On April 23, 2019 Varian (NYSE: VAR) reported that The Nairobi West Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya is the first clinic in the country and in West, Central, and East Africa to begin treating cancer patients using the Halcyon radiotherapy system (Press release, Varian Medical Systems, APR 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234535324]). The Halcyon system simplifies and enhances virtually every aspect of image-guided volumetric intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), including improved patient comfort and shortening the time from installation to first-treatment without sacrificing quality. The system is well suited to treat a majority of cancer patients, offering advanced treatments for lung, prostate, breast, head & neck, and many other forms of cancer.

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The Halcyon system features a streamlined workflow that only requires nine steps from the start to the end of treatment compared to up to more than 30 steps with older technologies thereby reducing the total treatment time. To assist in the reduction of time and construction costs from installation to first patient treatment, Halcyon offers expedited commissioning, requires less shielding than traditional systems, can fit in the majority of existing small vaults, and can be installed in two weeks or less.

"The installation and treatments on the Halcyon system is a major achievement for patients and cancer care delivery in Kenya and in the region," said Sukhmeet Sandhu, chief executive officer, The Nairobi West Hospital. "The streamlined workflow and the advanced capabilities of the Halcyon system will have a positive impact on the increased number of cancer patients we can treat every year."

"At Varian we believe that by increasing access to advanced cancer care we can move closer to achieving a world without fear of cancer," said Jean-Luc Devleeschauwer, president, Varian Oncology Systems EMEIA. "We are proud of our collaboration with The Nairobi West Hospital on the installation of the Halcyon system. The whole process from our first meeting, to treatment room construction, to installation and staff training, only took nine months. I commend the Nairobi West Hospital and Varian teams for quickly bringing this advanced treatment capability to cancer patients in Kenya and the region."

On April 23, 2019 OmniSeq, a CAP-accredited, molecular diagnostics spin-out of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, and LabCorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, reported an extension of their exclusive distribution agreement as well as an additional investment by LabCorp (Press release, OmniSeq, APR 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234535323]). The distribution agreement and LabCorp’s initial investment in OmniSeq’s Series B financing round were first announced in August 2017.

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The distribution agreement originally provided LabCorp with exclusive distribution rights for the OmniSeq Comprehensive and Immune Report Card clinical assays. The agreement’s extension adds OmniSeq Advance, as well as the OmniSeq MSI NGS test. Together, OmniSeq’s next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based assays provide comprehensive genomic and immune profiling to enable oncologists to select the most appropriate therapies or clinical trials for each patient. Pursuant to the agreement, OmniSeq’s suite of advanced tests will be exclusively offered by LabCorp to U.S.-based physicians through Integrated Oncology, a member of the LabCorp Specialty Testing Group, and globally to biopharmaceutical customers through Covance, LabCorp’s drug development business.

Proceeds from LabCorp’s additional investment will be used by OmniSeq to pursue FDA approval or clearance of its proprietary NGS-based comprehensive genomic and immune profiling panels, to continue the development of new panels intended to predict the response to checkpoint inhibitors and other immune-therapies, and to support the expansion of testing operations.

According to Mark Gardner, CEO of OmniSeq, "We are honored to extend our partnership with LabCorp to expand access to OmniSeq’s advanced testing methodologies to help provide more precise guidance in the selection of the right therapy or clinical trial for patients diagnosed with a broad range of cancers. With LabCorp’s continued collaboration and support, we will have the funding to augment the clinical utility of our testing services, and to make the best of precision medicine more readily available to physicians and patients across the U.S. and to biopharmaceutical companies around the globe."

"OmniSeq has been an excellent partner for us in both clinical studies and clinical diagnostics," said Marcia Eisenberg, chief scientific officer of LabCorp Diagnostics, and a member of OmniSeq’s board of directors. "Working together, we have brought advanced NGS-based diagnostics to market, supporting more informed clinical decisions for targeted and immuno-oncology therapies. By combining the clinical trials capabilities of Covance, the single-source lab solutions services of Integrated Oncology, and the testing services of OmniSeq, LabCorp is uniquely positioned to bring precision medicine to oncology patients across the country."

To learn more about OmniSeq Comprehensive, Immune Report Card, OmniSeq AdvanceSM, or OmniSeq MSI NGS, call 1-800-781-1259 or visit www.omniseq.com.

On April 23, 2019 Zymeworks Inc. (NYSE/TSX:ZYME), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing multifunctional biotherapeutics, reported that management will present at the upcoming Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference taking place April 30-May 1, 2019 in Toronto, Canada (Press release, Zymeworks, APR 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234535322]).

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The Company’s presentation will be April 30, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Interested parties can access a live webcast of the presentation via a link from Zymeworks’ website at View Source, which will also host a recorded replay available afterwards.

On April 23, 2019 BerGenBio ASA (OSE: BGBIO) a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, selective AXL kinase inhibitors for multiple cancer indications, reported that the company and its collaborators will present new interim clinical and biomarker data from its extensive Phase II clinical development programme with bemcentinib, a selective, oral AXL inhibitor, at the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois (31 May – 4 June 2019) (Press release, BerGenBio, APR 23, 2019, View Source [SID1234535320]).

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Abstract titles have been announced online at View Source and details of the presentations are below.

The posters presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) will be made available on www.bergenbio.com in the Investors / Presentations section at the time of presentation.

Sunday 2 June, 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM Central Daylight Time

A phase II study of bemcentinib (BGB324), a first-in-class highly selective AXL inhibitor, with pembrolizumab in pts with advanced NSCLC: OS for stage I and preliminary stage II efficacy.

Enriqueta Felip et al
Session: Lung Cancer – Non-Small Cell Metastatic
Location: Hall A, poster board #421, abstract 9098
Monday 3 June, 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM Central Daylight Time

First-in class selective AXL inhibitor bemcentinib (BGB324) in combination with LDAC or decitabine exerts anti-leukaemic activity in AML pts unfit for intensive chemotherapy: Phase II open-label study.

Dr Sonja Loges et al
Session: Hematologic Malignancies – Leukemia, Myelodysplastic Syndromes, and Allotransplant
Location: Hall A, poster board #418, abstract 7043

On April 22, 2019 Elpiscience BioPharma and Bio-Techne Corporation reported that the companies have entered into a strategic collaboration for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics (Press release, Elpiscience, APR 22, 2019, View Source;id=1313 [SID1234536921]). Under the terms of the agreement, Elpiscience will have access to multiple antibodies from Bio-Techne’s antibody library for use in preclinical, clinical and commercial pharmaceutical development.

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As a biotech company committed to leading the innovation and development of the next generation of cancer immunotherapy, Elpiscience, in collaboration with Bio-Techne, a global leader in life sciences and molecular diagnostics, will expand mutual capabilities in the field of cancer immunotherapy. This strategic collaboration also aims to accelerate the development of new biologics to address unmet medical needs in Oncology.

Dr. Darren Ji, CEO of Elpiscience, said: "We are very happy to enter into a strategic collaboration with Bio-Techne in therapeutic antibody research and development. This collaboration will leverage the strengths of both companies in the field of anti-cancer therapeutics and speed up the development of new cancer immunotherapies in order to bring more efficient treatment to cancer patients worldwide."

David Eansor, President of Bio-Techne’s Protein Sciences Segment commented "We are extremely excited to partner with Elpiscience in the development of novel cancer immunotherapies. It is our goal to increase our partnerships with therapeutics developers to unleash the potential of our vast library of high-quality antibodies towards the development of next generation immunotherapies."