand Genexine’s pipeline of life-saving products with a focus on first and best-in-class products. We will not only leverage our strength and position as a leading Korean biopharmaceutical company but will also expand our reach into the U.S. and Europe to increase our shareholder base and access new technology and top talent. Genexine has an exciting pipeline and with its global partners is conducting over 20 clinical trials, several in Phase 3 registrational trials. We expect to file several important BLAs in the next 1-3 years and commercialize our first products shortly thereafter."

"My goal is to introduce the biotech world to the top-class technology we have developed in Korea such that we can leverage our clinical data in the US and EU to reduce our development costs and speed the delivery of our products to the patient. We will also look to secure partnerships with global multinational pharmaceutical partners to share costs and leverage their substantial expertise. We are excited to be reporting some near term milestones coming up over the next several months with the planned announcement of Phase 1b/2 clinical data in our potential blockbuster product, GX-I7, the long-acting recombinant Interleukin-7 protein and Phase 2 data in our first-in-class DNA cancer vaccine being studied in cervical and head and neck cancers. These near term milestones should demonstrate our ability to execute and advance our products towards the market and, ultimately, to the patient," added Mr. Warma.

On May 24, 2022 Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HALO) ("Halozyme") reported the successful completion of its acquisition of Antares Pharma, Inc. ("Antares") (Press release, Halozyme, MAY 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234614979]).

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The tender offer for all of the outstanding shares of Antares common stock expired as scheduled at one minute after 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on Monday, May 23, 2022. The minimum tender condition and all of the other conditions to the offer have been satisfied and on May 24, 2022, Halozyme accepted for payment and will promptly pay for all shares validly tendered and not validly withdrawn.

Following its acceptance of the tendered shares, Halozyme completed its acquisition of Antares through the merger of a wholly owned subsidiary of Halozyme with and into Antares, pursuant to Section 251(h) of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, with Antares continuing as the surviving corporation and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Halozyme.

In connection with the merger, all Antares shares not validly tendered in the tender offer have been converted into the right to receive the same $5.60 per share in cash, without interest thereon and net of any applicable withholding taxes, that would have been paid had such shares been validly tendered in the tender offer. As of May 24, 2022, Antares common stock will cease to be traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Stock Market.

BofA Securities, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities LLC acted as financial advisors to Halozyme and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal advisor. Jefferies LLC acted as financial advisor to Antares and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisor.

On May 24, 2022 Genexine (KOSDAQ: 095700), a publicly traded, clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel biologics for the treatment of unmet medical needs, reported that Neil Warma, CEO of Genexine will be presenting virtually at the H.C. Wainwright Global Investment Conference being held on May 23-26, 2022 (Press release, Genexine, MAY 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234614999]).

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The presentation will provide an overview of Genexine’s pipeline, business operations and corporate achievements, as well as discuss upcoming milestones with the Company’s lead assets, including GX-I7 (a first-in-class long-acting recombinant interleukin 7, in development for TNBC and GBM) and GX-188 (a first-in-class DNA vaccine, in development for cervical and head and neck cancers).

Details of the presentation are as follows:

Event: H.C. Wainwright Global Investment Conference
Date & Time: On-demand, beginning 7.00 a.m. ET, Tuesday May 24, 2022
Webcast Link: Genexine_Wainwright_investor_conf.

A replay of the presentation will be available for 90 days at the link above or by visiting www.genexine.com. Registered investors will be able to schedule a one-on-one meeting via the conference portal.

On May 24, 2022 MaaT Pharma (EURONEXT: MAAT – the "Company"), a French clinical-stage biotech and a pioneer in the development of Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies dedicated to improving survival outcomes for patients with cancer reported that it will host its first R&D Day for analysts and investors to be held virtually on Tuesday, June 7th, 2022 from 4:00 pm CEST (10:00 am EST) to 6:00 pm CEST (12:00 pm EST) (Press release, MaaT Pharma, MAY 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234614981]).

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MaaT Pharma’s speakers will discuss the microbiome potential in cancer therapy and the latest clinical results of MaaT013 and MaaT033. They will also present the Company’s innovative proprietary drug discovery platform, the next generation of products MaaT03X and the construction of Europe’s largest cGMP manufacturing facility for Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies.

In addition to the presentations by MaaT Pharma’s senior team, the R&D Day will feature talks from world renowned scientists and physicians including:

Joël Doré – Research Director, Director of INRAE and Scientific Advisor at MaaT Pharma, France
Ernst Holler, M.D. – Senior Professor on Clinical and Experimental Allo-HSCT, Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Center Regensburg, Germany
Florent Malard, M.D. – Professor of Hematology, Saint Antoine Hospital (AP-HP) and Sorbonne University
Mohamad Mohty, M.D. – Professor, Sorbonne University and Head of the Clinical Hematology and Cellular Therapy Department, Saint-Antoine Hospital (AP-HP), France
Hassane Zarour, M.D. – Professor of Medicine, Immunology and Dermatology, University of Pittsburg, James and Frances McGlothlin Chair in Melanoma Immunotherapy Research
"MaaT Pharma’s inaugural R&D Day is an opportunity to bring together world-renowned scientists and our talented internal team to share MaaT Pharma’s innovative research and highlight our unique positioning in the microbiome space," said Hervé Affagard, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of MaaT Pharma. "Since our successful IPO in November 2021, we have delivered on the key milestones we had defined and we continue to progress, with the ambition to leverage the microbiome for the benefit of millions of patients fighting cancer."

A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations. Please note that all the presentations are in English with French subtitles. The webcast will be made available on the Company’s website after the event.

On May 24, 2022 Shasqi, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing click chemistry-activated oncology therapeutics, reported the additions of Steve Abella, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer and Scott Wieland, Ph.D., MBA, as Senior Vice President of Clinical Development (Press release, Shasqi, MAY 24, 2022, View Source [SID1234615000]).

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"To maximize the potential of our novel, click chemistry-based platform and continue expanding our portfolio of programs, clinical experience and leadership are critical," said José M. Mejía Oneto, M.D., Ph.D., Founder and CEO of Shasqi. "As we reach the end of dose escalation of SQ3370, we will initiate Phase 2 studies in advanced sarcomas and other solid tumors. In addition, we are rapidly advancing our second program toward the clinic, which activates high doses of monomethyl auristatin E, a commonly used antibody-drug conjugate payload, at the tumor. Now is the perfect time to add the deep expertise in clinical strategy and execution that both Steve and Scott bring to the team. We look forward to their contributions and working with them."

"Shasqi has made tremendous progress advancing SQ3370 into and through the clinic and building a robust pipeline of click chemistry-activated therapeutics to harness potent payloads and target them precisely to the tumor," said Dr. Abella. "I’m excited to join the company’s mission and help expand the reach of their platform."

"A click chemistry-based approach has enormous potential to dramatically improve the efficacy of powerful therapies that can be localized at the tumor site using a variety of delivery methods such as direct injection or biomarker targeting," said Dr. Wieland. "I look forward to seeing where we can take this technology and what the next iterations of Shasqi’s approach can achieve in improving the cancer therapeutic landscape and the lives of patients."

Dr. Steve Abella

Dr. Abella has been working in oncology clinical research for nearly 35 years, including more than 12 years in the pharmaceutical industry. Before joining Shasqi, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Vida Development Sciences. Prior to Vida, Steve served as Chief Medical Officer at BioClin Therapeutics. Prior to that, he served as Senior Director at Gilead Sciences where he led the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and leukemia drug development efforts and served as a core member of the oncology senior leadership team. Prior to Gilead, he served as Executive Director at Amgen, predominately responsible for the white cell franchise (Neulasta/Nepogen) and led global development efforts across clinical research and medical affairs. Before he joined the biopharmaceutical industry, he spent 15 years in academic oncology, serving as a Professor of Pediatric, Oncology, and Medicine at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute where he focused on stem cell transplantation and oncology clinical trials. Steve completed his fellowship and residency training at Wayne State University School of Medicine after graduating with a degree in medicine from the Universidad Central del Este. He attended the University of Pennsylvania for undergraduate studies.

Dr. Scott Wieland

Dr. Wieland is a biopharmaceutical veteran with over 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Over the course of his career, Scott has served in a variety of roles and responsibilities, most recently as Executive Vice President of Development at Nanobiotix, a nanomedicine company based in Paris, France. Scott started his career leading the Behavioral Pharmacology lab at CoCensys, then moved into a variety of positions across several small biopharmaceutical companies. Scott has been responsible for drug discovery, safety pharmacology, toxicology, bioanalytical development, manufacturing, formulation, clinical supply and distribution, regulatory affairs, and all aspects of clinical trials and development during his career. Scott received a bachelor’s degree in Physiological Psychology from UC Santa Barbara, CA. He received his master’s and Ph.D. in Psychology/Biopsychology with a minor in Neuropharmacology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, and an MBA in Management from Webster University, St. Louis, MO.

About CAPACTM and SQ3370

SQ3370 is the first click chemistry-based treatment to be tested in humans. It utilizes Shasqi’s proprietary CAPAC platform, an approach that activates cancer drugs at a tumor with decreased systemic toxicity. Shasqi is validating its platform with SQ3370, which is designed to activate a powerful chemotherapeutic, doxorubicin, at the tumor site. The investigational product is based on the chemical reaction between a drug protected through a trans-cyclooctene modification (a protodrug) and a tetrazine-modified biopolymer. The biopolymer is injected into the target tumor lesion, where it precisely activates an intravenously infused protodrug. Shasqi believes its click-chemistry approach can improve the efficacy and safety of many existing therapeutics across various modalities with a limited therapeutic window.