1stOncology™: Cancer Intelligence Service – Page 146 – 1stOncology is recognized as a Top 10 Global Pharma Analytic Provider

Oxford Vacmedix announce results of successful Phase 1 trial of OVM-200

On April 22, 2026 Oxford Vacmedix (OVM), the UK biotech company developing novel immunotherapies to treat cancer, reported the successful completion of the Phase 1 trial of OVM-200. The primary endpoint for safety has been met as well as the secondary endpoints for immune response and dose selection. In addition, there are early observations of clinical efficacy in NSCLC and in prostate cancer.

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!

This Phase 1 clinical trial of OVM-200 is a multicentre, open‑label, first‑in‑human evaluation of OVM‑200, an immunotherapy developed using Oxford Vacmedix’s Recombinant Overlapping Peptide (ROP) therapeutic platform. 36 Patients with advanced NSCLC (non‑small cell lung cancer), ovarian cancer, or prostate cancer and with no HLA restrictions, were treated in the trial. The results show:

Excellent Safety Profile (primary endpoint): OVM‑200 is very well tolerated with no serious adverse drug reactions or no dose‑limiting toxicities. The only adverse effects were Grade 1 injection‑site reactions.
Very strong Immunogenicity (secondary endpoint): the immune response for both antibodies and for T cells were very strong even in an advanced Stage IV patient population. The immune responses data conclusively demonstrates the dual mode of action of the ROP technology.
Therapeutic Dose established (secondary endpoint) based on the immune response, the 2mg dose was chosen for Phase 1b with expanded immunisations of up to 11 doses of 2mg being used.
Early observations of clinical efficacy with stable disease in NSCLC and PSA response in prostate cancer.
Professor Shisong Jiang, founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Oxford Vacmedix, said:

We are delighted to be able to confirm these results for this Phase 1 trial of OVM-200 and with this first step toward providing accessible immunotherapy for all patient types. This progress has only been possible through the participation of the patients in the trial and the dedication of the staff in the clinics.

William Finch, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Vacmedix, said:

This completion of the clinical trial of OVM-200 marks an important milestone for the company and shows the potential of the ROP technology. We are very pleased to have reached this significant inflection point and are already in discussion with Series B investors to fund Phase 2 trials for OVM-200.

(Press release, Oxford Vacmedix, APR 22, 2026, View Source;utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=successful-ovm-200-phase-1-trial [SID1234664686])

Outlook Therapeutics Announces $5.0 Million Registered Direct Offering Priced At-the-Market Under Nasdaq Rules

On April 22, 2026 Outlook Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OTLK) ("Outlook Therapeutics" or the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company focused on enhancing the standard of care for bevacizumab for the treatment of retina diseases, reported that it has entered into a definitive agreement for the purchase and sale of an aggregate of 16,129,033 shares of its common stock (or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) at an offering price of $0.31 per share of common stock (or per pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof) in a registered direct offering priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules. Additionally, in a concurrent private placement, the Company will issue unregistered warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 16,129,033 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $0.31 per share. The unregistered warrants will become exercisable on the later of (i) the date of stockholder approval of the issuance of the shares underlying the warrants and (ii) the effective date of an amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation to increase the authorized shares of the Company and will expire five years following the later of (x) the date the unregistered warrants are first exercisable and (y) the effective date of the registration statement registering the resale of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the unregistered warrants. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about April 23, 2026, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as the exclusive placement agent for the offering.

The aggregate gross proceeds to the Company from the offering are expected to be approximately $5.0 million, before deducting the placement agent’s fees and other offering expenses payable by the Company. The potential additional gross proceeds to the Company from the unregistered warrants, if fully exercised on a cash basis, would be approximately $5.0 million. No assurance can be given that any of the unregistered warrants will be exercised for cash. The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily for working capital and general corporate purposes.

The shares of common stock (or the pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof and the pre-funded warrant shares issuable thereunder) (but excluding the unregistered warrants and the shares of common stock issuable thereunder) are being offered and sold by the Company in a registered direct offering pursuant to a "shelf" registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-278340) that was originally filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 28, 2024 and became effective on April 5, 2024. The offering of the shares of common stock (or the pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof and the shares of common stock issuable thereunder) in the registered direct offering is being made only by means of a base prospectus and prospectus supplement that forms a part of the effective registration statement. A final prospectus supplement relating to the registered direct offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Electronic copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus, when available, may also be obtained from H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC at 430 Park Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by phone at (212) 856-5711 or e-mail at [email protected].

The unregistered warrants described above are being offered and sold by the Company in a transaction not involving a public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and/or Regulation D promulgated thereunder and, along with the shares of common stock issuable thereunder, have not been registered under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. Accordingly, the unregistered warrants and the shares of common stock issuable thereunder may not be reoffered or resold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and such applicable state securities laws.

The Company also has agreed to amend certain outstanding warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,142,854 shares of the Company’s common stock that were previously issued to an investor on January 16, 2025, with an exercise price of $2.26 per share, effective upon the closing of the offering, such that the amended warrants will have a reduced exercise price of $0.31 per share, will be exercisable beginning on the effective date of stockholder approval of the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the amended warrants and will expire five years from the effective date of such stockholder approval.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

(Press release, Outlook Therapeutics, APR 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234664685])

Plenary presentation of IPH5201 Phase 2 interim results at AACR 2026

On April 22, 2026 OREGA Biotech reported that interim results from the Phase 2 MATISSE trial evaluating IPH5201, a first-in-class CD39 blocking monoclonal antibody, in combination with durvalumab and platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were presented on April 21st during a plenary session at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2026 by Professor Fabrice Barlesi (Gustave Roussy) and discussed by Professor Tina Cascone (MD Anderson).

Presentation highlights:
Perioperative PD-(L)1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy are now a standard of care in resectable early-stage NSCLC. However, further improvements in pathological complete response (pCR) and survival outcomes are still needed. IPH5201, a humanized anti-CD39 neutralizing antibody, is designed to enhance antitumor immunity by reducing immunosuppressive adenosine and increasing immuno-activating ATP levels, as demonstrated in preclinical models.

In the ongoing Phase 2 MATISSE study:

40 patients with stage II–IIIA NSCLC were treated
The regimen demonstrated a safety profile comparable to preoperative platinium-based chemo+durvalumab
The observed pathological Complete Response (pCR) rates were:
5% in the overall population
7% in patients with PD-L1 ≥1%
50% in patients with PD-L1 ≥50%
These results compare favorably with historical data from the AEGEAN Phase 3 study.

Biomarker analyses confirmed CD39 target engagement and suggested a correlation between CD39+ tumor cell density and treatment response.

These findings support the continuation of the study, including ongoing recruitment of patients with PD-L1 ≥1%.

About IPH5201 antibody
IPH5201 is a first-in-class-humanized CD39 blocking antibody codeveloped by Innate Pharma and AstraZeneca (AZ).

OREGA Biotech entered into an exclusive and worldwide License Agreement with Innate Pharma in 2016. The lead antibody (IPH5201) has been further partnered with AstraZeneca in 2018. AstraZeneca conducted a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation Phase 1 trial in advanced solid tumors (NCT04261075) with IPH5201 alone or in combination with durvalumab (anti PD-L1 antibody).

About NCT05742607 clinical trial
MATISSE is a Phase 2 multicenter single-arm study (NCT05742607) evaluating neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment with IPH5201 in combination with durvalumab (anti-PD-L1, AZ) and chemotherapy in treatment-naïve patients with resectable early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The primary objectives of the study are to assess antitumor activity of neoadjuvant treatment based on pathological complete response (pCR) and safety.

(Press release, OREGA BIOTECH, APR 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234664684])

NETRIS Pharma: Nature publishes positive pancreatic cancer Phase 1b data for NP137 anti-netrin-1 monoclonal antibody

On April 22, 2026 NETRIS Pharma, a clinical-stage oncology company targeting the netrin-1 / epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) axis, reported that positive results from « LAPNET-01 » its phase 1b trial (NCT05546853) of NP137, were published in Nature (DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10436-4) :

The data show that in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with locally advanced PDAC (LAPC), treatment with NP137, the first-in-class anti-netrin1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with modified FOLFIRINOX (mFOLFIRINOX) as a first-line therapy achieved a median progression free survival (PFS) of 10.85 months, median overall survival (OS) of 16.43 months and a 23% conversion-to-surgery rate. In addition, a subset of patients with high tumor netrin-1 receptor neogenin expression showed a median PFS of 15.65 months, a 40% conversion-to-surgery rate and a 12-months OS rate of 100%.

« Achieving this early clinical efficacy in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is very promising for patients who have limited options. The group of neogenin-high patients, where we saw dramatically extended PFS and OS is unprecedented and opens a path for personalized and potentially more effective treatments of this group of pancreatic cancer patients » said Gael Roth, MD, PhD, Professor in GI Oncology at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, LAPNET-01 lead investigator and first author of the paper in Nature. « The LAPNET-01 data amply justify further development in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma ».

Patrick Mehlen, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of NETRIS Pharma, said :

While this is only a Phase 1b trial, we are thrilled to observe the strong PFS and OS being achieved in the neogenin-high PDAC patients in LAPNET-01; we are eager to confirm these results in a larger study. This marks the third Nature publication outlining the compelling scientific and mechanistic rationale for our anti-netrin1 strategy. LAPNET-01 data strongly support the clinically meaningful potential of targeting the netrin-1 / EMT axis to overcome the development of treatment resistance by PDAC, especially in neogenin-high patients. These exciting positive data will accelerate further development of NP137, the first-in-class anti-netrin1 monoclonal antibody. We are engaging with US and EU regulatory authorities as we design the development pathway for NP137 to treat PDAC and other solid tumors.

The next steps for NETRIS include initiation of a randomized, potentially registrational, phase 2 trial of NP137 in first-line metastatic PDAC, incorporating a neogenin IHC assay to help validate this test as a potential companion diagnostic. The development of NP137 is advancing in several other oncology indications including HCC and HNSCC.

About LAPNET-01
LAPNET-01 (NCT05546853) was a multicenter, open-label, phase 1b study promoted by Grenoble Alpes University Hospital and conducted across nine centers in France. Between March 2023 and June 2024, 43 patients with LAPC were enrolled to receive 14 mg/kg of NP137 administered every two weeks in combination with mFOLFIRINOX, for up to 12 cycles. The study population was representative of LAPC. At baseline, all patients were considered unresectable, including 2 with metastatic disease.

The LAPNET-01 trial was designed around the specific hypothesis that mFOLFIRINOX drives EMT-mediated resistance in LAPC and that concurrent netrin1 blockade with NP137 could mitigate this effect, thereby augmenting the depth and durability of response to chemotherapy.

Response and Disease Control
Among 41 evaluable patients assessed by RECIST 1.1, 12 achieved a confirmed partial response (ORR 29%; 95% CI 0.16–0.46), with a median duration of response of 9.02 months (95% CI 5.84–NR). 88% of patients experienced tumor shrinking.

Progression-Free and Overall Survival
Median PFS was 10.85 months at a median follow-up of 13.1 months (95% CI 10.03–15.61), with 6-month and 12-month PFS rates of 88% and 45%, respectively. Notably, patients with high tumor neogenin expression treated with mFOLFIRINOX+NP137 achieved a markedly superior median PFS of 15.65 months versus 10.22 months in the neogenin-low group (p=0.003).

Median OS was 16.43 months (95% CI 12.75–NR), with 6-month and 12-month OS rates of 91% and 62%, and 21 patients still alive at the data cut-off. Median OS was not yet reached in the neogenin-high group with a 12-months OS rate of 100% at the time of data cut-off.

These outcomes compare favorably to benchmark data from the NEOPAN trial, which reported median PFS of approximately 9.7 months and median OS of approximately 15.7 months with FOLFIRINOX alone in LAPC.

Conversion to Surgery
Ten of 43 intention-to-treat patients (23%) and four of 10 (40%) of neogenin-high patients underwent post-therapy R0 resection — a rate that is substantially higher than benchmark conversion rates from prospective LAPC trials.

Neogenin, Candidate Companion Diagnostic

Pre-planned exploratory analyses examined components of the netrin1 signaling pathway for associations with outcomes in LAPNET-01. NEO1, encoding neogenin — a netrin1 receptor previously shown to mediate the netrin1-driven epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and tumor progression in pancreatic cancer preclinical models — emerged as the most strongly correlated gene with improved efficacy outcomes in the non-refractory patient subset (n=21) with available transcriptomic data.

Clinical Safety

Safety was assessed in all 43 patients who received at least one dose of NP137 plus mFOLFIRINOX. While 100% of patients experienced at least one adverse event (AE) with a grade 3 and above adverse event rate of 37%, this profile was comparable to what is anticipated with the chemotherapy backbone alone.

Full details of the LAPNET-01 data are available in the Nature paper :

The aggregated body of evidence — spanning two prior Nature publications (Cassier et al. and Lengrand et al., see links below), the NETRIS AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2026 posters (Poster #2445, #7489 and #0822, presented this week, on April 20), and today’s Nature 2026 manuscript — supports a coherent mechanistic hypothesis : netrin1, re-expressed by cancer cells as a survival mechanism, is a master upstream regulator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a central mechanism for the development of acquired resistance in many tumor types.

The absence of a pharmacological EMT inhibitor in the approved oncology arsenal — a gap explicitly noted by the Nature editors in the clinical briefing accompanying the 2023 publications — positions NP137 as a potential first-in-class agent addressing a mechanism of resistance that is orthogonal to debulking agents such as checkpoint inhibition, KRAS targeting, and antibody-drug conjugate strategies.

About LAPC
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies, ranking as the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death globally, with a five-year survival rate below 5%. LAPC — a subset representing roughly 30% of PDAC cases at diagnosis — occupies a particularly difficult clinical niche because tumors at this stage are predominantly unresectable, yet lack distant metastases, rendering patients ineligible for both metastatic and curative-intent surgical protocols.

The current standard of care, FOLFIRINOX or gemcitabine-based combinations, yields a median PFS of 6–10 months and a median OS of approximately 12–17 months in LAPC (LAP-07, NEOPAN trials). Conversion-to-surgery rates under these regimens are low: prospective data from the NEOPAN and CONKO-007 trials report R0 resection rates of 6% and 18%, respectively, while PANOVA-3 reported 10.8% under gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel.

(Press release, Netris Pharma, APR 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234664683])

Labcorp Launches FDA-Approved Companion Diagnostic to Identify Patients with Ovarian Cancer Eligible for KEYTRUDA®

On April 22, 2026 Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a global leader of innovative and comprehensive laboratory services, reported the nationwide availability of Agilent Technologies’ PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx, the only companion diagnostic approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to identify patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer who may be eligible for Merck’s KEYTRUDA.i KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) and KEYTRUDA QLEX (pembrolizumab and berahyaluronidase alfa-pmph) are the first FDA-approved PD-1 inhibitors available as part of a complete treatment regimen for eligible patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer.ii

Helping Patients Access Critical New Treatment Options
Approximately 80% of individuals with ovarian cancer experience recurrence after initial therapy, and many develop resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy, leading to limited treatment options and poor survival outcomes. The approval of KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX in this setting introduces meaningful new treatment options that have been found to reduce the risk of disease progression and improve overall survival.iii Labcorp’s nationwide availability of PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx enables clinicians to quickly identify patients who may benefit from these newly approved treatments.

"Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer is incurable, and current treatment options offer limited and short-lived benefits for patients—making it one of the most challenging forms of the disease to treat," said Dr. Marcia Eisenberg, Ph.D., chief scientific officer at Labcorp. "By making this companion diagnostic available nationwide, Labcorp is helping clinicians rapidly identify eligible patients and connecting them with a therapy that offers new hope."

Supporting Early Access Following FDA Approvals
Following the FDA’s February approval of KEYTRUDA and KEYTRUDA QLEX alongside PD-L1 IHC 22C3 pharmDx,ii Labcorp participated in Agilent Technologies’ Early Validation Program to help support rapid testing availability. Through standardized training and readiness activities, Labcorp was prepared to expand nationwide access quickly following approval.

(Press release, LabCorp, APR 22, 2026, View Source [SID1234664682])