On May 31, 2021 RhoVac AB ("RhoVac"), a Swedish cancer immunotherapy company, reported that it confirms its previous forecast to be able to conclude recruitment for its multi-centre BRaVac Phase IIb study in Quarter 3 2021 (Press release, RhoVac, MAY 31, 2021, View Source;bravac-phase-iib-study-recruitment-to-close-in-quarter-3-2021-301302312.html [SID1234583298]). Also, all new US clinics have been initiated to boost recruitment in the final months and further raise awareness in the USA.

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As was the case with many clinical trials, RhoVac phase IIb study in prostate cancer, BRaVac, suffered some delays during the course of Covid-19-pandemic in 2020 and 2021. The latest update was announced early March in connection with the Covid-19-vaccine roll-out and in connection with this RhoVac promised to get back with a more informed forecast for recruitment conclusion at a later stage. Now that this spring’s patient recruitment has been completed and all new US clinics are operational, RhoVac confirms its forecast to complete the recruitment of the study during the third quarter of 2021. There are less than 50 patients left to recruit and the current recruitment pace points to a close in August; allowing for the impact of summer vacations in hospitals, RhoVac therefore forecasts recruitment closing in September. After closing, finalising the treatment of patients in the study is estimated to take 9-12 months.

RhoVac also announces that all new American sites have now been initiated so that the total number of clinics currently operating on the study in the USA is seven. Apart from contributing to the recruitment this also raises awareness of RhoVac and its drug candidate in America, home to most of the company’s potential partner companies.

RhoVac CEO, Anders Månsson, comments: "Keeping the phase IIb study going in the midst of the pandemic was quite a challenge, but we can now conclude that we seem to have emerged successful, where others have unfortunately failed. I now see no obstacles to concluding the study according to forecast, and I look forward to entering the final stage of the trial. I am very happy about our increased US presence and the enthusiasm and commitment of the new centres, and I am full of gratitude to the centres that have prevailed during the pandemic and delivered in spite of the difficult circumstances. I believe we are now entering an exciting phase for RhoVac!"

This disclosure contains information that RhoVac is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person, on 31-05-2021 13:00 CET.

On May 31, 2021 Vaccibody AS, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery and development of vaccines and novel immunotherapies, reported that its CEO, Michael Engsig, and Chief Innovation & Strategy Officer, Agnete Fredriksen, Ph.D., will give a presentation of Vaccibody at the Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference at 4.30 pm CET / 10.30 am EDT on June 2, 2021 (Press release, Vaccibody, MAY 31, 2021, View Source/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/210531_PR_Jefferies-Virtual-Healthcare-Conference-June-1-4-2021-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" title="View Source/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/210531_PR_Jefferies-Virtual-Healthcare-Conference-June-1-4-2021-FINAL.pdf" rel="nofollow">View Source [SID1234583303]).

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The presentation will be available on Vaccibody’s website at View Source

On May 30, 2021 Hummingbird Bioscience, an innovative clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing precision therapies against hard-to-drug targets reported that its abstract reporting pre-clinical results from its V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) antibody, HMBD-002, has been selected for publication at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, to be held June 4-8, 2021 (Press release, Hummingbird Bioscience, MAY 30, 2021, View Source [SID1234583287]).

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The abstract reports pre-clinical studies that demonstrate HMBD-002’s ability to induce an effective anti-tumor immune response, both as a monotherapy and in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab in multiple syngeneic and humanized xenograft models.

HMBD-002 is the only IgG4 isotype anti-VISTA antibody currently in development for the treatment of cancers with VISTA-mediated immune suppression, including triple negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The Phase 1 clinical trial for HMBD-002 is anticipated to commence later this year.

The full abstract is now available on ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s Meeting Library: View Source

Details of the publication are as follows:

Abstract Title:

HMBD-002 is a novel, neutralizing, anti-VISTA antibody exhibiting strong preclinical efficacy and safety, being developed as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab

Abstract Number:

e14569

About HMBD-002

HMBD-002 is a unique anti-VISTA neutralizing antibody, and the only IgG4 isotype anti-VISTA antibody currently in development. It was engineered to bind to VISTA at a specific site that is predicted to be essential for ligand-binding and function, thus inhibiting VISTA and neutralizing its immunosuppressive activity without depleting VISTA expressing cells that play many important roles in the immune system.

Pre-clinical studies have shown that HMBD-002 as a monotherapy inhibits tumor growth and significantly prolongs survival, with no observed toxicity. It has also shown synergy when used in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy.

HMBD-002 is being developed for multiple cancers that have strong evidence of VISTA mediated suppression both as a monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 inhibitor.

Hummingbird’s first-in-class anti-VISTA therapeutic antibody is advancing to clinical trials with support from a US$13.1 million product development grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

On May 30, 2021 Hummingbird Bioscience, an innovative clinical-stage biotech company focused on developing precision therapies against hard-to-drug targets reported that its abstract reporting pre-clinical results from its V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) antibody, HMBD-002, has been selected for publication at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, to be held June 4-8, 2021 (Press release, Hummingbird Bioscience, MAY 30, 2021, View Source [SID1234583287]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

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

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The abstract reports pre-clinical studies that demonstrate HMBD-002’s ability to induce an effective anti-tumor immune response, both as a monotherapy and in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab in multiple syngeneic and humanized xenograft models.

HMBD-002 is the only IgG4 isotype anti-VISTA antibody currently in development for the treatment of cancers with VISTA-mediated immune suppression, including triple negative breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The Phase 1 clinical trial for HMBD-002 is anticipated to commence later this year.

The full abstract is now available on ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s Meeting Library: View Source

Details of the publication are as follows:

Abstract Title:

HMBD-002 is a novel, neutralizing, anti-VISTA antibody exhibiting strong preclinical efficacy and safety, being developed as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab

Abstract Number:

e14569

About HMBD-002

HMBD-002 is a unique anti-VISTA neutralizing antibody, and the only IgG4 isotype anti-VISTA antibody currently in development. It was engineered to bind to VISTA at a specific site that is predicted to be essential for ligand-binding and function, thus inhibiting VISTA and neutralizing its immunosuppressive activity without depleting VISTA expressing cells that play many important roles in the immune system.

Pre-clinical studies have shown that HMBD-002 as a monotherapy inhibits tumor growth and significantly prolongs survival, with no observed toxicity. It has also shown synergy when used in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy.

HMBD-002 is being developed for multiple cancers that have strong evidence of VISTA mediated suppression both as a monotherapy and in combination with PD-1 inhibitor.

Hummingbird’s first-in-class anti-VISTA therapeutic antibody is advancing to clinical trials with support from a US$13.1 million product development grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT).

On May 28, 2021 Moderna, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRNA), a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines, reported its participation in the following upcoming virtual investor conferences (Press release, Moderna Therapeutics, MAY 28, 2021, View Source [SID1234583274]):

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Jefferies Virtual Healthcare Conference on Thursday, June 3, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. ET
Goldman Sachs 42nd Annual Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, June 9, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. ET
A live webcast of each presentation will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the Investors section of the Moderna website at View Source A replay of each webcast will be archived on Moderna’s website for 30 days following the presentation.