On August 12, 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 second quarter ended June 30, 2021 (Press release, Tempest Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234586426]).

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"The second quarter of 2021 was an exciting period as Tempest became a public company and the team drove progress in all three of our novel programs," said Steve Brady, chief executive officer of Tempest. "We look forward to the planned opening of the TPST-1120 randomized study in first line hepatocellular carcinoma in collaboration with Roche and the first combination study of TPST-1495, and remain focused on delivering potentially value-creating milestones over the next year and beyond."

Recent Highlights

Public Company Transition: successfully closed merger and concurrent PIPE financing, allowing Tempest to become a public company listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, and extending runway into 2023 through multiple potential catalysts.
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) completed monotherapy dose escalation and selected 600mg BID as RP2D; (ii) observed stable disease ("SD") in 50% of the monotherapy-treated patients, including prolonged SD in patients with refractory cholangiocarcinoma; and (iii) observed a deep, confirmed partial response in a patient with checkpoint inhibitor-refractory fourth line renal cell carcinoma in the combination study with nivolumab (->60% by RECIST 1.1, durable through 4 scans and ongoing).
TREX-1 Inhibitor (preclinical, tumor-selective STING pathway activator): (i) progressed lead series to picomolar IC50 potency in biochemical assays; and (ii) demonstrated significant proof of concept in a mouse tumor model with systemic delivery of a lead series molecule.
Board of Directors: Christine Pellizzari, J.D., Geoff Nichol, M.B., Ch.B., M.B.A., and Ronit Simantov, M.D., joined the Board of Directors, bringing deeper financial, legal, and clinical development expertise to Tempest.
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 an 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) commencement of first line randomized Phase 1b/2 study in hepatocellular carcinoma patients, under a collaboration with F. Hoffman La Roche, expected within the third quarter.
TREX-1 Inhibitor (preclinical tumor-selective STING pathway activator): planned selection of development candidate in the first half of 2022.
Financial Results

Second Quarter

Tempest ended the second quarter of 2021 with $68.5 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 second quarter of 2021 were $7.1 million and $7.63, respectively, compared to $5.2 million and $11.42, respectively, for the second 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 second quarter of 2021 were $4.2 million, compared to $4.1 million for the same period in 2020. The $0.1 million increase was primarily attributable to increased compensation expenses.
For the three months ended June 30, 2021, general and administrative expenses were $2.6 million compared to $1.1 million for the same period in 2020. The increase was primarily due to growth in compensation expense and professional fees associated with the merger.
Year-to-Date

Net cash used in operations for the six months ended June 30, 2021 was $6.2 million.
Net loss and net loss per share for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were $12.4 million and $17.30, respectively, compared to $9.5 million and $21.28, respectively, for the same period in 2020.
Research and development expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2021 were $7.8 million compared to $7.1 million for the same period in 2020. The $0.7 million increase was primarily due to increased compensation expenses and consulting services.
For the six months ended June 30, 2021, general and administrative expenses were $4.1 million compared to $2.4 million for the same period in 2020.

On August 12, 2021 Bolt Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: BOLT), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering a new class of immuno-oncology agents that combine the targeting precision of antibodies with the power of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2021 and provided an update on recent business highlights (Press release, Bolt Biotherapeutics, AUG 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234586442]).

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"We continue to build strong momentum with our business strategy and remain on target for a BDC-1001 Phase 1/2 clinical data update later this year," said Randall C. Schatzman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bolt. "Our recently announced Genmab collaboration expands our proprietary Boltbody platform into novel bispecific ISAC applications, while fortifying our strong cash position. Furthermore, our CEA-targeted candidate BDC-2034 made steady progress towards an IND filing that is expected next year. I am proud of the passionate and experienced team we have assembled at Bolt, including recent additions to our leadership, who share our commitment to advancing targeted immuno-oncology therapies that will benefit patients with cancer."

Recent Business Highlights and Anticipated Milestones

Lead program BDC-1001 on track for anticipated Phase 1/2 trial data update in 2H21 – In June 2021, Bolt presented a poster at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting that expanded on the preliminary data, as of January 29, 2021, from the first 20 patients in an ongoing BDC-1001 Phase 1/2 clinical trial. The monotherapy dose-escalation portion of the trial is proceeding on plan, with a further data update expected in the second half of 2021. This Phase 1/2 trial is being conducted in four parts: [1] Phase 1 monotherapy dose escalation, [2] Phase 1 dose escalation in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, [3] Phase 2 monotherapy expansion cohorts, and [4] Phase 2 expansion cohorts in combination with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor. Bolt also remains on track to initiate the monotherapy Phase 2 dose-expansion cohorts and the dose-escalation of BDC-1001 in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody in the second half of 2021.

Announced oncology research and development (R&D) collaboration with Genmab to develop multiple bispecific ISACs – In June 2021, Bolt announced an oncology R&D collaboration with Genmab to discover and evaluate novel bispecific immune-stimulating antibody conjugate (ISAC) products for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. The collaboration will combine Bolt’s BoltBody ISAC platform with Genmab’s proprietary antibodies and bispecific technology, and Genmab will fully fund three programs through initial clinical proof-of-concept. Bolt received a $10 million USD upfront payment and a $15 million USD equity investment from Genmab, is eligible to receive up to $285 million USD for each program exclusively developed and commercialized by Genmab, and has the option to participate in the development and commercialization of one candidate after seeing clinical proof-of-concept data.

Expanded leadership team, adding expertise across research, clinical development, regulatory, quality and technical operations over the last year.
Amreen Husain, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Development and Translational Medicine. Dr. Husain brings more than a decade of experience in oncology drug development with a focus on breast and gynecological cancers and immuno-oncology. Dr. Husain joined Bolt from Roche/Genentech. Prior, Dr. Husain was as a practicing oncologist and clinical researcher at Stanford University Medical Center.
Bruce Hug, M.D., Ph.D., Vice President, Early Development and Research Collaborations. Dr. Hug joins Bolt from GlaxoSmithKline, bringing more than 16 years of oncology, hematology and immunotherapy experience, with a focus on early development.
Karen L. Bergman, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations. Ms. Bergman has more than two decades of experience in biopharma communications, spanning corporate roles at companies such as ALZA and FibroGen, and 15 years heading a life science practice specializing in strategy, positioning, communications, and investor relations.
Liang Fang, Ph.D., Vice President, Biometrics and Bioinformatics. Dr. Fang brings more than 15 years of experience in developing and applying statistical methods and data sciences to drug development in oncology and the biotechnology industry from MyoKardia, Gilead Sciences, Genentech, and Amgen.
Triona O’Hanlon, Vice President, Program Management. Ms. O’Hanlon joined Bolt from Gilead, where she led program and portfolio management for hematology/oncology and cell therapy. Ms. O’Hanlon brings more than 20 years of experience in program and alliance management from Gilead Sciences, Kite Pharma, Elan Pharmaceuticals, and Ambit Biosciences.
Wesley Burwell, Vice President, Head of Human Resources. Mr. Burwell most recently worked at Global Blood Therapeutics and brings more than 20 years of experience building and driving HR strategy for biopharma companies.

Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $310.9 million as of June 30, 2021, which is expected to fund operations and the advancement of its oncology product pipeline to achieve multiple key milestones through the end of 2023.
Upcoming Events

Bolt Biotherapeutics will be attending the following conferences in September 2021:
Citi’s 16th Annual Biopharma Virtual Conference, September 8-10
Wells Fargo Virtual Healthcare Conference, September 9-10
Morgan Stanley Global Healthcare Conference, September 9-15
Cantor Fitzgerald Global Healthcare Conference, September 27-30
Second Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Cash Position – Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $310.9 million as of June 30, 2021, compared to $302.9 million as of March 31, 2021. Bolt expects its cash balance to fund operations through the end of 2023.

Research and Development Expenses – R&D expenses were $19.7 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, compared to $9.2 million for the same quarter in 2020, primarily due to increases in manufacturing expenses related to BDC-1001 and BDC-2034, increased personnel expenses relating to an increase in headcount, increased facility-related expenses, and increased clinical trial expenses.

General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses – G&A expenses were $4.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021, compared to $2.0 million for the same quarter in 2020, primarily due to increased personnel expenses relating to an increase in headcount and increased professional services expenses related to consulting services, legal fees and other professional services.

Loss from Operations – Loss from operations was $23.8 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 compared to $11.1 million for the same quarter in 2020.

On August 12, 2021 Nimbus Therapeutics, a biotechnology company designing breakthrough medicines through structure-based drug discovery and development, reported the extension of its collaboration with Schrödinger, Inc. to discover and design small molecule therapeutics for a number of high-value targets using cutting-edge structure-based drug design approaches (Press release, Nimbus Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234586461]).

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The agreement extends the collaboration between the two companies, which began in 2009, to advance the usage of computational methods in drug discovery. Since then, the collaboration has generated numerous promising therapeutic candidates, including small molecule inhibitors of acetyl–CoA carboxylase (ACC) and tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), which are now in the clinic, and a hematopoietic protein kinase 1 (MAP4K1/HPK1) inhibitor, which Nimbus plans to advance to the clinic later this year.

"Nimbus’ collaboration with Schrödinger over the past 12 years has been groundbreaking, deploying computational horsepower at an unprecedented scale in the industry," said Jeb Keiper, M.S., MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Nimbus. "Schrödinger’s deep computational capabilities, paired with Nimbus’ demonstrated expertise in structural biology, small molecule drug discovery and clinical development, provides fertile ground for designing breakthrough medicines over the next decade."

"We are very pleased to embark on this new chapter of Schrödinger’s collaboration with Nimbus and to further expand the frontiers of combining physics-based drug discovery with machine learning," said Ramy Farid, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Schrödinger. "Our collaborative track record underscores the potential of our combined multidisciplinary drug discovery team to design medicines that could provide meaningful benefits for patients."

On August 12, 2021 Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. ("Immune-Onc"), a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company developing novel biotherapeutics targeting immunosuppressive myeloid checkpoints, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application for IO-108, a novel antagonist antibody targeting Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor B2 (LILRB2, also known as ILT4) for the treatment of solid tumors (Press release, Immune-Onc Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234586477]). Preclinical data presented at the 2020 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper)’s annual meeting demonstrate that IO-108 functions as a myeloid checkpoint inhibitor. IO-108 reprograms immune-suppressive myeloid cells toward a pro-inflammatory phenotype, leading to enhanced innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity.

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"The clearance of the IO-108 IND represents another major milestone for Immune-Onc as we progress our pipeline of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors targeting the LILRB family of immune inhibitory receptors," said Charlene Liao, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Immune-Onc. "We are highly encouraged by the strength of the preclinical data of IO-108 and are pleased that our expertise in LILRB biology and translational sciences enables us to advance this asset into the clinic. We look forward to initiating the trial to further understand the role of LILRBs in cancer, and to test the potential of IO-108 in treating patients with advanced solid tumors."

The Phase 1, multicenter, dose-escalation study will consist of a monotherapy cohort and a combination therapy cohort to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of IO-108 alone and in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody. Biomarkers will be assessed to enable a mechanistic understanding of clinical data and inform future trials. This study may also provide an opportunity to identify preliminary efficacy signals. After determination of the recommended Phase 2 dose, Immune-Onc plans to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of IO-108 in combination with pembrolizumab and as monotherapy in indication-specific expansion cohorts.

IO-108 binds to LILRB2 with high affinity and specificity and blocks the interaction of LILRB2 with multiple ligands that are involved in cancer-associated immune suppression including HLA-G, ANGPTLs, SEMA4A, and CD1d. In preclinical studies, treatment of various primary human immune cell systems containing myeloid cells with IO-108 results in enhanced pro-inflammatory responses to multiple stimuli that are relevant to anti-tumor immunity. As a single agent, IO-108 reverses the anti-inflammatory myeloid cell phenotype that results from "tumor conditioning" and promotes the differentiation of monocytes into pro-inflammatory dendritic cells. Moreover, IO-108 potentiates the effect of PD-1 blocking antibodies on CD4+ T cell activation in co-cultures with allogeneic macrophages. In mouse models IO-108 inhibits the growth of solid tumors, which is associated with enhanced T cell responses. Together these data demonstrate that IO-108 has the potential to provide additive or synergistic benefit in combination with standard-of-care immunotherapies and/or immunogenic therapies for solid tumors that are both resistant and sensitive to T-cell checkpoint inhibitors.

ABOUT LILRB2 (ILT4)

LILRB2, also known as ILT4, is expressed mostly on myeloid cells, including monocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. In solid tumors, interaction of LILRB2 with tumor microenvironment (TME) relevant ligands, including HLA-G, ANGPTLs, SEMA4A, and CD1d, makes myeloid cells pro-tumorigenic (tolerating or promoting tumor growth) and promotes tumor immune evasion.

On August 12, 2021 Monte Rosa Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GLUE), a biotechnology company developing novel molecular glue precision medicines, reported business highlights and financial results for the second quarter, ended June 30, 2021 (Press release, Monte Rosa Therapeutics, AUG 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234586516]).

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"Following our successful initial public offering and with several pivotal additions to our leadership team, we are excited to have the resources in place to advance our pipeline of novel molecular glues towards and into the clinic and to continue the development of our unique and proprietary QuEEN platform. We are delighted by the continuing progress of our pipeline of molecular glue degraders, including the recent transition of our NEK7 program into lead optimization," said Markus Warmuth, M.D., CEO of Monte Rosa. "As we look ahead for the year, we remain on track to progress a development candidate for our lead program targeting GSPT1 into IND-enabling studies. We also expect to advance at least one additional program into lead optimization this year. All of this will bring us closer to our goal of tackling the previously undruggable or inadequately drugged target protein universe and fostering a new generation of precision medicine therapeutics."

SECOND QUARTER 2021 & RECENT HIGHLIGHTS

Completed upsized $255.6 million initial public offering: Monte Rosa Therapeutics closed its initial public offering of 13,455,000 shares of common stock, including the exercise in full by the underwriters of their option to purchase up to 1,755,000 additional shares of common stock at the public offering price of $19.00 per share. The aggregate gross proceeds were approximately $255.6 million before deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses.
Advanced NEK7 program into lead optimization: NEK7 is an activator of the NLRP3 inflammasome, a central regulator of cellular inflammatory responses to pathogens, damage and stress. Aberrant NLRP3 inflammasome activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple autoimmune diseases. Our NEK7 degrader program has progressed into lead optimization, with the next major milestone anticipated to be selection of a development candidate.
Strengthened leadership team with key appointments: Since the start of 2021, Monte Rosa Therapeutics has made several key appointments aimed at further supporting advancement of its platform, expanding its business operations and preparing to bring its molecular glue degrader therapies into clinical trials. Most recently, the company announced the appointment of Filip Janku, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer, and has named Phil Nickson, Ph.D., J.D., as Head of Legal Operations and Jennifer Champoux as Vice President of Operations.
Expanded global presence: The company has opened two new state-of-the-art research centers in the Seaport District of Boston and in Basel, Switzerland. These sites will continue to enable the recruitment of key talent in both the U.S. and Europe.
KEY UPCOMING MILESTONES + EVENTS

Development candidate selection for lead program targeting GSPT1 for the treatment of cancers overexpressing one of the Myc family genes (c-Myc, N-Myc and L-Myc). The company anticipates selecting a development candidate and advancing it into IND-enabling studies before year-end.
Progression of at least one program in addition to NEK7 into lead optimization by end of 2021.
Upcoming conferences and presentations:
Owen Wallace, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, to present at the European Protein Degradation Conference at 14:10 CEST, Sept. 21, in a session titled, "Facilitating interactions between ubiquitin ligase and selected proteins through rational design of molecular glues."
Sharon Townson, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, to present an overview of the company’s QuEEN platform at the 4th Annual Targeted Protein Degradation Summit at 11:45 a.m. EDT, Oct. 27; will also participate in a panel discussion titled, "What’s Next on the Horizon for Targeted Protein Degradation?" at 5 p.m. EDT, Oct. 28.
John Castle, Chief Data Scientist, to present an overview of the company’s QuEEN platform at the Genomics Live and BioData World Congress at 15:40 CEST, Nov. 3.
SECOND QUARTER 2021 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Research and Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses for the second quarter of 2021 were $14.6 million, compared to $4.9 million for the second quarter of 2020. The increase in R&D expense was primarily due to the expansion of research and development activities in the United States and Switzerland including increased headcount and facilities, as well as corresponding increases in laboratory related expenses.

General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses: G&A expenses for the second quarter of 2021 were $3.5 million, compared to $0.5 million for the second quarter of 2020. The increase in G&A expense was a result of increased headcount and expenses in support of the company’s growth.

Net Loss: Net loss for the second quarter of 2021 was $18.4 million, compared to $5.4 million for the second quarter of 2020.

Cash Position and Financial Guidance: Cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021, were $357.1 million, compared to $41.7 million as of December 31, 2020. The June 30th balance does not include the additional $31.0 million in net proceeds the company received as part of its initial public offering from the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to an additional 1,755,000 shares of common stock at the public offering price of $19.00 per share. The company expects its cash and cash equivalents , including the aggregate net proceeds from the initial public offering, will be sufficient to fund our planned operations and capital expenditures into late 2024.