On April 8, 2021 Silverback Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBTX) ("Silverback"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging its proprietary ImmunoTAC technology platform to develop systemically delivered, tissue-targeted therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, chronic viral infections and other serious diseases, reported that it will present preclinical data on its second product candidate, SBT6290, at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2021 Annual Conference, taking place virtually April 10-15 (Press release, Silverback Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577749]). The data highlight the ability of SBT6290, a systemically administered Nectin4-directed TLR8 ImmunoTAC product candidate, to selectively activate myeloid cells in the tumor microenvironment, a promising approach to overcome resistance mechanisms associated with most current immunotherapies.

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"SBT6290 showcases the versatility of our ImmunoTAC platform and along with our lead program SBT6050, exemplifies our goal to target difficult-to-treat solid tumors subset by subset. We are building on learnings from SBT6050, leveraging the same TLR8 linker-payload, which is highly transferrable across different targeting antibodies," said Valerie Odegard, Ph.D., president & chief scientific officer of Silverback Therapeutics. "These preclinical data show that SBT6290 activates human myeloid cells in a Nectin4-dependent manner and that a SBT6290 mouse surrogate confers single agent anti-tumor activity in preclinical studies. We will continue to evaluate SBT6290 in GLP toxicology studies and anticipate submitting an IND for this program in the fourth quarter of 2021."

SBT6290 comprises a selective TLR8 agonist conjugated to a Nectin4-specific monoclonal antibody. Nectin4 is a cell surface adhesion molecule that is overexpressed in multiple solid tumor types including urothelial, triple negative breast, squamous cell head and neck, and non-small cell lung cancers, with limited expression in normal tissues.

The abstract is now available on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting website. Details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Title: SBT6290, a Systemically Administered Nectin4-Directed TLR8 ImmunoTAC Product Candidate, is Designed for Tumor-localized Activation of Myeloid Cells

Abstract Number: 1858

Session Category: Immunology

Session Title: Therapeutic Antibodies, Including Engineered Antibodies

Virtual Poster Session Date and Time: The poster will be made available on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) website and Silverback website on April 10, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. ET

On April 8, 2021 NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: NBSE) ("NeuBase" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company accelerating the genetic revolution with a new class of precision genetic medicines, reported that it will host a virtual R&D day for investors and analysts on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT (Press release, NeuBase Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577768]).

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During the event, NeuBase will present new data, along with an in-depth review of the Company’s pipeline of drug candidates – including in Huntington’s disease, myotonic dystrophy type 1, and a new oncology program for a target that has previously been thought of as undruggable – as well as an introduction to the expanded management team.

Additional details will be made available prior to the event. The event will be webcast live on NeuBase’s website at View Source Following the live webcast, a replay will be available on the Company’s website and archived for approximately 90 days.

On April 8, 2021 Ventus Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company utilizing rational structure-based drug design to discover small-molecule medicines for high value and elusive targets, reported a $100 million Series B financing led by RA Capital Management with participation from a select syndicate including BVF Partners L.P., Casdin Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, Fonds de solidarité FTQ, and Alexandria Venture Investments (Press release, Ventus Therapeutics, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577718]). Founding investor Versant Ventures also participated in the round, as did existing investor GV (formerly Google Ventures).

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"This support from strong crossover investors will enable the next stage of evolution for Ventus as we build the resources to leverage the full potential of our platforms and product pipeline," said Marcelo Bigal, M.D., Ph.D., president and CEO of Ventus. "We have made rapid and substantial progress over the last twelve months, including the emergence of the ReSOLVE platform and expansion of our pipeline. Ventus is on an exciting growth trajectory, as we continue to unlock high-value targets that have been elusive in the past and advance our lead products for patients with devastating diseases."

Ventus’ drug discovery platforms combine computational technologies with leading-edge structural biology, protein engineering, biophysics and chemistry. Using two proprietary platforms, Ventus expands the set of drug targets accessible to small-molecule medicines by discovering and validating novel binding sites invisible to other approaches.

Proceeds from the Series B will be used to advance Ventus’ pipeline of novel medicines to treat diseases in multiple therapeutic areas and expand platform capabilities. The company’s most advanced programs are focused on critical targets of the innate immune system. Additional programs in autoimmune, inflammation, oncology and neurology indications create a diversified pipeline with opportunities for both partnerships and internal growth.

While the targets of Ventus’ lead program and other pipeline programs are undisclosed, the company’s second most advanced molecule targets NLRP3, a key mediator of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1b and IL-18. NLRP3 is implicated in many autoimmune diseases and other conditions characterized by aberrant inflammation. Ventus’ platforms enabled the stable expression of inactive subunits of NLRP3 and determination of the precise dynamic solvation structure of NLRP3’s binding pocket. Based on these breakthroughs, Ventus identified and optimized novel and differentiated NLRP3 inhibitors, including high potency and quality brain-penetrant molecules as well as peripherally restricted compounds.

Concurrent with this financing, Josh Resnick, M.D., managing director at RA Capital Management, will join the Ventus Board of Directors.

"Ventus is at the forefront of advances in structure-based drug design," said Dr. Resnick. "We are excited that the company has proven its ability to drug challenging targets and look forward to continued progress by Ventus’ pipeline as the company seeks to bring new options to patients."

On April 8, 2021 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC) reported that Dr. Matt Coffey, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, will be participating in a panel discussion at the Canaccord Genuity Horizons in Oncology Virtual Conference (Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577734]). Details on the panel discussion are provided below.

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Title: Off-the-Shelf CAR T – solid tumors, myeloma, lymphoma
Date: Thursday, April 15, 2021
Time: 8:15 am ET

Company management will also be participating in one-on-one investor meetings at the conference. To schedule a meeting, please contact your Canaccord representative or email [email protected].

On April 8, 2021 Median Technologies (Paris:ALMDT) (Euronext Growth – ALMDT), whose Board of Directors met on April 6th, 2021 to approve the consolidated financial statements for the financial year 2020, reported its detailed audited full year financial results for 2020 as well as indicators on its business activity for the first quarter of 2021 (Press release, MEDIAN Technologies, APR 8, 2021, View Source [SID1234577751]).

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2020 results in line with expectations, reflecting the investments needed to accelerate growth and develop the iBiopsy platform

The company, which published indicators on January 14th, 2021 on its 2020 business activity, confirms all the elements previously communicated. As of December 31st, 2020:

– Annual revenue of €13.5m, up 51% on 2019 revenue (€9m), with constant quarterly growth,
– Cash and cash equivalents of €16.3m compared to €19.4m as of June 30th, 2020,
– Order backlog1 of €51.7m, an increase of 35% compared to backlog as of December 31st, 2019 (€38.3m).

During the financial year 2020, the average number of employees in the Group was 125, with an acceleration of recruitment in the second half of the year. On December 31st, 2020, the company had 141 employees.

Given the increase in the company’s headcount to support the growth of the iCRO business (+51% in 2020) and of the iBiopsy technology development, staff costs are up by 37%.

The 27% increase in external costs for the year compared to 2019 external costs is related to:

the optimisation and deployment of a new, more efficient IT infrastructure between Europe, the US and China for the iCRO business and for future cloud-based operations of the iBiopsy platform,
increased costs related to outsourcing of independent image readings for the iCRO business and
the iBiopsy related investments.
Considering these elements, the operating result amounts to -€8.8m.

In the context of the debt issue linked to the EIB (European Investment Bank) loan, the Group granted warrants to the EIB. Under IFRS 9, these warrants are derivatives on own shares and must be valued at fair value through profit or loss. This debt impacts the net result in the consolidated IFRS income statements but has and will have no impact on the Group’s cash flow.

Acceleration of growth in Q1, 2021 and post-closing events

As of March 31st, 2021, the company’s quarterly revenue stands at €5.2m, an increase of 86% compared to the revenue in the first quarter of 2020 (€2.8m). The Group is accelerating its quarterly growth momentum with a 27% increase over Q4 2020 revenues, marking a tenth consecutive quarter of growth.

As of March 31st, 2021, the order backlog amounted to €52.6m, up from the backlog as of December 31st, 2020, despite an excellent quarter of invoicing and the cancellation of a project in China for an amount of €1.6m.

Cash and cash equivalents amounted to €39.8m as of March 31st, 2021. It should be noted that the cash position was strengthened by the capital increase by private placement targeting qualified investors finalised on March 25, 2021 for an amount of €28.1m, corresponding to €26.6m net of fees and commissions. The purpose of this fundraising is to allow the Company to finance its activities and fulfil its obligations under its contractual commitments with the EIB. The net proceeds of the capital increase are mainly intended to contribute to the financing of development operations of the iBiopsy business, in particular clinical validations on the three indications: lung cancer, primary liver cancer and NASH, as well as aspects related to regulatory and marketing strategies. The funds may also be used for any project that would accelerate the company’s growth.

In the first quarter of 2021, the Group also announced the signing of a major research collaboration with the University of California San Diego. The purpose of this collaboration is to conduct a new validation study for the iBiopsy clinical development plan in Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), which will be conducted on an independent cohort of over 300 patients. The first results of this study are expected in the first quarter of 2022.

In addition, the company announced the initiation of a new clinical development plan for the early diagnosis of lung cancer, with first results on a cohort of 1,800 patients to be published in the second half of 2021.

"2020 was an excellent year in terms of our iCRO business performance, stock performance and progress in our iBiopsy clinical development and partnership plans. The recent funding round gives us the means to pursue our ambitions to simultaneously advance our indications for early diagnosis of liver cancer, NASH and, as recently announced, lung cancer as well," said Fredrik Brag, CEO and founder of Median Technologies. "2021 is shaping up to be a very exciting year, with revenue from our iCRO business already up by 86% in the first quarter compared to Q1 revenue last year. Our order backlog has increased despite the very significant increase in invoicing. This year will also see the continued publication of technology and clinical validation results for iBiopsy, as well as the continued implementation of our policy on setting up partnerships as a basis for future development".

Median informs its shareholders and the financial community that its annual financial report on the accounts for the year ended December 31, 2020 was made public and filed with the AMF.