On June 1, 2022 Surface Oncology (Nasdaq: SURF), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company developing next-generation immunotherapies that target the tumor microenvironment, reported that Rob Ross, M.D., chief executive officer, will participate in two upcoming investor conferences (Press release, Surface Oncology, JUN 1, 2022, View Source [SID1234615353]):

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A fireside chat during Cowen’s 3rd Annual Virtual Oncology Innovation Summit on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 10 a.m. ET.

A corporate presentation at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference on Thursday, June 9, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET.
The live audio and subsequent archived webcast of the fireside chat and corporate presentation will be accessible from the Events & Presentations page of the company’s website.

On June 1, 2022 InterVenn Biosciences, a clinical technology company leveraging glycoproteomics to transform the future of healthcare, reported that it has joined the Worldwide Innovative Network (WIN) Consortium and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health’s Biomarker Consortium (Press release, InterVenn Biosciences, JUN 1, 2022, View Source [SID1234615372]). InterVenn’s innovation in glycoproteomic-based liquid biopsies and translational research provides novel strategies and new tools to improve patient care, advance clinical trials, accelerate biomarker discovery, and enhance precision oncology.

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"We are privileged and excited about becoming members of both the Biomarker Consortium of FNIH and the WIN consortium," said Klaus Lindpaintner, M.D., MPH, InterVenn Distinguished Scientist and representative on both organizations. "As we at InterVenn are advancing glycoproteomics as a new and powerful discipline to the clinic in oncology and beyond, being part of these networks will be instrumental in reaching patients and caregivers, making them aware of our platform and realizing its potential. We look forward to close interactions with both organizations and their members to explore collaborative projects."

On June 1, 2022 Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTGX) ("Protagonist" or "the Company") reported that Dinesh V. Patel, Ph.D., President, and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference in New York on Wednesday, June 8 at 9:30 a.m. ET (Press release, Protagonist, JUN 1, 2022, View Source [SID1234615389]).

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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 webcast of the event will be available for 90 days on the Investors section of the Protagonist Therapeutics website at View Source

On June 1, 2022 Midatech Pharma PLC (AIM: MTPH.L; Nasdaq: MTP), an R&D biotechnology company focused on improving the bio-delivery and biodistribution of medicines, reported that upon submitting an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA"), its development programme of MTX110 for the treatment of recurrent glioblastoma ("rGBM") has been granted Fast Track designation by the agency (Press release, Midatech Pharma, JUN 1, 2022, View Source [SID1234615608]).

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Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of treatments for serious conditions and that potentially address unmet medical needs. Drugs that are granted this designation are given the opportunity for more frequent interactions with the FDA, as well as potential pathways for expedited approval.

Commenting, Dmitry Zamoryakhin, CSO of Midatech, said: "GBM is a devastating cancer marked by short survival rate and universal recurrence. Receiving Fast Track designation for MTX110 is an important milestone for the development of the drug as it demonstrates the need for novel and effective treatment options for this currently universally fatal disease. MTX110, our water-soluble formulation of Panobinostat, will soon start recruitment into a company-sponsored Phase I study in patients with recurrent GBM".

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014, as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended).

About MTX110

MTX110 is a water-soluble form of panobinostat free base, achieved through complexation with hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPBCD), that enables convection-enhanced delivery (CED) at potentially chemotherapeutic doses directly to the site of the tumour. Panobinostat is a hydroxamic acid and acts as a non-selective histone deacetylase inhibitor (pan-HDAC inhibitor). The currently available oral formulation of panobinostat lactate (Farydak) is not suitable for treatment of brain cancers owing to poor blood-brain barrier penetration and inadequate brain drug concentrations. Based on favourable translational science data, MTX110 is being evaluated clinically as a treatment for DIPG (NCT03566199, NCT04264143) and recurrent medulloblastoma (NCT04315064), and preclinically for treatment of glioblastoma (SNO 2020 Abstract TMOD-27). MTX110 is delivered directly into and around the patient’s tumour via a catheter system (e.g. CED or fourth ventricle infusions) to bypass the blood-brain barrier. This technique exposes the tumour to very high drug concentrations while simultaneously minimising systemic drug levels and the potential for toxicity and other side effects. Panobinostat has demonstrated high potency against DIPG tumour cells in in vitro and in vivo models, and in a key study it was the most promising of 83 anticancer agents tested in 14 patient-derived DIPG cell lines (Grasso et al, 2015. Nature Medicine 21(6), 555-559).

On June 1, 2022 Black Diamond Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDTX), a precision oncology medicine company pioneering the discovery and development of MasterKey therapies, reported the appointment of Sergey Yurasov, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer (Press release, Black Diamond Therapeutics, JUN 1, 2022, View Source [SID1234615320]). In conjunction with the appointment of Dr. Yurasov, Karsten Witt, M.D., is transitioning from his current role as the Company’s Interim Chief Medical Officer to a clinical advisory role.

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"We are delighted to welcome Sergey to Black Diamond as Chief Medical Officer. His considerable expertise in precision oncology medicine, specifically with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), positions Sergey as an invaluable leader for our drug development team," said David Epstein, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Black Diamond Therapeutics. "We remain focused on advancing our MasterKey therapies, including our lead clinical program, BDTX-1535, and BDTX-4933, currently in IND-enabling studies, and Sergey’s diverse clinical and regulatory experience in the development of targeted oncology therapies for the treatment of solid tumors will be essential as we further advance our pipeline and utilize our innovative MAP drug discovery engine to develop novel MasterKey therapies."

Dr. Yurasov joins Black Diamond Therapeutics from Nuvation Bio, an oncology therapeutics company. As Chief Medical Officer at Nuvation Bio, Dr. Yurasov was instrumental in the company’s successful public offering in February 2021, and spearheaded the company’s clinical development strategy in multiple oncology indications for a number of small molecule programs. Prior to Nuvation Bio, Dr. Yurasov was the Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Immune Design Corp., an immune-oncology company, which was acquired by Merck in March 2019. He was previously Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Clovis Oncology, where he oversaw clinical development and led clinical teams through regulatory filings for multiple oncology development programs, including rociletinib for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and RUBRACA (rucaparib) for homologous-recombination deficient ovarian cancer. Earlier in Dr. Yurasov’s career, he was a senior physician at ImClone Systems, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company, leading the approval of CYRAMZA (ramucirumab) in NSCLC and a clinical lead on multiple oncology early development programs at Roche. Dr. Yurasov holds an M.D. from the Russian State Medical University and a Ph.D. from the Research Institute for Pediatric Hematology, in Moscow, Russia.

"Black Diamond’s MAP drug discovery engine represents a novel approach to addressing major unmet medical needs for patients within the precision oncology treatment landscape by targeting overlooked mutation families, and I was particularly drawn to this differentiated way of tackling the gaps in genetically defined cancer treatment. I am excited to be joining this team to further execute on the development of Black Diamond’s pipeline programs as the Company prepares for key milestones across its programs in 2023," said Dr. Yurasov. "This is a crucial time for Black Diamond with a newly refined pipeline strategy and clear prioritization of programs in development and I look forward to joining this fantastic group of leaders and scientists as we work together to expand the reach of precision medicines in oncology."

Dr. Yurasov succeeds Dr. Witt, who was Black Diamond’s founding Chief Medical Officer and will continue to support the Company in an advisory capacity.

"On behalf of everyone at Black Diamond, the management team and Board of Directors, we thank Karsten for his significant contributions to our progress and mission of expanding the reach of precision cancer medicines. Karsten has been instrumental in the building of Black Diamond, and we are grateful for the integral role he has played in our growth. I want to thank him for his leadership and continued commitment to the value proposition of MasterKey therapies," said Dr. Epstein.