On April 8, 2021 City of Hope and CytoImmune Therapeutics Inc. reported that have entered into worldwide exclusive license agreements to several patent applications related to methods to generate large numbers of fully functional natural killer (NK) cells derived from umbilical cord blood and compositions of chimeric receptors (CAR) for targeting NK cells to tumors (Press release, CytoImmune Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577729]). (Photo: CytoImmune Therapeutics Inc.)

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DUARTE, Calif. & MONROVIA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, and CytoImmune Therapeutics Inc. ("CytoImmune"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on commercializing novel cancer immunotherapy products, announced that they have entered into worldwide exclusive license agreements.

"We are proud of Dr. Caliguiri and Dr. Yu’s discoveries and are pleased to enter into these agreements with CytoImmune."
The agreements include licenses to several patent applications related to methods to generate large numbers of fully functional natural killer (NK) cells derived from umbilical cord blood and compositions of chimeric receptors (CAR) for targeting NK cells to tumors. They include a prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) CAR to treat pancreatic, gastric, bladder, prostate and some lung cancers, a programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1)+ NK cell for use in treating lung cancer, and fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) CAR NK cell therapy for use in treating acute myeloid leukemia.

The licensed technologies are based on discoveries by CytoImmune co-founders Jianhua Yu, Ph.D., professor, City of Hope Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and Michael A. Caligiuri, M.D., president, City of Hope National Medical Center, who together have over 55 years of experience in NK cell biology and more than 500 original, peer-reviewed publications on NK cells and cancer.

"As an independent institution dedicated to advancing the fight against cancer, City of Hope is committed to finding innovative discoveries and treatments, and NK cell therapies offer great hope for patients," said Robert Stone, president and CEO of City of Hope and the Helen and Morgan Chu Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair. "We are proud of Dr. Caliguiri and Dr. Yu’s discoveries and are pleased to enter into these agreements with CytoImmune."

CAR NK therapies are designed to harness the power of NK cells, from healthy donors, that are in turn "engineered" to aggressively treat patients with cancer while minimizing the side effects of treatment. City of Hope, a recognized leader in CAR T cell therapies for solid and blood cancers, has treated more than 600 patients since its CAR T research started in the late 1990s. The institution continues to have one of the most comprehensive CAR T cell GMP facilities and CAR T cell clinical research programs in the world with nearly 50 CAR T cell trials currently taking place at City of Hope or about to open.

"CytoImmune has expanded our productive partnership with City of Hope, a leader in immunotherapy research, and we have solidified our position as leaders in NK cell technology," said Rich Santulli, chairman and CEO of CytoImmune. "Drs. Caligiuri and Yu have worked together for nearly 20 years and have made important and fundamental discoveries in NK cell science. With these agreements, we have gained access to technologies that will generate an abundant supply of our proprietary engineered and enhanced NK cells that can selectively kill both blood and solid tumor cells. We are hopeful that by furthering this research we will ultimately benefit patients who need new treatment options."

"As a scientific founder of CytoImmune, I am pleased to see the company expand its collaboration with City of Hope. NK cell therapy holds great promise for treating both blood and solid tumor cancers. We are excited to see this promising therapy move forward with the goal of helping even more patients battling cancer," said Caligiuri, the Deana and Steve Campbell Physician-in-Chief Distinguished Chair.

Yu and Caligiuri also have many patents between them for many firsts in human NK cell development, survival, activation, in vivo modulation and preclinical models of human NK CAR therapy for cancer. Over 1,000 cancer patients have been treated on protocols designed or co-designed by Caligiuri using cytokine therapies to modulate NK cells.

CytoImmune Therapeutics is translating into the clinic a CAR NK cell platform targeting AML, B cell malignancies and multiple myeloma, as well as pancreatic, gastric, bladder, prostate and lung cancer. Investigational new drug filings are in process or planned for the use of CAR NK cells in these liquid and solid tumors in 2021.

On April 8, 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 that the Company will participate in the following upcoming virtual investor conferences (Press release, Poseida Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577745]):

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Raymond James Cell Therapy for Oncology Symposium
Start-up to Scale-up: A Discussion on Manufacturing of Off The Shelf Cell Based Therapy
Panel discussion with Poseida CEO Eric Ostertag, MD, PhD
Thursday, April 22, 2021
9:00am ET

7th Annual Truist Securities 2021 Life Sciences Summit
Fireside Chat with Poseida CEO Eric Ostertag, MD, PhD
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
3:30pm ET

Webcasts will be available on the Investors & Media Section of the Poseida website, www.poseida.com. An archived replay of each webcast will be available for approximately 30 days following each presentation.

On April 8, 2021 Viracta Therapeutics, Inc. (Viracta or the Company), a precision oncology company targeting virus-associated malignancies, reported that Company management will present at the 20th Annual Needham Virtual Healthcare Conference taking place April 12-15, 2021 (Press release, Viracta Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577762]). The Company will also participate in one-on-one investor meetings at the conference.

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On April 8, 2021 Stockholm-based Sprint Bioscience, which conducts early preclinical drug development primarily targeting cancer, reported that it had raised 20.7 MSEK in a share issue directed at a group of existing and external investors (Press release, Sprint Bioscience, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577884]). BioStock has contacted the company’s CEO Erik Kinnman to find out more about what it means for the company.

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The biotechnology company Sprint Bioscience specialises in early preclinical development of drug candidates, primarily aimed at treating cancer. Today, the company’s portfolio consists of five development projects, where the goal is to reach early outlicensing to partners who can advance them to clinical testing and onwards.

So far, two projects from the company’s existing portfolio have been outlicensed; oncology project PETRA01, where the company collaborates with the cancer drug developer HiberCell, and a NASH project that is being developed together with South Korean biotech company LG Chem.

Strengthened cash position with directed issue
On Thursday, Sprint Bioscience announced that it had completed a directed issue of 20.7 MSEK. This corresponds to a discount of approximately 12 per cent compared to the closing price on April 7. For shareholders who did not participate in the issue, the issue will mean a dilution of approximately 16 per cent in total. In connection with the issue, the company pays back an outstanding loan of 10 MSEK.

You have now strengthened the cash position by 20.7 MSEK. Why did you choose to strengthen the company’s financial situation through a directed issue?

– With this issue, we have been able to increase the company’s shareholding among qualified investors, both existing and new. The interest is a sign of an understanding of the potential of our portfolio of innovative drug candidates and our business model.

What does this latest capital injection mean for the company?

– The strengthened cash position allows us to accelerate activities in our various projects as well as in business development. All to build shareholder value and continue to deliver drug candidates that are attractive to potential licensees and that could eventually become new unique drugs for cancer patients with medical needs who need alternative treatments.

How would you describe the financial situation in the company in relation to the capital requirement going forward?

– The capital requirements are now met for the near future. This enables continued value-building development of our portfolio and strengthens opportunities for deliveries in terms of our licensing activities.

The content of BioStock’s news and analyses is independent but the work of BioStock is to a certain degree financed by life science companies. The above article concerns a company from which BioStock has received financing.

On April 8, 2021 Context Therapeutics, a clinical-stage women’s oncology company developing advanced small molecule and immunotherapy treatments to transform care for hormone-driven breast and gynecological cancers, and Integral Molecular, the leader in discovering antibodies against multipass membrane proteins, reported a research collaboration and licensing agreement for the development of an anti-claudin 6 (CLDN6) bispecific monoclonal antibody (BsMAb) for gynecologic cancer therapy (Press release, Context Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577714]).

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CLDN6 is a membrane protein expressed in multiple cancers, including ovarian, endometrial, lung and gastric cancers. The protein is absent from healthy adult tissues and high levels in patient tumors are correlated with poor prognosis.

Under the terms of the agreement, Integral Molecular and Context will develop CLDN6 bispecific antibodies that trigger the activation of T cells and eliminate cancer cells displaying CLND6. Context will conduct preclinical and all clinical development, as well as regulatory and commercial activities through exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the novel CLDN6 candidates. Integral Molecular will receive an undisclosed upfront payment and will be eligible to receive development, regulatory and sales milestone payments and high-single-digit to low-double-digit percent royalties on net sales. IND-enabling studies of the first BsMAb candidate are expected to commence in 2022, with advancement to clinical stage anticipated in 2023.

"The structural complexity of CLDN6 and its similarity to proteins expressed on healthy tissue have previously limited its exploitation for targeted oncology therapies," said Martin Lehr, chief executive officer of Context. "By combining Integral Molecular’s expertise in the field of antibody discovery and Context’s experience developing therapies for women’s cancers, we hope to develop a best-in-class targeted therapeutic for CLDN6-positive gynecologic tumors."

To overcome the challenges associated with antibody discovery against CLND6, Integral Molecular employed its MPS antibody discovery platform designed to isolate antibodies against the most challenging membrane protein targets.

"Our CLDN6 monoclonal antibody exhibits best-in-class target selectivity," said Benjamin Doranz, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Integral Molecular. "There is a strong need for therapies that provide more specific and less toxic treatments for gynecologic cancers, and we look forward to our partnership with Context that will enable better treatments for women."