EXACT THERAPEUTICS TO PRESENT AT PARETO SECURITIES 12th ANNUAL HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE

On August 31, 2021 Exact Therapeutics AS ("EXACT-Tx", Euronext Growth: EXTX), a clinical stage precision medicine company evaluating Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT) across multiple therapeutic areas, reported that its Chief Executive Officer, Dr Rafiq Hasan, will be presenting at the Pareto Securities 12th Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, 1 September at 12.00pm CET (Press release, Exact Therapeutics, AUG 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234587049]).

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About EXACT-Tx

EXACT-Tx is a clinical stage Norwegian biotech company developing a technology platform for targeted therapeutic enhancement – Acoustic Cluster Therapy (ACT). ACT sonoporation is a unique approach to ultrasound-mediated, targeted drug enhancement – with the potential to significantly amplify the clinical utility of a wide range of therapeutic agents across a multitude of indications including within oncology (chemotherapy, immunotherapy), infectious diseases, and neurological conditions. www.exact-tx.com

About ACT

ACT is a proprietary formulation consisting of microbubbles and microdroplets that are activated through the application of ultrasound with the consequent increase in targeted delivery of a co-administered therapeutic agent.

ACT is supported by a strong and broad preclinical package demonstrating therapeutic enhancement in multiple oncology models (pancreatic, breast, colon, prostate) as well as blood-brain barrier penetration.

Initial focus of the company is oncology, however the ACT platform has potential across therapeutic areas (infectious diseases, CNS, immunotherapy) and product classes.

ImmunoGenesis Announces Positive Preclinical Glioblastoma and Pancreatic Cancer Data for STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) Agonist Published in Two Scientific Journals

On August 31, 2021 ImmunoGenesis Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing science-driven immune therapies, reported the publication of positive data for its STimulator of INterferon Genes (STING) agonist in the treatment of canines with previously diagnosed glioblastoma (GBM), the second most common type of canine brain cancer that shares very close similarities to its human counterpart, in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) (Press release, ImmunoGenesis, AUG 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234587067]). The study, "Intratumoral Delivery of STING Agonist Results in Clinical Responses in Canine Glioblastoma," showed that some canines responded to the treatment with reductions in their tumor volume, including one complete response in which the tumor completely disappeared. These results support the notion that ImmunoGenesis’ STING agonist has the potential to trigger a robust, innate anti-tumor immune response in humans and may be highly effective on recalcitrant tumors such as glioblastoma. The study was conducted jointly by ImmunoGenesis, Northwestern Medicine, and the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital.

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In addition, ImmunoGenesis announces positive preclinical data implicating STING as a potential therapeutic target for patients with immune cold tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), in the publication of "High potency STING agonists engage unique myeloid pathways to reverse pancreatic cancer immune privilege," in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer. Further, data revealed that intratumoral injection of ImmunoGenesis’ STING agonist into orthotopic pancreatic lesions unmasks sensitivity to checkpoint blockade, further indicating the potential of its STING agonist to help overcome immunotherapy resistance in cold tumors. This study also demonstrated that the high potency of ImmunoGenesis’ STING agonist could reprogram critical elements of the tumor stroma from an immune suppressive state to a pro-inflammatory state by engaging novel mechanisms such as downregulation of the "undruggable" cMyc oncogene – a property not found in naturally occurring STING agonists.

"These two published studies show strong preclinical proof of concept of our STING agonist against cold cancers—including pancreatic and brain cancers—refractory to currently available immunotherapy," said James Barlow, ImmunoGenesis President and CEO. "We look forward to further building upon these successful results with the advancement of our STING-ISAC candidate. Delivered intravenously, our STING-ISAC has the potential to deliver STING systemically to all tumor sites, allowing us to less-invasively target a broader range of cold tumors compared to free STING agonists."

"Collectively, these non-human data of ImmunoGenesis’ STING agonist indicate that it repolarizes the myeloid stroma to be immune supportive in addition to triggering a robust, innate anti-tumor response," said Dr. Amy Heimberger, scientific director of the Malnati Brain Tumor Institute of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "This further reveals the potential for ImmunoGenesis’ STING agonist to be a foundational treatment in immunologically resistant cancers such as GBM."

Canine Study in Glioblastoma

The investigators tested the STING agonist by injection directly into the glioblastoma of five dogs that had previously been diagnosed with the cancer. Each dog received up to two injections intratumorally at an interval of four to six weeks. MRI scans taken of the canines over the course of the trial revealed that some of the canines, even with single dose, responded to the treatment with reductions in their tumor volume, including one complete response in which the tumor completely disappeared. Funding for this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (grant R01 NS120547), the Joan Traver Walsh Family Foundation, the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation, the Brockman Foundation and Mr. Herb Simmons.

Preclinical Pancreatic Cancer Study

The second study sought to describe how different STING agonists functionally impact the tumor microenvironment using PDAC as a model for an immunologically cold tumor. Two natural STING agonists (CDG and cGAMP) and two synthetic STING agonists (ML-RR and ImmunoGenesis’ 8803) were tested, with 8803 being the most potent. Local delivery of ImmunoGenesis’ 8803 STING agonist triggered proinflammatory remodeling of immune suppressive cells within the tumor microenvironment, expanded immune cell infiltration and induced tumor regression. Intratumoral administration of 8803 also augmented the response to checkpoint blockade and induced curative immunity in a multifocal PDAC model. Funding for this study was primarily provided by PanCAN.

About STING-ISAC

STING-ISAC builds on ImmunoGenesis’ novel platform PD-L1/PD-L2 inhibitor by conjugating a STING agonist to the antibody, combining an optimal PD-1 pathway blockade with a powerful immune agonist. ImmunoGenesis is developing this agent to effectively and systemically transport the intravenously delivered STING agonist to all tumor sites and targets within the tumor microenvironment. This therapeutic advance pushes through an important barrier seen with traditional STING agonists, which consistently produce an effect only at the site of the intratumoral injection. ImmunoGenesis’ STING-ISAC, delivered intravenously, could precisely target where it is most effective across tumor sites.

HUYABIO Files an Investigational New Drug Application with the FDA for the Novel SHP2 Inhibitor HBI-2376

On August 31, 2021 HUYABIO International (HUYABIO), the leader in accelerating global development of China’s pharmaceutical innovations, reported the filing of an investigational new drug application (IND) with the FDA for HBI-2376 along with Genhouse who has filed an IND with the Chinese Center for Drug Excellence CDE (Press release, HUYA Bioscience, AUG 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234587068]).

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"HBI-2376 (GH21) is a SHP2 allosteric inhibitor with very high selectivity. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that HBI-2376 is effective against multiple SHP2 point mutations and has a very good PK and safety profile," said Dr. Keifung Wang, CEO of Genhouse. "Therefore, GH21 is a very promising small molecule drug candidate that Genhouse along with HUYABIO will coordinate the global clinical development to make it available for cancer patients as soon as possible."

The companies entered into a licensing agreement granting HUYABIO worldwide rights outside China to HBI-2376 prior to filing the regulatory submissions.

Dr. Mireille Gillings, CEO & Executive Chair of HUYABIO, said, "This submission represents a first filing of simultaneous INDs, to coordinate the development of our SHP2 inhibitor in both the US and China. We believe the drug’s global testing will accelerate its commercialization as an important new agent. It will add synergy to current immuno-oncology products which to date, have transformed cancer care. The potential here is to transform current immuno-oncology therapy to an even higher level and so improve public health."

About HBI-2376; SHP2 Inhibitor
HBI-2376 is an oral small molecule inhibitor of SHP2 for multiple tumor types whose cellular growth is dependent on the activity of receptor tyrosine kinases in the mitogen-activated protein kinase or MAPK pathway. Extensive biochemical characterization has shown that HBI-2376 is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of SHP2 phosphatase. Furthermore, preclinical investigations showed significant efficacy for HBI-2376 as a single agent or in combination with other small molecule inhibitors or checkpoint inhibitors in multiple tumor models.

Akoya Biosciences to Present at the Morgan Stanley 19th Annual Global Healthcare Conference

On August 31, 2021 Akoya Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: AKYA) ("Akoya"), The Spatial Biology Company, reported that it will be virtually participating in the Morgan Stanley 19th Annual Global Healthcare Conference (Press release, Akoya Biosciences, AUG 31, 2021, View Sourcenews-releases/news-release-details/akoya-biosciences-present-morgan-stanley-19th-annual-global" target="_blank" title="View Sourcenews-releases/news-release-details/akoya-biosciences-present-morgan-stanley-19th-annual-global" rel="nofollow">View Source [SID1234590280]).

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Brian McKelligon, CEO, and Joe Driscoll, CFO, are scheduled to participate in a fireside chat on Monday, September 13th, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. ET.

A live webcast of the event will be available on the "Investors" section of the Akoya website at View Source and will be available for 90 days thereafter.

Poseida Therapeutics Presents Preliminary Results from Phase 1 Trial of P-PSMA-101 at the 6th Annual CAR-TCR Summit

On August 31, 2021 Poseida Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing proprietary genetic engineering platform technologies to create cell and gene therapeutics with the capacity to cure, reported preliminary results from its Phase 1 clinical trial of P-PSMA-101, the Company’s solid tumor autologous CAR-T product candidate to treat patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) (Press release, Poseida Therapeutics, AUG 31, 2021, View Source [SID1234587035]). These data will be presented at the 6th Annual CAR-TCR Summit virtual meeting at 10:00am ET today in a presentation entitled, "P-PSMA-101 is a High-Tscm Autologous CAR-T Targeting PSMA Producing Exceptionally Deep and Durable Responses in Castration-Resistant Metastatic Prostate Cancer."

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"We are excited about the preliminary data from our Phase 1 trial of P-PSMA-101, which provides further evidence of the effectiveness of our CAR-T platform for solid tumor cancers," said Eric Ostertag, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Poseida, who will present at the CAR-TCR Summit. "To date, other CAR-T therapeutics have not had much success outside of hematologic malignancies. The deep and durable responses in our trial demonstrate that CAR-T products have the potential to work well against solid tumors, even at low doses, when using the appropriate technology platform."

Efficacy:

As of the cutoff date, the study had enrolled a total of nine patients with mCRPC: five patients at Dose A who each received a single treatment of 0.25X10E6 cells/kg (an average of about 20M cells), and four patients at Dose B, who each received a single treatment of 0.75X10E6 cells/kg (an average of about 60M cells). All patients received a lymphodepletion regimen consisting of 30 mg/m2 fludarabine + 300 mg/m2 cyclophosphamide. Patients were heavily pre-treated, having received an average of six prior lines of therapy with a median time since diagnosis of 6.4 years.

Key findings included:

Five patients dosed showed measurable declines in PSA levels

Three patients treated showed a greater than 50% decline in PSA levels and had concordant improvements in PSMA-PET imaging

One patient demonstrated evidence of complete tumor elimination and remains in a durable response of greater than five months at the time of this presentation

"This innovative Poseida PSMA-directed CAR T cell platform has demonstrated a robust anti-tumor response in patients with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer," commented Susan F. Slovin, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Vice Chair of Academic Administration at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and investigator on the trial. "This is the first time that I have seen such impressive responses with an immunotherapy product. The responses of my patients in the trial are far beyond my expectations."

Safety and Tolerability:

P-PSMA-101 demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile. After a previously reported case of Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS) exacerbated by patient non-compliance, only three cases of possible Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) were observed, which were all low grade (1/2) and were managed well with early treatment. No cases of neurotoxicity (CRES/ICANS) were observed as of the cutoff date.

The Phase 1 trial is an open label, multi-center, 3+3 dose-escalating study designed to assess the safety of P-PSMA-101 in up to 40 adult subjects with mCRPC. The primary objectives of this study are to determine the safety, efficacy, and maximum tolerated dose of P-PSMA-101. Additional information about the study is available at www.clinicaltrials.gov using identifier: NCT04249947.

"We believe the key to success in solid tumors is a product with a high percentage of desirable stem cell memory T cells (Tscm)," said Matthew Spear, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Poseida. "In this study, we have demonstrated that a high-percentage Tscm CAR-T product can home to the bone marrow and, in at least one case, completely eliminate tumor. This bone marrow homing property may be particularly important for bone avid diseases such as prostate adenocarcinoma. Importantly, the favorable tolerability associated with our Tscm CAR-T products has carried over to prostate cancer where we have so far seen manageable cytokine release syndrome and no neurotoxicity."

Company-Hosted Conference Call and Webcast Information

Poseida’s management team will host a conference call and webcast today, August 31, 2021 at 11:00am ET. The dial-in conference call numbers for domestic and international callers are (866) 939-3921 and (678) 302-3550, respectively. The conference ID number for the call is 50220147. Participants may access the live webcast and the accompanying presentation materials on Poseida’s website at www.poseida.com in the Investors section under Events and Presentations. An archived replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the event.

Additional CAR-TCR Summit Highlights

Presentation: "Developing CAR-T Cells for Multiple Myeloma: From Autologous to Allogeneic"

Session Date/Time: Wednesday, September 1, 2021, 4:00pm ET

Presenter: Matthew Spear, M.D., CMO, Poseida Therapeutics

This presentation will outline Phase 1 and 2 development of the Company’s lead autologous P-BCMA-101 CAR-T therapy and insights that were used to develop a fully allogeneic version, P-BCMA-ALLO1 that is expected to enter the clinic soon. The presentation will be part of the afternoon session on the Clinical Management Track.

Presentation: "Advancing Nonviral Manufacturing for Multi-Product Allogeneic T-Cell Therapies"

Session Date/Time: Wednesday, September 1, 2021, 4:30pm ET

Presenter: Devon Shedlock, Ph.D., SVP Research & Development, Poseida Therapeutics

This presentation will discuss how Poseida’s piggyBac DNA Delivery System, Cas-CLOVER Site-specific Gene Editing System and Booster Molecule are used to manufacture multi-product, fully allogeneic T-cell therapies. The Company will also discuss how efficient multiplexed Cas-CLOVER gene editing exhibits low to no off-target editing or translocations as determined by next-generation sequencing, and how the Company’s Booster Molecule helps to protect against the "allo tax," maintaining a favorable high-stem cell memory T cell (Tscm) product and enabling up to hundreds of doses in a single manufacturing run. This presentation will be part of the afternoon session on the Manufacturing Track.

Presentation: "Developing ‘Off-the-Shelf’ CAR-T Cells for Bone Marrow Transplant Conditioning"

Session Date/Time: Thursday, September 2, 2021, 9:00am ET

Presenter: Nina Timberlake, Ph.D., Associate Director, Research (Gene Therapy), Poseida Therapeutics

This presentation will discuss leveraging the piggyBac DNA Delivery System and Cas-CLOVER Site-specific Gene Editing System to generate off-the-shelf fully allogeneic CAR-T cells to specifically target hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow. This potential therapeutic could be used as a non-myeloablative conditioning regimen for hematopoietic stem cell transplant or as a therapeutic for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The presentation will occur as part of the conference’s Focus Day, "CAR-TCR Beyond Oncology: Fundamental Biology & Mechanisms of Action Beyond Oncology."

The full presentations at the CAR-TCR Summit will be made available on Poseida’s website at their respective session times.