On November 10, 2021 Tempest Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: TPST), a clinical-stage oncology company developing potentially first-in-class therapeutics that combine both targeted and immune-mediated mechanisms, reported financial results and provided a corporate update for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 (Press release, Tempest Therapeutics, NOV 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234595233]).

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"The third quarter of 2021 saw continued execution and progress in our programs, including the opening of a collaborative clinical trial with Roche in first line HCC patients comparing TPST-1120 in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab to the standard of care regimen, atezolizumab and bevacizumab," said Stephen R. Brady, chief executive officer of Tempest. "In the fourth quarter of this year and the first half of 2022, we plan to continue this focused approach as our second clinical program, TPST-1495, is poised to move into a set of studies that select patients predicated on strong mechanistic rationale, genetically-defined histologies, and a potential mutation-based biomarker."

Recent Highlights

TPST-1495 (clinical dual EP2/4 prostaglandin receptor antagonist): continued enrollment in monotherapy dose optimization towards recommended Phase 2 dose ("RP2D").
TPST-1120 (clinical PPARα antagonist): (i) after completion of monotherapy dose escalation, continued enrollment in combination dose escalation towards RP2D; and (ii) commencement of first line, randomized global Phase 1b/2 study in HCC patients, under a collaboration with F. Hoffmann La Roche.
New Drug Discovery Program: entered into an exclusive license with U.C. Berkeley for intellectual property covering a new drug target discovered in the laboratory of Russell Vance, Ph.D., professor of molecular and cell biology at U.C. Berkeley and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.
Advisory Board: announced the appointment of Dr. Vance to Tempest’s Advisory Board, joining a distinguished roster consisting of Toni Choueiri, M.D., Benjamin Cravatt, Ph.D., Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D., Jason Luke, M.D., Drew Pardoll, M.D., and Peppi Prasit, Ph.D.
Planned Near-Term Milestones

TPST-1495 (clinical dual EP2/4 prostaglandin receptor antagonist): (i) selection of monotherapy RP2D expected in the first half of 2022; (ii) commencement of a combination study with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor expected prior to the end of 2021; and (iii) commencement of monotherapy expansion in targeted indications and biomarker-selected patient populations expected in the first half of 2022.
TPST-1120 (clinical PPARα antagonist): (i) identification of RP2D of TPST-1120 in combination with nivolumab expected prior to the end of 2021; and (ii) presentation of Phase 1 monotherapy and combination data in mid 2022.
TREX-1 Inhibitor (preclinical tumor-selective STING pathway activator): planned selection of development candidate in the first half of 2022.
Financial Results

Third Quarter

Tempest ended the third quarter of 2021 with $59.8 million in cash and cash equivalents and short-term restricted cash, compared to $18.8 million in December 31, 2020. The increase was primarily due to the merger and concurrent PIPE, which closed in June 2021.
Net loss and net loss per share for the third quarter of 2021 were $8.1 million and $1.21, respectively, compared to $5.4 million and $11.22, respectively, for the third quarter of 2020. The increase was primarily due to an increase in compensation expense and professional fees associated with the merger.
Research and development expenses for the third quarter of 2021 were $4.6 million, compared to $4.3 million for the same period in 2020. The $0.3 million increase was primarily attributable to increased outside services, insurance and compensation expenses.
For the three months ended September 30, 2021, general and administrative expenses were $3.1 million compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2020. The increase was primarily due to growth in compensation and rent expense, as well as professional fees associated with the merger.
Year-to-Date

Net cash used in operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 was $18.0 million.
Net loss and net loss per share for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 were $20.5 million and $7.49, respectively, compared to $14.9 million and $31.91, respectively, for the same period in 2020.
Research and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021 were $12.5 million compared to $11.4 million for the same period in 2020. The $1.1 million increase was primarily due to increased compensation expenses and consulting services.
For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, general and administrative expenses were $7.2 million compared to $3.6 million for the same period in 2020.
Based on current cash position and operating plan, Tempest expects to have sufficient resources to fund operations into the second quarter of 2023.

On November 10, 2021 Aadi Bioscience, Inc. ("Aadi") (Nasdaq: AADI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on precision therapies for genetically-defined cancers with alterations in mTOR pathway genes, reported financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and provided a general business update (Press release, Aadi Bioscience, NOV 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234595663]).

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Neil Desai, Ph.D., Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Aadi, commented, "Following the successful merger completed in the third quarter, we are now fortified on all fronts with a strengthened balance sheet and expanded management team ahead of our November 26 Prescription Drug User Fee Action ("PDUFA") target date for FYARRO. With a sizeable PIPE financing that closed in connection with our merger with Aerpio, we can effectively deploy capital toward the commercialization of FYARRO in advanced malignant PEComa and for our planned tumor-agnostic registrational trial in patients with solid tumors harboring inactivating alterations of TSC1 and TSC2 genes in the mTOR pathway. In addition, we are also planning for new studies to investigate ABI-009 in combination with other targeted agents in different cancers."

Key Business Updates for the Third Quarter:

Merger and PIPE Financing

On August 26, 2021, Aadi merged with Aerpio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biotechnology company (previously traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under "ARPO"), with Aadi being the surviving entity. As part of the merger, each share of Aadi common stock was converted into the right to receive 0.3172 shares of Aerpio common stock following a 15:1 reverse split of Aerpio’s common stock. Aadi’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market (Nasdaq) under the ticker symbol "AADI".
Concurrent to the closing of the merger, the combined company closed the previously announced $155 million private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing of its common stock.
Immediately following the merger, PIPE financing, and reverse split, Aadi had approximately 20.8 million shares of common stock outstanding, with prior Aadi stockholders collectively owning approximately 29.2% of the combined company, prior Aerpio stockholders owning approximately 15.2% of the combined company, and the PIPE investors collectively owning approximately 55.6% of the combined company, each on a fully-diluted basis.
NDA Acceptance

In July, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted Aadi’s New Drug Application (NDA) for its nanoparticle albumin-bound mTOR inhibitor, FYARRO (sirolimus albumin-bound nanoparticles for injectable suspension, nab-sirolimus ABI-009) for the treatment of advanced PEComa, and has granted the company Priority Review status with a PDUFA target action date of November 26, 2021.
Key Leadership Appointments

In September, Aadi announced key appointments of an additional independent board member as well as a Chief Operating Officer:
Emma Reeve was appointed to Aadi’s Board of Directors and as chair of the Audit Committee. Ms. Reeve brings over 25 years of value creation in pharmaceutical, medical device and bio-pharma service companies and a successful track record of transitioning companies from private to public.
Brendan Delaney was appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer. Brendan has had an established career in oncology-focused commercial leadership roles, launching multiple groundbreaking new products and building effective and cohesive commercial teams.
Recent Updates Following the Close of the Quarter:

In the fourth quarter, the Company made two more key executive appointments:
Loretta M. Itri, M.D., FACP was appointed to the role of Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Itri’s extensive career spans clinical and regulatory global-leadership roles at both major pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies. Most recently, Dr. Itri was Chief Medical Officer at Immunomedics, Inc., where she oversaw the development program and approval of TRODELVY, the first TROP-2 directed antibody-drug conjugate for the treatment of unresectable locally advanced or metastatic triple-negative breast and urothelial cancers. Immunomedics was subsequently acquired by Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Scott M. Giacobello, CPA, was appointed to the role of Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, effective November 28, 2021. Most recently, Mr. Giacobello was the Chief Financial Officer of GW Pharmaceuticals plc until its $7.2 billion acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals. Mr. Giacobello joined GW Pharmaceuticals in 2017 and played a key role in the buildout of the U.S. operations and commercial readiness for the company. While Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Giacobello was instrumental in devising the financing strategy to support the development, approval and highly successful launch of GW’s lead product, EPIDIOLEX, which had sales of over $296 million in its first full year of commercialization. Mr. Giacobello also raised over $620 million via follow-on offerings prior to the company’s acquisition by Jazz Pharmaceuticals.
Also in October, the Company presented at a medical conference and announced the publication of its registrational study of FYARRO (ABI-009) in a major medical journal:
Lead researchers at Aadi presented a poster at the Virtual AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) held from October 7th -10th. The poster consisted of preclinical data evaluating nab-sirolimus (ABI-009) in PTEN-deleted and TSC2-deleted cancer models and demonstrated that ABI-009 showed significantly higher tumor accumulation, increased inhibition of downstream mTOR targets S6 and 4EBP1 and greater tumor growth suppression in comparison with other mTOR inhibitors sirolimus and everolimus at equal dose.
The Company also announced the publication of "nab-Sirolimus for Patients With Malignant Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumors" in the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s Journal of Clinical Oncology based on the results of the AMPECT registrational trial. The authors concluded that investigational nab-sirolimus (ABI-009), if approved, may represent an important new treatment option in malignant PEComa, a rare cancer and aggressive form of sarcoma, with no currently approved treatment.
Third Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

As of September 30, 2021, cash and cash equivalents totaled $161.4 million, an increase from $4.5 million as of December 31, 2020, resulting primarily from the consolidated capital and proceeds received from the PIPE financing. Based on our current plans, we expect cash and cash equivalents to fund operations into 2024.

For the three months ended September 30, 2021, operating expenses totaled $87.3 million, an increase of $84.4 million compared to $2.9 million for the same period in 2020. For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, operating expenses totaled $95.4 million, an increase of $84.0 million compared to $11.4 million for the same period in 2020. The increase in operating expenses for the three- and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021, is due primarily to a non-cash impairment charge related to an acquired contract intangible asset of $74.2 million incurred in conjunction with the merger compared to the same period in 2020.

Research and development expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2021, increased approximately $3.4 million, to $5.8 million compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2020. Research and development expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, increased approximately $2.7 million, to $12.4 million compared to $9.7 million for the same period in 2020. This increase was primarily the result of increased expenses associated with our clinical drug manufacturing process in the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2021, compared to the same periods in 2020.

General and administrative expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2021, increased approximately $6.9 million to $7.4 million compared to $0.5 million for the same period in 2020. General and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, increased approximately $7.1 million, to $8.8 million from $1.7 million, in the nine months ended September 30, 2020. This increase was primarily the result of increased personnel expenses, including approximately $2.0 million of compensation expense related to former Aerpio executives as a result of the merger.

Net loss attributable to common stockholders for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, was $87.2 million and $94.7 million, respectively, primarily driven by the non-cash impairment charge of $74.2 million discussed above.

On November 10, 2021 Cogent Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: COGT), a biotechnology company focused on developing precision therapies for genetically defined diseases, reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2021 and provided corporate updates (Press release, Cogent Biosciences, NOV 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234595050]).

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"We are pleased to announce that we have started the SUMMIT trial, a Phase 2 study of bezuclastinib in patients with nonadvanced systemic mastocytosis," said Andrew Robbins, President and CEO of Cogent Biosciences. "Based on recently presented preclinical data, we believe that bezuclastinib has best-in-class potential as a highly potent and selective KIT mutant inhibitor and look forward to initiating the PEAK trial for GIST patients in the coming weeks."

Recent Program and Corporate Highlights

SUMMIT trial initiated in NonAdvSM patients
Cogent initiated SUMMIT, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, global, multicenter, Phase 2 clinical trial. The study is designed to explore the safety and efficacy of bezuclastinib in patients with moderate to severe Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis (ISM) or Smoldering Systemic Mastocytosis (SSM).
SUMMIT is designed in three parts. Part 1 will enroll approximately 48 patients across 3 dose cohorts, plus one placebo arm, and is designed to confirm the optimal bezuclastinib dose. In addition, Part 1 will serve to validate a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) tool for use in assessing efficacy during Part 2 of the trial. Part 2 of SUMMIT will be randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled at a single dose level and will include a primary endpoint of disease improvement using the PRO tool from Part 1. After participation in Part 1 or Part 2, all patients may receive bezuclastinib in a long-term extension.
Learn more about the SUMMIT trial at cogentclinicaltrials.com
APEX trial on track for preliminary clinical data readout in the first half of 2022
Cogent is currently enrolling APEX, a Phase 2 clinical trial of bezuclastinib in patients with Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis (AdvSM) and expects to report preliminary clinical data at a scientific conference during the first half of 2022, including levels of serum tryptase, a validated biomarker of mast cell activity.
Learn more about the APEX trial at cogentclinicaltrials.com.
PEAK trial of bezuclastinib and sunitinib for GIST patients to start in 2021
Following recent positive interactions with the FDA, Cogent remains on track to initiate PEAK, a Phase 3 clinical trial of bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib in imatinib-resistant GIST patients, during 2021.
Announces updated bezuclastinib formulation in partnership with Serán Biosciences
Leveraging Serán’s expertise in formulation and process optimization, an updated formulation of bezuclastinib has been developed. This formulation is expected to reduce the number of daily tablets, improving the overall patient experience.
Updated formulation will be used in PEAK trial beginning in 2021.
Presented new preclinical data supporting bezuclastinib as potential best-in-class KIT inhibitor
Preclinical data presented at the 2021 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)-NCI-EORTC Virtual AACR-NCI-EORTC (Free AACR-NCI-EORTC Whitepaper) International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics (EORTC-NCI-AACR) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) showed further evidence of bezuclastinib as a differentiated, potent, and selective KIT inhibitor.
In head-to-head studies comparing several commercial and development-stage KIT mutant inhibitors, bezuclastinib demonstrated minimal activity against closely related kinases, including PDGFR.
In a nonclinical safety pharmacology study in rodents, bezuclastinib demonstrated minimal brain penetration with a low brain-to-plasma ratio.
Appointed Dana Martin as Chief Patient Officer & Senior Vice President, Medical Affairs
Dr. Martin joins with over 20 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Cogent, he held several roles of increasing leadership responsibility in the areas of clinical pharmacy, medical affairs, and patient advocacy at Genzyme Corporation, Synageva BioPharma, Sarepta Therapeutics, and Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Martin has contributed to the clinical development and/or product launch of multiple rare disease therapeutics, including first-to-market treatments for Fabry disease, Pompe disease, lysosomal acid lipase deficiency, and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy-Boston.
Appointed Courtney Watson as Vice President of Clinical Development Operations
Mrs. Watson joins Cogent with nearly 15 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry. Prior to joining Cogent, Mrs. Watson was the Head of Clinical Operations at Fusion Pharmaceuticals. Previously, she served in various Clinical Operations roles of increasing responsibility at Forma Therapeutics, Synageva BioPharma, and Ziopharm Oncology. Mrs. Watson holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern Maine.
Third Quarter 2021 Summarized Financial Results

R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses were $14.8 million for the third quarter of 2021 as compared to $5.0 million for the third quarter of 2020. Research and development expenses include non-cash stock compensation expense of $1.4 million for the third quarter of 2021 compared to $1.9 million for the third quarter of 2020.
G&A Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $5.0 million for the third quarter of 2021 as compared to $5.6 million for the third quarter of 2020. General and administrative expenses include non-cash stock compensation expense of $2.0 million for the third quarter of 2021 compared to $1.6 million for the third quarter of 2020.
Net Loss: Net loss was $19.1 million for the third quarter of 2021 as compared to a net loss of $50.0 million for the third quarter of 2020, which included $46.9 million resulting from the accounting treatment related to the asset acquisition of Kiq LLC. During the third quarter of 2021, the company spent $15.2 million of its cash and cash equivalents.
Cash and Cash Equivalents: As of September 30, 2021, Cogent had cash and cash equivalents of $202.9 million. The company believes that its cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2024.

On November 10, 2021 AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) and the University of Chicago reported thatt have extended their collaboration agreement through 2025 to support preclinical oncology research (Press release, AbbVie, NOV 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234595066]).

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To date, the collaboration has led to novel insights related to biomarkers and therapeutic applications for existing AbbVie programs. This has included the development of novel drug delivery approaches to enhance anti-tumor immune response and incorporating unique 3D screening methodologies for selecting novel therapeutic molecules.

"Our oncology collaboration with the University of Chicago enables us to combine our expertise in understanding the underlying biology in key areas of interest, such as immuno-oncology, oncogenic pathways, and biomarkers of drug sensitivity or disease," said Steve Davidsen, Vice President, Oncology Discovery Research at AbbVie. "This effort drives towards a common goal of accelerating discovery efforts and delivering novel therapies to people living with cancer."

Continuing the intent of the initial research collaboration, the extension of the collaboration is designed to further accelerate and advance medical research in oncology at both organizations.

"Our ambition is that the clinical and translational collaboration between AbbVie and the University of Chicago continues to impact public health positively," said Kunle Odunsi, M.D., Ph.D., AbbVie Foundation Director, University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. "The collaboration has created valuable opportunities for scientific exchange and the development of clinical trials for cancer research."

Under the agreement, the organizations will continue working together to advance research in several areas, focusing on oncology, and AbbVie gains an option for an exclusive license to certain University of Chicago discoveries made as part of the collaboration.

"We look forward to more discoveries together in the years to come," said Juan de Pablo, University of Chicago Vice President for National Laboratories, Science Strategy, Innovation, and Global Initiatives. "The extension of our agreement will continue to provide faculty and students with opportunities to work with colleagues at a global biopharmaceutical leader and translate their findings from the lab into the real world. It will enable the kind of preclinical research that is needed to help lay the foundations for better approaches and treatments with the goal to ultimately improve quality of life for patients."

On November 10, 2021 Celyad Oncology SA (Euronext & Nasdaq: CYAD) (the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) therapies for cancer, reported an update on its financial results and recent business developments for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021 (Press release, Celyad, NOV 10, 2021, View Source [SID1234595082]).

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"Our team continues to take major strides towards the development of a differentiated, next-generation CAR T pipeline based on novel non-gene edited technologies which we believe offer potential advantages over gene-editing approaches. During our R&D Day in the third quarter, we provided an in-depth review of our platforms, including our proprietary shRNA and TIM technologies, as well as our ‘armored’ CAR franchise focused on the co-expression of secreting IL-18. These key capabilities are reflected across our allogeneic clinical programs and highlight the advancements we’re making. Overall, we’ve treated more than 30 patients with our allogeneic CAR T product candidates without evidence of GvHD while observing encouraging early signals of clinical activity, which we believe is a promising validation that our non-gene edited strategy for allogeneic CAR T has the potential to be a game-changer for the field," commented Filippo Petti, Chief Executive Officer of Celyad Oncology. "There are several data readouts scheduled at this year’s ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) and SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) annual meetings, and we believe the updates from the Phase 1 IMMUNICY-1 trial of CYAD-211, as well as the pending initiation of the Phase 1b KEYNOTE-B79 trial will further position us as leaders in the allogeneic CAR T space."

Recent Highlights

Research & Development Day held on July 20, 2021, during which the management team provided:
Updates on the allogeneic CAR T clinical candidates CYAD-211 and CYAD-101.
Highlights from the latest research from the Company’s proprietary short hairpin RNA (shRNA) platform, including the introduction of CYAD-203 – a novel allogeneic, Interleukin-18 (IL-18)-armored CAR T candidate currently in IND-enabling studies.
Acquisition of an exclusive patent license from the University of Pennsylvania for an engager targeting Glypican 3 (GPC3), which will be tested with the Company’s proprietary shRNA technology platform.
Three abstracts to be presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 36th Annual Meeting, which will include information about:
Celyad Oncology’s multiplexing capabilities using shRNA technology.
The Company’s first non-gene edited allogeneic, IL-18-armored CAR T candidate CYAD-203.
Phase 1b KEYNOTE-B79 trial of CYAD-101 followed by KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer patients.
Two abstracts to be presented at the 63rd ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held from December 11-14, 2021, which will include additional data for CYAD-211 and CYAD-02.
Third Quarter 2021 Financial Review

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of €6.1 million ($7.1 million), representing a decrease in cash and cash equivalents of €5.9 million as compared to June 30, 2021. The Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents combined with the remaining access to the equity purchase agreement established with Lincoln Park Capital Fund, LLC should be sufficient, based on the current scope of activities, to fund operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements to the end of the third quarter of 2022.

Update on Clinical and Preclinical Programs

CYAD-101 – Allogeneic TIM-based, NKG2D CAR T for mCRC

CYAD-101 is the Company’s allogeneic CAR T candidate engineered to co-express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) based on the NKG2D receptor and the novel inhibitory peptide TCR Inhibitory Molecule (TIM).
To the Company’s knowledge, CYAD-101 is the first investigational allogeneic CAR T candidate to generate evidence of clinical activity for the treatment of a solid tumor indication.
The Phase 1b KEYNOTE-B79 trial, which will evaluate CYAD-101 following FOLFOX preconditioning chemotherapy, with MSD’s anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in refractory mCRC patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) / mismatch-repair proficient (pMMR) disease, is on track to begin by year-end 2021.
This KEYNOTE-B79 trial is part of a clinical trial collaboration involving Celyad Oncology and MSD, a tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ., USA, through a subsidiary.
CYAD-211 – Allogeneic shRNA-based, anti-BCMA CAR T for r/r MM

CYAD-211 comprises a B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) targeting CAR co-expressed with a shRNA that targets the CD3ζ component of the T-cell receptor (TCR) complex.
The dose-escalation, Phase 1 IMMUNICY-1 trial is evaluating the tolerability and clinical activity of a single infusion of CYAD-211 following preconditioning with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine given for three consecutive days.
In July 2021, preliminary data from the Phase 1 IMMUNICY-1 trial was presented from a total of seven patients (three patients at dose level one, three patients at dose level two and one patient at dose level three) demonstrating no evidence of Graft-versus-Host disease (GvHD) along with initial evidence of clinical response in the form of two partial responses. Importantly, CYAD-211 cells were detected within the peripheral blood of all patients analyzed with an apparent stepwise engraftment across the three dose levels.
Enrollment in the trial is ongoing with plans to explore higher doses of preconditioning regimens in future cohorts. A clinical update will be presented at the upcoming ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) meeting in December 2021.
CYAD-203 – Allogeneic shRNA-based, IL-18-armored NKG2D CAR T for Solid Tumors

CYAD-203 is the Company’s first armored CAR T candidate engineered to co-express the cytokine IL-18 with the NKG2D CAR receptor. To the Company’s knowledge, CYAD-203 is the first allogeneic IL-18 secreting CAR T candidate.
Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies are currently in progress alongside production of the clinical grade vector.
Submission of the IND application for CYAD-203 is expected in mid-2022.
At the SITC (Free SITC Whitepaper) 36th Annual Meeting, preclinical data will be presented demonstrating the enhanced anti-tumor activity of NKG2D CAR T cells armored with IL-18.
CYAD-02 – Autologous NKG2D receptor CAR T for r/r AML / MDS

CYAD-02, the Company’s autologous CAR T candidate with shRNA technology that targets the NKG2D ligands MICA and MICB, is currently being evaluated for the treatment of r/r AML / MDS in the Phase 1 CYCLE-1 dose-escalation trial.
Additional safety and efficacy data from the trial will be presented at the upcoming ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) meeting in December 2021.
Upcoming Anticipated Milestones

Initiation of the Phase 1b KEYNOTE-B79 trial evaluating CYAD-101 with KEYTRUDA in mCRC patients with MSS/pMMR disease is anticipated by year-end 2021.
Additional data from the Phase 1 IMMUNICY-1 trial of CYAD-211 and the Phase 1 CYCLE-1 trial of CYAD-02 are expected at the upcoming ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) meeting in December 2021.
Submission of the IND application for CYAD-203 for treatment of solid tumors is expected in mid-2022.