On June 3, 2021 Crown Bioscience (CrownBio), a JSR Life Sciences Company, reported that they have entered into separate, yet complementary, portfolio license agreements with the ATCC and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as represented by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institute of Health (NIH) (Press release, Crown Bioscience, JUN 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234583446]). By entering into five-year agreements with these premier biomaterial resource providers, CrownBio clients will directly benefit from a priority status that will make cell lines more readily available with simplified logistics.

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Through its XenoSelect and OmniScreen panels, CrownBio already offers its clients highly customizable, broad in vitro screening panel services, paired with industry-leading bioinformatics capabilities and a breadth of established "matched" downstream in vivo models. CrownBio clients will now have access to an extended and unrivaled portfolio of cell lines, with the knowledge and peace of mind that all necessary licensing is in place.

The license agreement with ATCC grants CrownBio expedited access to more than 140 cell lines and associated datasets, as well as future access to an additional 4000 cell lines through an umbrella licensing structure. Similarly, to meet CrownBio’s ongoing global client needs for supplies of NIH cell lines, a new portfolio license has been signed with the NIH. With this agreement, CrownBio will provide access to 100 cell lines available through the NCI Repository of Tumors and Tumor Cell Lines and other sources, that were developed in NCI labs.

Henry Li, PhD, CSO of CrownBio said, "We greatly value our relationships with both ATCC and NIH, which are two of CrownBio’s largest cell line partners. We are excited that these new agreements will enable us to offer our clients expanded and prioritized cell line availability and supply. Together, these agreements exemplify CrownBio’s dedication to ensuring our clients have easy access to an industry-leading range of in vitro and in vivo models for drug discovery."

On June 3, 2021 Monopar Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: MNPR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on developing proprietary therapeutics designed to extend life or improve the quality of life for cancer patients, reported it has entered into a collaboration agreement with the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) to evaluate the activity of MNPR-202 and related analogs in multiple types of cancer (Press release, Monopar Therapeutics, JUN 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234583463]). MNPR-202 was designed to retain the same potentially non-cardiotoxic backbone as camsirubicin but is modified at other positions which may enable it to work in certain cancers that are resistant to camsirubicin and doxorubicin. Monopar recently announced a composition of matter U.S. patent (US10,450,340) covering MNPR-202 and related analogs. While we expect camsirubicin to enter a dose escalation run-in clinical trial in advanced soft tissue sarcoma in the second half of this year, CSI Singapore will explore how the immune system recognizes cancer cells treated with MNPR-202 and related analogs in order to guide the rational design of immunotherapy-chemotherapy combinations for the treatment of cancer.

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CSI Singapore is one of Asia’s premier cancer research centers and NUS is consistently ranked as one of the world’s top universities. Anand Jeyasekharan, MBBS MRCP (UK) PhD, of CSI Singapore, NUS is an expert in the molecular and biological responses of cancer cells to chemotherapy. Through this collaboration, we hope to gain fundamental insight into how MNPR-202 and related analogs alter the DNA of cancer cells and how the immune system then identifies and eliminates these cells, resulting in immunogenic cell death (ICD). The relationship between chemotherapy and ICD constitutes a prominent pathway for immune system activation against various cancers, including cancers that are considered to be "cold" and poorly responsive to checkpoint inhibition alone. A deeper understanding of ICD response may reveal additional indications where MNPR-202 and related analogs could have significant potential as anticancer therapies.

"By expanding our understanding of MNPR-202 activity against chemotherapy-resistant tumors and working with Dr. Jeyasekharan to assess immunogenic potential, we may be able to inform and refine our development strategy toward indications where MNPR-202 could be most impactful," said Andrew Mazar, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Monopar.

"We believe MNPR-202 has the potential to disrupt the current chemotherapy landscape and impact a broad range of cancers," said Dr. Anand Jeyasekharan, who will be the Principal Investigator at CSI Singapore. "We are pleased to collaborate with Monopar to further our current research and hope to aid in the advancement of MNPR-202 toward the clinic."

"We are very excited to work with Cancer Institute of Singapore at the National University of Singapore and Dr. Jeyasekharan on MNPR-202," said Chandler Robinson, MD, CEO of Monopar. "A world-class reputation paired with deep expertise on the relationship between chemotherapy and immune cell activation make Dr. Jeyasekharan and CSI Singapore a great research partner."

On June 3, 2021 Invivoscribe, a global leader in precision diagnostics, reported the launch of a new 12-color multiparametric flow cytometry service in Shanghai, China, the newest reference laboratory in their international LabPMM network (Press release, Invivoscribe Technologies, JUN 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234583479]). Flow cytometry has long been the standard of care for many blood cancers including acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but to achieve minimal residual disease (MRD) level sensitivity with limited specimen, powerful 12-color multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) is needed. By providing the combination of 12-color flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing (NGS) MRD capabilities in the US, in Europe, and also in China, Invivoscribe now offers a comprehensive international solution for our pharma partners.

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Invivoscribe’s globally standardized network of LabPMM reference laboratories offer best in class NGS assays, gene panels, and bioinformatics software, to complement our new MFC panels. The addition of 12-color MFC panels to our existing NGS capabilities, eliminates the need to split primary subject specimens and have them tested in multiple labs. It also allows the same pull of bone marrow to be tested using several complementary technologies, so pharma partners can obtain and compare results leveraging limited samples using targeted assays and technologies for drug development and clinical studies. By offering both MFC and NGS testing in our international laboratories, Invivoscribe can accelerate clinical trials and streamline drug approvals.

"We are very fortunate to have exceptional scientists leading our Flow Cytometry Services," says Tony Lialin, Chief Commercial Officer at Invivoscribe. "Our hematopathologists are domain experts that have an intimate understanding of hematologic malignancies, the markers, and the instrumentation gained from their decades of experience. When we were developing our flow assays we had three goals: (1) to provide partners with one-stop international screening and MRD testing, (2) to leverage our infrastructure to quickly develop panels to meet novel partner needs, and (3) to provide standardized CAP/CLIA testing in all of our ISO 15189 accredited global laboratories. We are excited about our unique offering in Asia and we are well-positioned to help our pharma partners accelerate clinical studies and approval of their novel therapies worldwide."

Leveraging an international network of our wholly-owned clinical reference laboratories, Invivoscribe can rapidly design and validate custom panels, track MRD for a range of oncologic diseases, including solid tumors, and develop and commercialize companion diagnostic assays for pharma partners.

On June 3, 2021 Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies for serious rare and ultra-rare genetic diseases, reported that Emil D. Kakkis, M.D., Ph.D., the company’s Chief Executive Officer and President, will present at the Goldman Sachs 42ND Annual Healthcare Conference on Thursday, June 10, 2021 at 3:00 PM ET (Press release, Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, JUN 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234583495]).

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The live and archived webcast of the presentation will be accessible from the company’s website at View Source The replay of the webcast will be available for 90 days.

On June 3, 2021 Jeffrey Bogart, MD, interim director of the Upstate Cancer Center, reported that it will present findings of a lung cancer treatment clinical trial later this week at one of the largest gatherings of cancer experts in the world (Press release, SUNY Upstate, JUN 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234583512]).

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Bogart, who also serves as chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at Upstate, will present the results of a clinical trial for patients with small cell lung cancer at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, which runs June 4 to 8. Bogart will present evidence that shows when treating small cell lung cancer, once daily radiation therapy treatment for seven weeks is just as effective as twice daily radiation treatment for three weeks.

Bogart was principal investigator of the trial, which included more than 700 patients throughout the United States from 2008 to 2019. About 30,000 people are diagnosed with small cell lung cancer each year. That type of cancer, which is treated with chemotherapy and radiation, accounts for about 15 to 20 percent of all lung cancer patients, Bogart said.

A clinical trial about 30 years ago showed that radiation administered twice a day for three weeks was a more effective treatment than the same dose of radiation once a day for five weeks, Bogart said. Despite undergoing radiation for a shorter period of time – three weeks compared to five – receiving two doses of radiation in one day is difficult for many patients, he said. Twice daily radiation must be administered at least six hours apart, which means the patient has to be at the hospital twice in one day. That’s a tiring regimen and can be difficult for those who don’t live nearby.

The clinical trial, which is the largest trial in limited stage small cell lung cancer ever performed, showed minimal differences between the two regimens.

"Even though the trial from 30 years ago showed that more patients were cured and alive five years later with the twice a day, many patients are not able to make it twice a day and there was some concern that the side effects might be greater with the twice a day," he said. "So most patients in the country, even though we had good evidence to treat twice a day, were treated with once a day. It’s only until this study that we actually have evidence that supports that this is an appropriate thing to do."

Bogart said that prior to this study only about 15 percent of patients nationwide opted for twice daily radiation treatments.

"Before we had the results of this study, because we had good scientific evidence that twice a day was better, I would recommend twice a day for all of my patients," Bogart said. "There were some patients where it was not feasible, but now with the results of this study it opens up the options scientifically. There’s enough support to do either one now. This shows in a scientific fashion that patients are not being undertreated if they have the once a day."

The clinical trial was conducted with patients from across the United States, including at Upstate. The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, for which Bogart is chair of the Radiation Oncology Committee, oversaw the trial.

The ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting is virtual this year and Bogart is scheduled to present on Sunday, June 6. The meeting is attended by more than 40,000 people annually.

"Part of the excitement is that Upstate not only offers clinical trials, we have folks here who are involved in developing and designing and running those clinical trials for the country," Bogart said, noting that hundreds of trial participants were critical to its success. "It’s always good for the patients that were involved to know that their commitment really resulted in something we can use to help guide treatment for future patients."