On May 13, 2021 C4 Therapeutics, Inc. (C4T) (Nasdaq: CCCC), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering a new class of small-molecule medicines that selectively destroy disease-causing proteins through degradation, reported business highlights and financial results for the first quarter of 2021 (Press release, C4 Therapeutics, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579933]).

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"C4T continues to build momentum following FDA clearance of our IND application for our lead candidate, CFT7455, a MonoDAC protein degrader for the treatment of hematologic malignancies," said Andrew Hirsch, chief executive officer at C4 Therapeutics. "After presenting compelling preclinical data for CFT7455 in multiple myeloma at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper), we are excited to share our preclinical work in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the upcoming ICML meeting. Our team has also successfully completed site initiation activities to enable patient enrollment in our CFT7455 Phase 1/2 clinical trial and we are on track to begin dosing patients this quarter. In tandem, we continue to invest in our TORPEDO platform and advance our emerging pipeline with the goal of delivering four clinical-stage programs by year-end 2022. This includes submission of our second IND application to the FDA for CFT8634, a BiDAC protein degrader targeting BRD9 for synovial sarcoma and SMARCB1-deleted tumors, which is anticipated by year-end 2021."

FIRST QUARTER 2021 AND RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021: In April 2021, C4T presented preclinical data for CFT7455, C4T’s lead MonoDAC degrader, targeting IKZF1/3 for the treatment of hematologic malignancies. The in vitro results presented confirmed that treatment with CFT7455 results in deep, rapid degradation of IKZF1/3 proteins, generating apoptotic cell death. In mouse xenograft models of IMiD-insensitive multiple myeloma, preclinical data further established CFT7455 as a highly potent, catalytic degrader of IKZF1/3, capable of generating anti-tumor activity as a single agent and in combination with dexamethasone. These results, which support clinical evaluation of CFT7455 in multiple myeloma and other hematologic malignancies, were delivered as a late-breaking oral presentation during the first session of the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021.
Secured IND Clearance for CFT7455: In January 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared C4T’s first investigational new drug (IND) application for CFT7455 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas.
UPCOMING KEY MILESTONES

Initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for CFT7455 in 1H 2021. The Phase 1/2 clinical trial will be an open-label, two-part dose escalation and expansion study evaluating CFT7455 across multiple hematologic malignancies, including multiple myeloma and various non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, including peripheral T cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma. The trial will primarily assess safety and tolerability, with key secondary objectives to characterize the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile and anti-tumor activity of CFT7455.
Submit an IND application for CFT8634 in 2H 2021. CFT8634 is an orally bioavailable BiDAC degrader targeting BRD9 for the treatment of synovial sarcoma and SMARCB1-deleted solid tumors.
Advance the BRAF program into IND-enabling studies in 2021. The objective of the BRAF program is to develop an orally bioavailable BiDAC degrader targeting BRAF V600E mutations for the treatment of genetically defined solid tumors, including locally advanced or metastatic melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The BRAF program is partnered with Roche.
Advance the RET program into IND-enabling studies in 2021. The objective of the RET program is to develop an orally bioavailable BiDAC degrader targeting genetically altered RET for the treatment of solid tumors, including relapsed or refractory NSCLC and sporadic medullary thyroid cancers that are resistant to RET inhibitors.
UPCOMING EVENTS

May 26, 2021 – C4T will participate in the UBS Global Healthcare Conference
June 1, 2021 – C4T will participate in the Jefferies Healthcare Conference
June 18-22, 2021 – C4T will present pre-clinical data on CFT7455 in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the 16th Annual ICML meeting. CFT7455 is a novel, IKZF1/3 MonoDAC degrader that has demonstrated potent tumor regression in a spectrum of NHL xenograft models.
FIRST QUARTER 2021 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Revenue: Total revenue for the first quarter of 2021 was $7.4 million, compared to $6.8 million for the first quarter of 2020. Total revenue reflects revenue recognized under collaboration agreements with Roche, Biogen and Calico. The increase in revenue was primarily due to additional progress made on our targets under the Biogen collaboration agreement.

Research and Development (R&D) Expense: R&D expense for the first quarter of 2021 was $20.5 million, compared to $16.3 million for the first quarter of 2020. The increase in R&D expense was primarily attributable to higher preclinical costs related to our lead programs and increased workforce expenses to support our growing clinical development activities for CFT7455.

General and Administrative (G&A) Expense: G&A expense for the first quarter of 2021 was $7.4 million, compared to $2.8 million for the first quarter of 2020. The increase in G&A expense was primarily attributable to workforce expenses related to our growing G&A functions, principally stock-based compensation expense related to new stock option grants and an increase in the fair value of our common stock, and higher professional fees and insurance costs resulting from our transition to a public company.

Net Loss and Net Loss per Share: Net loss for the first quarter of 2021 was $21.0 million, compared to $11.9 million for the first quarter of 2020. Net loss per share for the first quarter of 2021 was $0.49, compared to $9.59 for the first quarter of 2020. The decrease in net loss per share despite the increase in net loss was driven by a significant increase in the weighted-average shares outstanding caused by our initial public offering of 11,040,000 common shares in October 2020 and the resultant conversion of our then outstanding shares of redeemable convertible preferred stock into 30,355,379 shares of common stock.

Cash Position and Financial Guidance: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2021 were $346.0 million, compared to $371.7 million as of December 31, 2020. The change in cash was primarily driven by expenditures to fund operations. We expect that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of March 31, 2021, together with future payments expected to be received under existing collaboration agreements, will be sufficient to fund our existing operating plan to the end of 2023.

On May 13, 2021 Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Syndax," the "Company" or "we") (Nasdaq: SNDX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies, reported that members of its management team will participate in the Cowen 2nd Annual Virtual Oncology Innovation Summit on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 12:00 p.m. ET (Press release, Syndax, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579949]).

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A live webcast of the presentation can be accessed from the Investor section of the Company’s website at www.syndax.com, where a replay of the event will also be available for a limited time.

On May 13, 2021 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, reported the publication of preclinical in vitro and in vivo research of its lead innate cell engager (ICE), AFM13 (CD16A/CD30), combined with healthy donor-derived NK cells in Clinical Cancer Research (Press release, Affimed, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234580037]). The preclinical data demonstrated that AFM13 strongly binds to NK cells, including cytokine-activated or cord blood-derived NK (cbNK) cells, resulting in enhanced tumor recognition and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). The research was generated through a collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine and supports use of AFM13 combined with NK cells as a promising therapy for CD30-positive hematological malignancies.

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"Our ROCK platform forms the basis to generate ICE molecules which have the ability to strongly and durably bind to CD16A on NK cells, resulting in unique antitumor properties," said Arndt Schottelius, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Affimed. "As demonstrated by the recent presentation of initial Phase 1 data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021 – which showed an emerging profile that appears to have the potential to provide meaningful benefit with a safety profile consistent with previous AFM13 data – pre-complexing AFM13 with NK cells presents an innovative and promising therapeutic approach for patients with impaired NK cell activity."

"This study provided new insights into how ICE molecules such as AFM13 may be impacted by NK cell receptor ligand alterations using multidimensional mass cytometry," said Todd Fehniger, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Oncology Division, at Washington University. "Further, blood NK cells primed and differentiated into memory NK cells exhibit potent responses to CD30+ cancer cells when directed by AFM13, providing further evidence for their powerful CD16-triggered cytokine production and killing."

Additional key findings from the research are outlined below:

AFM13 combined with donor NK cells, including conventional NK cells from healthy donors, cytokine-induced memory-like NK cells from peripheral blood and preactivated and expanded cbNK cells, enhanced tumor cell killing compared to NK cells alone.
When combined with AFM13, Hodgkin lymphoma patient-derived NK cells do not reach the same level of cytotoxicity compared to healthy donor-derived NK cells in vitro.
AFM13-directed tumor cell killing was enhanced when combined with cytokine (IL-12, IL-15 and IL-18) preactivated cbNK cells compared to non-cytokine preactivated cbNK cells.
Cytokine preactivated cbNK cells express different markers when compared to noncytokine preactivated cbNK cells, potentially accounting for superior cytotoxicity which is further enhanced with AFM13.
"This preclinical study confirmed the synergy between the cbNK cell platform developed at MD Anderson and AFM13 as a precomplexed product and provided the rationale to test this novel NK cell-based adoptive immunotherapy strategy for patients with relapsed/refractory CD30+ malignancies," said Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at MD Anderson.

The preclinical data published in Clinical Cancer Research supported the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for the ongoing Phase I clinical study of AFM13 precomplexed with cytokine-preactivated cbNK cells followed by AFM13 monotherapy in patients with CD30-positivemalignancies. Results of the Phase 1 study as of March 31, 2021, demonstrated an objective response rate of 100% (ORR=4/4; PR=2/4; CR=2/4) among the first patients enrolled who were all heavily pretreated. There were no observed events of cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity, or graft-versus-host disease. The study will progress to the higher dose cohorts with additional updates expected throughout this year.

About AFM13
AFM13 is a first-in-class innate cell engager (ICE) that uniquely activates the innate immune system to destroy CD30-positive hematologic tumors. AFM13 induces specific and selective killing of CD30-positive tumor cells, leveraging the power of the innate immune system by engaging and activating natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages. AFM13 is Affimed’s most advanced ICE clinical program and is currently being evaluated as a monotherapy in a registration-directed trial in patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma or transformed mycosis fungoides (REDIRECT). The study is actively recruiting, and additional details can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT04101331).

In addition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is studying AFM13 in an investigator-sponsored Phase 1 trial in combination with cord blood-derived allogeneic NK cells in patients with recurrent or refractory CD30-positive lymphomas. The study is a dose-escalation trial of precomplexed NK cells, with patients receiving 1×106 NK cells/kg in Cohort 1, 1×107 NK cells/kg in Cohort 2, and 1×108 NK cells/kg in Cohort 3. The trial is designed to explore safety and activity and determine the recommended Phase 2 dose. In each cohort, the dose of the precomplexed NK cells with AFM13 is to be followed by weekly doses of 200 mg AFM13 monotherapy for three weeks, with each patient evaluated for dose-limiting toxicities and responses on day 28.

MD Anderson has an institutional financial conflict of interest with Affimed related to this research and has therefore implemented an Institutional Conflict of Interest Management and Monitoring Plan.

On May 13, 2021 Decibel Therapeutics (Nasdaq: DBTX), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing transformative treatments to restore and improve hearing and balance, reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021 and provided a corporate update (Press release, Decibel Therapeutics, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234585162]).

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"The start of 2021 marked a pivotal time for Decibel as we successfully closed our upsized IPO. With this strong financial foundation, we are in a position to further advance our exciting pipeline of clinical, preclinical and discovery programs with the overarching goal of bringing the privileges of hearing and balance to people in need. In early 2021, we announced encouraging preclinical results on our lead gene therapy program, DB-OTO, for the treatment of people with otoferlin deficiency. We also established a critical cGMP manufacturing and development relationship with Catalent," said Laurence Reid, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Decibel. "Beyond DB-OTO, we remain encouraged by the progress in our gene therapy programs for congenital, monogenic hearing loss and look forward to announcing the program target for our AAV.104 program in 2021."

Company Highlights

Closed Second Tranche of Series D Financing and Upsized Initial Public Offering: In February 2021, Decibel completed its Series D financing, closing the second tranche and receiving net proceeds of $27.4 million. Additionally, Decibel completed its Initial Public Offering (IPO) of 7,662,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $18.00 per share. Net proceeds from the offering, after deducting underwriting discounts and offering expenses, were approximately $124.8 million.
Pipeline Progress

Gene Therapies for Congenital, Monogenic Hearing Loss

Continued Development of Lead Gene Therapy Program, DB-OTO, for Otoferlin (OTOF): In February 2021, Decibel established manufacturing capabilities for its lead gene therapy product candidate, DB-OTO. Under the new agreement, Catalent will provide Decibel with cGMP manufacturing and process and analytical development of DB-OTO.
Presented New Preclinical Data on DB-OTO and Surgical Approach at the 44th Annual Association for Research in Otolaryngology Conference (ARO) and the Annual Scientific and Technology Conference of the American Auditory Society: In the first quarter of 2021, Decibel presented new preclinical findings to support the development of DB-OTO. Presentations highlighted data demonstrating that the Company’s proprietary dual vector technology and cell-selective promoter enabled expression of OTOF in hair cells and durably restored hearing in mice and drove highly selective expression of a reporter gene in hair cells of non-human primates across the cochlear length.
On Track for DB-OTO Key Milestones in 2022: Decibel expects to submit an investigational new drug application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or a Clinical Trials Application (CTA) in Europe and initiate a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for DB-OTO in pediatric patients with congenital hearing loss in 2022.
Preclinical Pipeline Expansion Continues: Decibel expects to announce the program target for its AAV.104 discovery program in patients with autosomal recessive hearing disorders in 2021.
Gene Therapies for Hair Cell Regeneration

Preclinical Pipeline Expansion Continues: Decibel continues to advance DB-ATO and AAV.201, its gene therapy programs for regeneration of hair cells in the vestibule for the treatment of bilateral vestibulopathy, and its gene therapy program to regenerate hair cells in the cochlea for the treatment of sensorineural hearing loss. Based on findings from recently completed behavioral studies of DB-ATO, the Company did not see sufficient functional recovery to continue to move DB-ATO to development candidate in 2021. The Company plans to announce the program target for AAV.201 in 2022.
Otoprotection Therapeutic

Updated Timeline to Report Interim Results from Phase 1b Proof-of-Concept Trial of DB-020 for the Treatment of Cisplatin-Induced Hearing Loss: The reporting of interim results from the ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial of DB-020 in patients with cisplatin-induced hearing loss is now expected in the first half of 2022 due to continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the pace of patient recruitment in the United States. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, sites in the United States have been delayed in recruiting, but are now open and actively recruiting for the trial, along with the active sites in Australia.
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results:

Cash Position: As of March 31, 2021, cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities were $191.1 million, compared to $54.3 million as of December 31, 2020. The increase in cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities was due to the sale of the Company’s Series D convertible preferred stock and common stock in the Company’s IPO completed in February 2021.
Research and Development Expenses: Research and development expenses were $6.0 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $7.4 million for the first quarter of 2020. The decrease in research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2021 was primarily due to $1.8 million decrease in personnel-related costs due to reduced headcount, driven primarily by a reduction-in-force conducted in January 2020 and a $0.8 million decrease in expenses incurred for our DB-020 program driven by decreased activity as a result of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, partially offset by an increase of $1.2 million in other indirect research and development expenses.
General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses were $4.9 million for the first quarter of 2021, compared to $4.2 million for the same period in 2020. The increase in general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2021 was primarily attributable to $1.0 million increase in professional fees, driven primarily by expenses related to consulting, accounting advisory and audit services incurred as a result of becoming a public company in February 2021.
Financial Guidance:

Based on its current operating and development plans, Decibel believes that its existing cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities will fund its pipeline programs and operating expenses into 2024.

On May 13, 2021 Y-mAbs Therapeutics, Inc. (the "Company" or "Y-mAbs") (Nasdaq: YMAB) a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel, antibody-based therapeutic products for the treatment of cancer, reported that Nai-Kong V. Cheung, MD, PhD, Enid A. Haupt Endowed Chair, Pediatric Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ("MSK") will present a research update on the Company’s SADA technology platform at PEGS Boston Virtual Conference on May 13, 2021 at 1:20 p.m. Eastern Time (Press release, Y-mAbs Therapeutics, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579902]). The SADA technology was licensed by the Company from MSK and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT").

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Dr. Cheung’s presentation will focus on cancer therapeutics failing in development because of dose-limiting toxicities or subtherapeutic dosing as a consequence of insufficient therapeutic index ("TI"). The two step SADA technology uses unique pharmacokinetics to potentially improve the TI. When applied to pre-targeted radioimmunotherapy ("PRIT"), the bispecific SADA antibodies visualize tumors with high precision using PET (diagnostic approach) and has been shown to ablate aggressive solid tumors using both beta and alpha emitters such as 177Lu or 225Ac (therapeutic approach), potentially without significant toxicity to bone marrow, liver, kidney, or CNS. Furthermore, the modularity of the SADA platform might allow easy adaptation to different tumor targets and a variety of payloads.

Researchers at MSK, including Dr. Cheung, developed the SADA technology for radioimmunotherapy, which is exclusively licensed by MSK to Y-mAbs. Dr. Cheung has intellectual property rights and interests in the technology, and as a result of this licensing arrangement, MSK has institutional financial interests in the technology and Y-mAbs.