On May 13, 2021 Ikena Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: IKNA), a targeted oncology company focused on developing therapies targeting key signaling pathways that drive the formation and spread of cancer, reported financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2021 (Press release, Ikena Oncology, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579852]).

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"This first quarter marked important milestones for Ikena, both with our entrance into the public markets and the advances we have made across our pipeline. We continued to progress our clinical development programs and our lead targeted oncology program is on track for an IND submission in the second half of the year," said Mark Manfredi, PhD, President & Chief Executive Officer of Ikena. "We are thrilled that through our IPO, we brought in new long-term partners and deepened our relationships with our current investors. The funding, along with a dedicated and passionate team, are propelling us towards our mission of bringing novel targeted cancer therapies to patients."

Recent Business Highlights and Corporate Update

Financial and Corporate

In March 2021, Ikena completed a successful initial public offering (IPO), raising $143.8 million in aggregate gross proceeds, before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses, and listed on The Nasdaq Global Market. The IPO followed the closing of a Series B crossover financing of $120 million in gross proceeds in December 2020.
In April 2021, Maria Koehler, MD, PhD, current Chief Medical Officer of Repare Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: RPTX), was appointed to the Ikena Board of Directors. Dr. Koehler is a board-certified hematologist and oncologist with more than 20 years of pharmaceutical and biotech oncology experience in clinical development, including senior roles at Pfizer where she contributed to the strategic direction of the oncology portfolio.
Development Pipeline

IK-930: IND-enabling studies are ongoing for Ikena’s lead targeted oncology program, IK-930, a potent, selective and well tolerated oral small molecule TEAD inhibitor in the Hippo signaling pathway. In preclinical studies, IK-930 demonstrated anti-tumor activity in Hippo pathway-driven cancer models and synergy with EGFR inhibition and MEK inhibition.
ERK5 Inhibitor: Lead optimization is ongoing for Ikena’s ERK5 inhibitor program which is being developed for the treatment of KRAS mutant tumors. Ikena’s ERK5 tool molecule inhibitor has shown single agent and synergistic anti-tumor activity with MEK inhibition in preclinical models of KRAS mutant pancreatic cancer and lung adenocarcinoma.
IK-175: The ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial with IK-175, Ikena’s AHR antagonist, continues to enroll patients in the monotherapy dose expansion arm. In addition, the first patient was recently dosed in the dose escalation combination arm which consists of IK-175 with nivolumab in patients with bladder cancer, including patients with AHR-activated tumors.
IK-412: IND-enabling studies are currently ongoing for IK-412, a novel enzymatic therapeutic designed to lower levels of kynurenine, an immunosuppressive metabolite in the tumor microenvironment. IK-412 has demonstrated profound and durable kynurenine depletion in preclinical models.
IK-007: The ongoing Phase 1b clinical trial continues to enroll patients with advanced or progressive microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC) with IK-007 in combination with pembrolizumab. The clinical trial is enriching for patients that have high urinary prostaglandin E metabolite (PGEM) biomarker.
Milestones and Key Priorities for 2021

Complete IND-enabling studies for TEAD inhibitor, IK-930, and submit IND application to FDA during the second half of 2021.
Nominate ERK5 inhibitor development candidate and initiate IND-enabling studies in the second half of 2021.
Complete IND-enabling studies for kynurenine degrading enzyme, IK-412, and submit IND to FDA during the second half of 2021.
Complete enrollment into the Phase 1b study of EP4 antagonist IK-007 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced or progressive MSS-CRC.
First Quarter 2021 Financial Results

As of March 31, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents totaling $281.0 million, which will fund operations through 2023. Net cash used in operations was $13.2 million for the first quarter of 2021 compared to $9.9 million for the first quarter of 2020.

Research and development expenses for the first quarter 2021 were $10.0 million, compared to $7.9 million for the first quarter 2020. The increase in R&D expense was primarily related to on-going IND-enabling studies and manufacturing development costs for IK-930, on-going IND-enabling studies and manufacturing development costs for IK-142, increased research activities of other discovery stage programs and increased personnel expenses due to increase in headcount.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter were $3.2 million, compared to $2.5 million for the first quarter 2020. The increase in G&A expense were primarily related to compensation expense due to an increase in headcount, as well as general increases in audit, legal and consulting expenses to support our transition to becoming a public company.

Net loss for the first quarter 2021 was $9.7 million, compared to $6.9 million for the first quarter 2020, driven predominantly by increase in research and development expenses.

On May 13, 2021 Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) will participate in the UBS Global Healthcare Virtual Conference on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 (Press release, Eli Lilly, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579903]). Anat Ashkenazi, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will participate in a virtual fireside chat at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time.

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A live audio webcast will be available on the "Webcasts & Presentations" section of Lilly’s Investor website at View Source A replay of the presentation will be available on this same website for approximately 90 days.

On May 13, 2021 Inhibrx, Inc. (Nasdaq: INBX), a biotechnology company with four clinical programs in development, reported financial results for the first quarter of 2021 (Press release, Inhibrx, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579919]).

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"This past quarter, we continued to make significant progress advancing our clinical programs and are on track to deliver data from all four programs later this year," said the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Mark Lappe. "April 2021 marked 11 years of Inhibrx dedicated to developing novel, best-in-class therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and rare diseases, and we remain strongly encouraged that we will deliver on our mission."

Financial Results

Cash and Cash Equivalents. As of March 31, 2021, Inhibrx had cash and cash equivalents of $108.0 million, compared to $128.7 million as of December 31, 2020.
R&D Expense. Research and development expenses were $16.4 million during the first quarter of 2021, compared to $17.0 million during the first quarter of 2020. This overall decrease was primarily due to the timing of work performed by Inhibrx’s contract development and manufacturing organization partners for the formulation and manufacturing of certain of its therapeutic candidates, offset in part by an increase in headcount and personnel-related costs due to the continued expansion of its organization.
G&A Expense. General and administrative expenses were $3.0 million during the first quarter of 2021, compared to $1.5 million during the first quarter of 2020. This increase was primarily due to an increase in personnel-related costs and other expenses associated with operating as a public company.
Net Loss. Net loss was $19.3 million during the first quarter of 2021, or $0.51 per share, compared to $20.1 million during the first quarter of 2020, or $1.11 per share.
About the Inhibrx sdAb Platform

Inhibrx utilizes diverse methods of protein engineering in the construction of therapeutic candidates that can address the specific requirements of complex target and disease biology. A key tool for this effort is the Inhibrx proprietary sdAb platform, which enables the development of therapeutic candidates with attributes superior to other monoclonal antibody and fusion protein approaches. This platform allows the combination of multiple binding units in a single molecule, enabling the creation of therapeutic candidates with defined valency or multiple specificities that can achieve enhanced cell signaling or conditional activation. An additional benefit of this platform is that these optimized, multi-functional entities can be manufactured using the established processes that are commonly used to produce therapeutic proteins.

On May 13, 2021 Molecular Templates, Inc. (Nasdaq: MTEM, "Molecular Templates," or "MTEM"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of proprietary targeted biologic therapeutics, engineered toxin bodies (ETBs), reported financial results for the first quarter of 2021 (Press release, Molecular Templates, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579935]).

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"We are focused on advancing our wholly owned pipeline of next-generation ETBs and our existing partnerships following the assumption of full rights to TAK-169 from Takeda and the discontinuation of the MT-3724 program," said Eric Poma, Ph.D., Molecular Templates’ Chief Executive and Scientific Officer. "Over the remainder of 2021, we expect to generate clinical data from MT-5111, TAK-169, and MT-6402 and advance our earlier stage programs."

Company Highlights and Upcoming Milestones

Corporate

On February 11, 2021, MTEM and Bristol Myers Squibb announced a strategic research collaboration to discover and develop multiple novel therapies designed for specific oncology targets. Under the collaboration, MTEM will conduct research activities for the discovery of next generation ETBs for multiple targets, of which the first target has been selected by Bristol Myers Squibb. Bristol Myers Squibb made an up-front payment of $70 million to MTEM and MTEM is also eligible to receive near-term and development, regulatory and sales milestone payments of up to approximately $1.3 billion as well as tiered royalty payments on future sales.
On February 18, 2021, MTEM announced the pricing of an underwritten public equity offering, the gross proceeds of which were approximately $75.9 million.
On April 5, 2021, MTEM announced that following discussion with its co-development partner Takeda, MTEM will assume full rights to TAK-169 including taking control of clinical development from Takeda. In addition, MTEM announced the decision to discontinue development of MT-3724, MTEM’s only first-generation ETB. MTEM will focus on the clinical development of next-generation ETBs MT-5111, TAK-169, and MT-6402, as well as advancing next-generation preclinical ETB candidates against targets including CTLA-4, CD20, SLAMF-7, CD45 and TROP2.
MTEM had three presentations at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021, which took place virtually from April 10-15, 2021:
MT-5111 (interim Phase 1 data as of December 2020), abstract CT130, titled "Phase 1 study of the novel immunotoxin MT-5111 in patients with HER-2+tumors."
MT-6402 (preclinical data), abstract 1628, titled "Engineered toxin bodies targeting PD-L1 to alter tumor immunophenotypes and deliver broad antigenic diversity and patient coverage."
CTLA-4 ETB (preclinical data), abstract 1627, titled "Preclinical characterization of a novel CTLA-4-targeted ETB for direct Treg depletion."
MT-5111 (HER2 ETB)

The Phase 1 study of MT-5111 in HER2-positive cancers is ongoing with multiple sites open for enrollment.
In December 2020, MTEM provided an update on the ongoing Phase 1 study, details of which were presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) in April. No dose limiting toxicities were observed in any cohort and no signs of cardiotoxicity have been observed to date, while monitoring the subjects’ EKGs, troponin values and pro-BNP with each treatment, and serial echocardiograms with every other cycle. No cases of capillary leak syndrome, or CLS, (any grade) were observed.
The HER2-positive breast cancer expansion cohort is planned to begin in 3Q21 at a dose of 10 mcg/kg (anticipated to be a therapeutic dose level), pending adequate safety data. Dose escalation will continue to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose while the breast cancer expansion cohort collects efficacy and safety data.
MTEM expects to provide an update on additional data from both the dose escalation portion of the study and the metastatic breast cancer dose expansion cohort in 4Q21.
TAK-169 (CD38 ETB)

As announced on April 5, 2021, MTEM will assume full rights to TAK-169 including taking control of clinical development from Takeda. MTEM will continue conducting the ongoing Phase 1 study for TAK-169 in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. This study, which started dosing in February 2020, had a temporary pause in the activation of new study sites and new patient enrollment (along with most of Takeda’s other early-stage studies) due to COVID-19 and was re-initiated in 4Q20.
MTEM expects to provide an update on the Phase 1 study in 4Q21.
MT-6402 (PD-L1 ETB with antigen seeding)

On January 19, 2021, MTEM announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for MT-6402.
MTEM expects to start dosing in a first-in-human Phase 1 study in relapsed/refractory patients with PD-L1-positive solid tumors in 2Q21. The Phase 1 study is planned as a multi-center, open-label, dose escalation and dose expansion trial. Patients with confirmed PD-L1 expressing tumors or confirmed PD-L1 expression in the tumor microenvironment will be eligible to screen for enrollment in the clinical trial. Following determination of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or recommended Phase 2 dose, expansion cohorts are planned to study MT-6402 as a monotherapy in tumor-specific and tumor-agnostic cohorts.
MTEM expects to provide an update on the Phase 1 study in 4Q21.
Research

MTEM expects to initiate a Phase 1 study for an ETB targeting CTLA-4 in 2022.
Several other wholly owned ETB candidates are in preclinical development against targets including CD20, SLAMF-7, CD45, and TROP2.
In 2021, MTEM expects to present preclinical data on new targets and new ETBs at medical and scientific conferences.
Financial Results

The net loss attributable to common shareholders for the first quarter of 2021 was $26.8 million, or $0.51 per basic and diluted share. This compares with a net loss attributable to common shareholders of $22.0 million, or $0.48 per basic and diluted share, for the same period in 2020.

Revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were $3.2 million, compared to $4.1 million for the same period in 2020. Revenues for the first quarter of 2021 were comprised of revenues from collaborative research and development agreements with Takeda, Vertex and Bristol Myers Squibb. Total research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were $21.4 million, compared with $20.6 million for the same period in 2020. Total general and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2021 were $8.2 million, compared with $5.6 million for the same period in 2020.

As of March 31, 2021, MTEM’s cash and investments totaled $207.4 million. MTEM’s current cash and investments are expected to fund operations into the second half of 2023.

On May 13, 2021 Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, reported its participation in the Cowen 2nd Annual Virtual Oncology Innovation Summit. Troy Wilson, Ph.D., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, is scheduled to present in a virtual fireside chat on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 10:20 a.m. PT / 1:20 p.m. ET (Press release, Kura Oncology, MAY 13, 2021, View Source [SID1234579951]).

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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 live audio webcast of the presentation will be available in the Investors section of Kura’s website at www.kuraoncology.com, with a replay available shortly after the live event.