On September 28, 2021 Lifelink Systems reported a strategic collaboration with Genentech to provide a suite of advanced conversational technology solutions that will support a broad range of patient experience initiatives at the biotechnology leader (Press release, Genentech, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590435]). Lifelink Systems will provide Genentech with a platform to power smart digital assistants to help clinical trial participants, patients, caregivers, and providers to receive personalized assistance and support related to clinical research programs and approved therapies.

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"Genentech is an industry leader and innovator and it’s a privilege to be on the digital transformation journey with them," said Greg Johnsen, CEO at Lifelink Systems. "We see an immense opportunity to use conversational AI to shift the dialogue between pharmaceutical companies and their customers to something that is consumer-friendly and accessible. Smart digital assistants that use language to interact with people on their mobile devices is the path forward."

"We are prioritizing investment in patient-facing innovation and believe that conversational digital technology represents a key next generation consumer interface," said Nikheel Kolatkar, MD MPH, Vice President, Scientific Operations at Genentech. "We are working with Lifelink Systems because their platform gives us the ability to digitally engage all demographic groups through intuitive interactive messaging which drives high engagement and satisfaction rates. This capability is especially critical as we see significant growth in decentralized clinical trials and continue to invest in our ability to increase access for disadvantaged communities."

More than 80% of US adults own a smartphone, but traditional healthcare mobile apps have not been widely adopted by patients due to complexity and high onboarding friction. Conversational AI leverages the native SMS and browser interfaces with automated, language-based messaging, making it simple for every user to engage. Conversational solutions can be configured to support a range of workflows, including processes like study awareness, satisfaction surveys, FAQs, adherence, and patient reported outcomes.

Lifelink Systems technology has configurations that are designed to support clinical trial programs and medical information desks.

Digital navigators will reach out to potential clinical trial participants through their mobile devices, regardless of location, to learn about trial participation, collect transportation preferences, navigate consent, and assess satisfaction
Approved medical information and support resources regarding dosing, side effects, safety, and support programs are being converted from long clinical documents to simple, conversational interfaces that allow patients, caregivers, and providers to get answers to FAQs on-demand
A Focus on Diversity and Inclusion

The Lifelink Systems technology will also be used by Genentech to help improve clinical trial diversity and inclusive research efforts. People of color remain vastly underrepresented in clinical research and Genentech is on a mission to change that.

In underserved, lower income communities, smartphone penetration is 86%, and 26% use smartphones as their primary digital device. Lifelink Systems powers digital navigators that use language and conversational AI to make it easy for anyone to navigate clinical study participation. Digital navigators can answer questions about the trial, conduct onboarding and enrollment activities, and support the participants throughout the duration of the trial — all while using culturally appropriate language and tactics.

"Through smart, language-based interactions, digital navigators can lower traditional barriers to participate in critical clinical research," added Kolatkar. "Conversational digital technology from Lifelink Systems will enable us to help bring advanced science to every patient community, regardless of location, race, gender, income, or age."

The Lifelink Systems platform is highly configurable and capable of supporting a range of critical touch points across the full therapy lifecycle from study enrollment through post-approval patient monitoring. As Genentech deploys conversational technology across its portfolio, the companies will partner closely to identify additional expansion opportunities, including pre-protocol testing with patients, real-time site satisfaction surveys, study eConsent, and patient reported outcomes.

On September 28, 2021 Kineta, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immunotherapies in oncology, reported that it will present a poster on the company’s new anti-CD27 agonist antibody program at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, to be held on October 5-6, 2021 (Press release, Kineta, SEP 28, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=kineta-announces-poster-2021-aacrc [SID1234590368]).

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Title: A promising cancer immunotherapy target: Novel fully human agonist antibodies against the human T-cell costimulatory receptor CD27
Date Poster Available: October 5, 2021

On September 28, 2021 Leidos (NYSE: LDOS), a FORTUNE 500 science and technology company, reported that it will webcast its Investor Day starting at 8:30 a.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021 (Press release, Leidos, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590396]). The event will include presentations by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Roger Krone, Chief Financial Officer Chris Cage, and other executives. They will discuss the company’s vision, strategy, market position, and multi-year financial outlook.

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The live presentations, originating from New York City, will be available on the Leidos Investor Relations website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be available following the presentation at the same link listed above for one year afterward.

On September 28, 2021 Oncoinvent AS, a clinical stage company advancing a pipeline of radiopharmaceutical products across a variety of solid cancers, reported that the trial Safety Monitoring Committee approved its first-in-human Phase 1 clinical study of Radspherin in ovarian cancer patients suffering from peritoneal carcinomatosis to progress to the fourth level dose cohort (Press release, Oncoinvent, SEP 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234590413]). Enrollment in this cohort, where patients will receive 7 MBq of Radspherin, is expected to begin imminently.

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"The progression of the RAD-18-001 study to the fourth dose level, continues to build our confidence as we continue to develop Radspherin for treatment peritoneal carcinomatosis, an area of high unmet need," said Jan A. Alfheim, Chief Executive Officer of Oncoinvent. "we will now start dosing patients at the 7 MBq dose level, a dose level that has been found to be safe in colorectal cancer patients."

About RAD-18-001

The phase 1 open-label, dose-escalation clinical trial is designed to assess the dose, safety and tolerability of Radspherin, an α-emitting radionuclide therapy, administered into the intraperitoneal cavity in subjects with peritoneal carcinomatosis from ovarian cancer following complete cytoreductive surgery. Key objectives in the study include determining maximum tolerated dose, abdominal biodistribution, and preliminary anti-tumor activity. Please refer to www.clinicaltrials.gov for additional clinical trial details.

About Radspherin

Radspherin is a novel alpha-emitting radioactive microsphere suspension designed for treatment of metastatic cancers in body cavities. The radium-224 based therapeutic, Radspherin has shown strong and consistent anticancer activity at doses being essentially non-toxic in preclinical studies. It is anticipated that the product can potentially be used to treat several forms of metastatic cancer.

On September 28, 2021 Van Andel Institute’s Stephanie Grainger, Ph.D., reported that it has been awarded a $2,375,000, five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (Press release, Van Andel Institute, SEP 28, 2021, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=stephanie-grainger-maximizing-investigators-research-award [SID1234590448]). This prestigious grant will support Grainger’s exploration of a critical type of cellular communication that drives healthy development and, when disrupted, can spur cancer, osteoporosis, heart conditions and other diseases.

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Called Wnt (and pronounced "wint"), this vital molecular pathway is central to a host of important processes that guide the body’s construction early on and that continue throughout life, such as tissue regeneration during healing.

Stephanie Grainger, Ph.D.

"Much like the foreperson at a construction site, Wnt controls nearly everything the body does throughout development: for example, it communicates where the head should go versus the feet and, in adults, coordinates resources to heal wounds and replenish stem cells," Grainger said. "I am honored to receive this award, which will help us answer longstanding questions that have profound implications for correcting errors in the Wnt pathway as a means to treat disease."

Scientists have long been interested in Wnt as a potential target for new cancer therapies but developing such treatments has proven to be difficult. The problem lies in a lack of insight into the specific interactions between molecules in the vast Wnt network. A better understanding of these interactions could help scientists develop highly targeted approaches that fix specific problems while leaving the rest of the pathway untouched — and producing fewer side effects.

Grainger and her team will focus on two major players in the pathway: Wnt9a and Fzd9b. These molecules, which are found on the outside of cells, interact to convey chemical messages to and from cells. What isn’t clear, Grainger says, is how Wnt9a and Fzd9b enter the cell to deliver their information payload.

"The Wnt pathway operates in a careful balance — too much or too little Wnt activity can have devastating consequences," Grainger said. "Solving the exact mechanism by which Wnt9a and Fzd9b carry out their job could have massive implications for therapeutic development and a ripple effect for understanding other parts of the pathway."

Maximizing Investigators’ Research Awards are highly competitive and provide scientists "with greater stability and flexibility, thereby enhancing scientific productivity and the chances for important breakthroughs," according to the NIGMS. Grainger is the second VAI investigator in the last four years to earn this award. She joined VAI’s Department of Cell Biology in August.

Research reported in this publication was supported by National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award no. R35GM142779 (Grainger). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.