On June 29, 2022 Bayer AG reported the opening of its new Research and Innovation Center at Kendall Square in Boston-Cambridge, Massachusetts (U.S.A.), expanding the company’s footprint into one of the world’s most innovative pharmaceutical research and development locations (Press release, Bayer, JUN 29, 2022, View Source [SID1234616381]). Representing a total $140M USD investment into the area, Bayer’s 62,100-square-foot facility houses a new center of precision molecular oncology research equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories and offices for the development of novel targeted cancer therapies for patients. In addition, the center comprises a newly established research team focused on leveraging chemical biology techniques to further propel the company’s oncology drug development process.

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"Our new Bayer research and innovation center at Kendall Square is part of our strategy to be at the forefront of scientific discovery and breakthrough innovation for better patient healthcare," said Stefan Oelrich, Member of the Board of Management, Bayer AG and President of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division. "Being part of this unique innovation ecosystem will support our teams in creating breakthrough innovations for patients together with the experts here."

"Bayer is undergoing significant growth in the United States in both research and development and our commercial operations," said Sebastian Guth, Ph.D., President of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Americas Region. "The opening of our new precision molecular oncology research center in Kendall Square reflects the deep commitment Bayer is making to scale our oncology presence in the United States. It also builds on collaborations already in place in Boston in cardiovascular, another key area of focus for Bayer, with our with joint laboratories in precision cardiology with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard."

Spanning across two floors, the new center currently provides space for 100 employees, while the company is prepared to fill an additional 50 roles in the coming months. It is designed to enhance the collaboration between Bayer research and development, its internal partners such as BlueRock Therapeutics, Asklepios BioPharmaceutical (AskBio) and Vividion Therapeutics, as well as external partners to accelerate the development of transformative treatments for patients. In addition to the new center at Kendall Square in Cambridge, Bayer has also established strategic research collaborations with top scientific partners in Boston, including joint laboratories in the areas of lung disease with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital and precision cardiology with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

The Research and Innovation Center also marks a strategic investment into Bayer’s oncology innovation to transform healthcare for people living with cancer worldwide, and at the same time to, ensure sustainable long-term growth for the company. Striving to become a top 10 oncology company by 2030, Bayer is investing a significant portion of its global R&D budget toward oncology. The new precision molecular oncology research center will drive the development of targeted next-generation cancer therapies, including efforts to help people living with cancer benefit from molecular tests and targeted treatments through biomarker testing.

Bayer has a 160-year track record of delivering scientific innovation for patients in areas of high medical need and has long embraced external innovation and partnering. Since 2020, Bayer has secured more than 40 transactions in business development and licensing and has invested $1.2B USD in innovative healthcare companies through Leaps by Bayer. The new center is expected to play a role for future partnering investments and collaborations.

With this new center, Bayer is expanding its operations in the leading life sciences cluster worldwide. Boston-Cambridge is home to approximately 1,000 biotechnology companies, with Kendall Square being the center of pharmaceutical innovation on the East Coast of the USA. The company is now present in four of the largest biotechnology hubs in the United States – Boston, San Francisco, San Diego and Research Triangle Park, NC.

On June 28, 2022 Panbela Therapeutics, Inc.- (Nasdaq: PBLA), a clinical stage company developing disruptive therapeutics for the treatment of patients with urgent unmet medical needs, reported the publication of preclinical data from studies of SBP-101 that demonstrated a 42% increase in median survival in a mouse model of VDID8+ ovarian cancer (Press release, Panbela Therapeutics, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616330]). Data published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences also showed SBP-101 delayed tumor progression and decreased the overall tumor burden. SBP-101 is a proprietary polyamine analogue designed to induce polyamine metabolic inhibition (PMI) by exploiting an observed high affinity of the compound for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and other tumors. The company expects to initiate an ovarian cancer clinical program for SBP-101 during 2022.

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"This data highlights the importance of polyamines as a cancer therapeutic. These preclinical studies are foundational to the expansion of our clinical development program. We look to expand SBP-101 into ovarian cancer, and later the potential for other cancers. This compliments our current clinical development program with SBP-101’s ongoing global randomized trial (ASPIRE) in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer, and eflornithine in combination with an anti PD-1 into non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to begin later this year," said Jennifer K. Simpson, PhD, MSN, CRNP, President & Chief Executive Officer of Panbela. "We look forward to advancing our development program for SBP-101 and eflornithine into the clinic for ovarian cancer and NSCLC indications to help as many patients as possible."

About our Pipeline

The pipeline consists of assets currently in clinical trials with an initial focus on familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer, neoadjuvant pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer prevention and ovarian cancer. The combined development programs have a steady cadence of catalysts with programs ranging from pre-clinical to registration studies.

SBP-101

SBP-101 is a proprietary polyamine analogue designed to induce polyamine metabolic inhibition (PMI) by exploiting an observed high affinity of the compound for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and other tumors. The molecule has shown signals of tumor growth inhibition in clinical studies of US and Australian metastatic pancreatic cancer patients, demonstrating a median overall survival (OS) of 14.6 months which is final, and an objective response rate (ORR) of 48%, both exceeding what is seen typically with the standard of care of gemcitabine + nab-paclitaxel suggesting potential complementary activity with the existing FDA-approved standard chemotherapy regimen. In data evaluated from clinical studies to date, SBP-101 has not shown exacerbation of bone marrow suppression and peripheral neuropathy, which can be chemotherapy-related adverse events. Serious visual adverse events have been evaluated and patients with a history of retinopathy or at risk of retinal detachment will be excluded from future SBP-101 studies. The safety data and PMI profile observed in the current Panbela sponsored clinical trial provides support for continued evaluation of SBP-101 in a randomized clinical trial. For more information, please visit View Source .

Flynpovi

Flynpovi is a combination of CPP-1X (eflornithine) and sulindac with a dual mechanism inhibiting polyamine synthesis and increase polyamine export and catabolism. In a Phase 3 clinical trial in patients with sporadic large bowel polyps, the combination prevented > 90% subsequent pre-cancerous sporadic adenomas versus placebo. Focusing on FAP patients with lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract anatomy in the recent Phase 3 trial comparing Flynpovi to single agent eflornithine and single agent sulindac, FAP patients with lower GI anatomy (patients with an intact colon, retained rectum or surgical pouch), Flynpovi showed statistically significant benefit compared to both single agents (p≤0.02) in delaying surgical events in the lower GI for up to four years. The safety profile for Flynpovi did not significantly differ from the single agents and supports the continued evaluation of Flynpovi for FAP.

CPP-1X

CPP-1X (eflornithine) is being developed as a single agent tablet or high dose powder sachet for several indications including prevention of gastric cancer, treatment of neuroblastoma and recent onset Type 1 diabetes. Preclinical studies as well as Phase 1 or Phase 2 investigator-initiated trials suggest that CPP-1X treatment is well tolerated and has potential activity.

On June 28, 2022 Pepscan, the all-in-one peptide service provider, reported that it will supply personalized peptide pools for six patients in a phase I trial led by Mayo Clinic principal investigator Yanyan Lou, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with Keith L. Knutson, Ph.D (Press release, Pepscan Therapeutics, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616347]). The trial tests the safety and tolerability of an experimental personalized peptide vaccine when given in combination with pembrolizumab in treating patients with a wide range of advanced solid tumors and tumors that have spread to other places in the body (metastases). The vaccine is designed to target certain proteins (neoantigens) on individuals’ tumor cells. Combination immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer and thereby interfere with the ability of the tumor cells to grow and spread.

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"Mayo Clinic is recognized as one of the best hospital groups in the US and we are excited to provide the peptide pools for their investigational phase I study. Supplying top researchers and clinicians worldwide to turn their ideas into better treatment outcomes for patients is what we aim for at Pepscan." says Hans de Backer, CEO of Pepscan.

The primary objective of the study "Personalized Neoantigen Peptide-Based Vaccine in Combination With Pembrolizumab for the Treatment of Advanced Solid Tumors" is to evaluate the safety, side effects, optimal dosages and risks/benefits of a personalized neoantigen peptide vaccine in combination with pembrolizumab in advanced solid cancers. Pepscan will manufacture up to 20 unique peptides and combine them into peptide pools, making up the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of the vaccine. All within only 5 weeks to shipment (under quarantine). Besides the manufacturing, Pepscan also supported Mayo Clinic with the CMC (chemistry, manufacturing and control) report, which was submitted as part of Mayo’s Investigational New Drug (IND) Application and has been approved by the FDA. Manufacturing personalized peptides for neoantigen vaccines requires a very specific set of process development and manufacturing skills, facilities and analytical methods. With 25 years of experience in mastering peptides and flexible manufacturing capabilities, Pepscan reliably delivers individual or pooled peptide sets that fit its customers’ timelines.

On June 28, 2022 Hokkaido University (Location: Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan) and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) reported that they have concluded a collaborative agreement to promote the realization of a "safe and secure society through spatial sensing" (*1) that helps to prevent the spread of illness (Press release, NEC, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616292]).

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In recent years, COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on people’s lives and economic activities throughout the world. Moreover, in the future, it is possible that additional pandemics may occur due to known viruses or currently unknown viruses. In response, Hokkaido University and NEC aim to offer virus visualization services based on spatial sensing technologies developed through collaborative research, and to link these with measures for business continuity planning (BCP) in the event of a pandemic.

Background on the agreement
Hokkaido University is a multi-disciplinary education and research organization that includes undergraduate, graduate, research laboratories and university hospitals. The university supports interdisciplinary research, such as collaborative research that spans multiple departments and facilities across one of the largest university campuses in Japan.

NEC proposes digital transformation (DX) that can contribute to solving social issues with cutting-edge digital technologies, such as world-class biometric identification technologies and proprietary AI technologies, in addition to the industry and operational know-how that it has cultivated over many years.

To date, Hokkaido University and NEC have been conducting collaborative research (*2) on the detection of viruses with biosensors (*3) using aptamers (*4) and collaborative research on virus aerosol collection methods (*5). Based on these initiatives, Hokkaido University and NEC aim to further contribute to society by expanding this collaborative research.

Collaboration details

(1)Establishment of technologies for detection of viruses in the air through collaborative research currently underway
(2)Verification of spatial sensing services through implementation of virus detection technology on campus and networking of spatial information
(3)New co-creation of spatial sensing that makes use of technologies possessed by both parties
(4)Expansion beyond campus as part of contributing to society
Future initiatives
Through ongoing collaborative research, Hokkaido University and NEC will establish technologies for the detection of known viruses and efficient aerosol collection, aiming to conduct demonstration tests and implement these technologies on campus by fiscal 2023. Going forward, Hokkaido University and NEC seek to ensure safe, secure, and comfortable conditions by providing spatial sensing services that combine virus detection information with other spatial information to students and other campus visitors.

On June 28, 2022 The Swiss National Science Foundation reported that it is supporting two University of Zurich projects with CHF 2.5 million each (Press release, University of Zurich, JUN 28, 2022, View Source [SID1234616331]). Sebastian Jessberger is investigating the aging process in the brain, while Nicola Serra is on the trail of a sensational development in particle physics . The SNSF grants plug the hole left by the loss of funding from the EU Horizon program, until Swiss universities can participate again.

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Two researchers from the University of Zurich are awarded an Advanced Grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. (Image: Manfred Richter)

Switzerland is still not associated with the EU’s Horizon Europe funding program. The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) has introduced the SNSF Advanced Grants as a transitional solution. The SNSF grants were awarded according to similarly strict criteria and distinguish excellent scientists who have been conducting successful research for several years. The chance of receiving an SNSF Advanced Grant at all is about the same as for ERC grants. Two researchers from the University of Zurich have now received funding of around CHF 2.5 million each over five years.

Increasing age is a significant risk factor for a variety of brain diseases, such as Alzheimer’s. The team led by Sebastian Jessberger, a professor at the Brain Research Institute, is using imaging and newly developed genetic and molecular biological methods to study aging processes in the brain. The focus is on the stem cells as well as the surrounding cells in the hippocampus, a brain region that plays an important role in certain learning and memory processes, among other things. "What changes in brain cells as they biologically age? Why do some cells age faster than others? We want to find answers to these questions," says Jessberger.

The brain researchers are developing novel sensors to directly visualize the aging state of individual cells. "Our goal is to lay the groundwork so that in the future the aging process in the brain can be slowed down."

Nicola Serra wants to get to the bottom of a potentially sensational development in physics: recent measurements from the Large Hadron Collider beauty (LHCb) experiment at CERN have shown a series of discrepancies with respect to the predictions of the standard model of particle physics, known as flavor anomalies. "If any of these anomalies are confirmed, this would imply the existence of a new fundamental force – in addition to gravity, electromagnetic, weak and strong force. This would amount to a revolution in the field of particle physics," enthuses the professor of physics.

Serra and his research group therefore want to play devil’s advocate by examining whether flavor anomalies in the LHCb could be caused by a combination of statistical fluctuation, underestimated theory uncertainties and detector effects. The research project proposes a paradigm shift in terms of rethinking experimental measurements as constraints in a large system of equations whose variables are physics and detector parameters. "This will hopefully allow us to determine if these anomalies are really due to a new force or not, and pave the way for future discoveries," adds Serra.