On October 2, 2017 Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) reported that it will announce its financial results for the third quarter of 2017 on Tuesday, October 24, 2017 (Press release, Eli Lilly, OCT 2, 2017, View Source [SID1234520899]). Lilly will also conduct a conference call on that day with the investment community and media to further detail the company’s financial performance.

The conference call will begin at 9 a.m. Eastern time. Investors, media and the general public can access a live webcast of the conference call through a link that will be posted on Lilly’s website at View Source A replay will also be available on the website following the conference call.

On october 2, 2017 Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ: CELG) reported that it will host a conference call and live audio webcast on Thursday, October 26, 2017 at 9 a.m. ET to discuss third quarter 2017 financial and operational results (Press release, Celgene, OCT 2, 2017, View Source [SID1234520900]). The webcast can be accessed from the Investor Relations page at www.celgene.com.

Celgene will also host a webcast of an investor event at the MSParis2017-7th Joint European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) – American Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Meeting on Saturday, October 28 at 6:00 p.m. CEST (12:00 p.m. ET). Members of Celgene’s management team and clinical investigators will discuss the data presentations at the ECTRIMS Meeting. The event will be webcast live and will be available in the Investor Relations section of the Company’s web site at www.celgene.com.

On October 2, 2017 Transgene (Paris:TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops viral-based immunotherapies, and Randox, a global leader in in vitro diagnostics, have entered into a collaboration to combine their technologies and develop multifunctional oncolytic immunotherapies (Press release, Transgene, OCT 2, 2017, View Source [SID1234520750]). Innovative oncolytic viruses (OVs) resulting from this collaboration will use Transgene’s proprietary next generation viral platform Invir.IOTM in which one or more of Randox’s SdAbs (single-domain antibodies) will be vectorized. The immunotherapies resulting from this collaboration will combine the oncolytic effect of the viruses with the properties of the vectorized SdAbs that will be locally expressed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) with the aim of treating immunosuppressed solid tumors.

Under the terms of the agreement, Transgene will develop novel anticancer oncolytic virus drugs using its proprietary Vaccinia virus (TK-, RR-) strain, and its expertise in molecular engineering and translational research. This novel viral strain offers increased oncolytic properties. In addition, its large genome capacity, which is very differentiating, enables multiple therapeutic payloads (“anticancer weapons”) to be delivered in the tumor, where the virus replicates. Randox will provide expertise in antibody engineering and make available its collection of new and future immunotherapeutic SdAbs to be used as vectorized payloads. These SdAbs have the potential to modulate the patient’s immune response and produce a powerful synergistic effect with Transgene’s oncolytic viral platform.

Transgene’s Invir.IOTM technology is an efficient way to target immunosuppressive pathways directly in the tumor microenvironment. By locally expressing one or several SdAbs in the TME, the viral-based approach promises to optimize the efficacy of the encoded therapeutic agents, while reducing their associated side effects, often reported after systemic administration.

Novel OV products generated from the collaboration have the potential to be significantly more effective than a combination of single agents. Transgene previously reported a preclinical proof-of-concept data showing that an oncolytic Vaccinia virus encoding a sequence of anti-PD1 demonstrated better overall survival than the combination of separate single agents.

Eric Quéméneur, PhD, Executive VP and VP Research & Development of Transgene, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Randox. Its library of SdAbs against major targets in immuno-oncology provides an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the high potential of our Invir.IO platform. We look forward to working with Randox and to generating novel product candidates which combine the merits of oncolytic virotherapy and local delivery of therapeutic payloads. We believe such targeted expression of therapeutic agents, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, will better potentiate the tumor microenvironment and paves the way for the development of a broad range of innovative cancer treatments.”

Commenting on the agreement, Dr. Peter FitzGerald, Managing Director and Founder of Randox Laboratories, said: “This collaboration will enable ground-breaking innovation and research to be carried out in a critical area of human health. The work we will be doing in the field of cancer treatment has the potential for enormous benefit for patients, by delivering more effective treatments. We are looking forward to working with Transgene to generate oncolytic viruses that will be able to express multiple functions directly into the tumor, enhancing their efficacy. This partnership will allow us to better leverage our SdAb capabilities and immuno-oncology expertise, and add to our strategic collaborations across the world.”

On October 02, 2017 Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBPH), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of viral infections, inflammatory diseases and certain cancers, reported that it will present a poster (#A25) at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. today, October 2, 2017, entitled “Pharmacodynamic and preclinical studies of SB 11285, a highly potent, and systemically bioavailable STING agonist as a novel immunotherapeutic agent,” at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, taking place in Boston, MA, October 1-4, 2017 (Press release, Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals, OCT 2, 2017, View Source [SID1234520749]). The data shows that Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals’ next-generation, proprietary STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) agonist compound, SB 11285, has highly potent anti-tumor activity along with a durable anti-tumor response when administered by multiple routes in several tumor models.

“Data from multiple tumor models in preclinical studies of SB 11285 demonstrated durable antitumor activity and support continued development of SB 11285, either alone or in combination with other agents, with different routes of administration,” said Radhakrishnan (Kris) Iyer, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals. “We are conducting additional preclinical and IND-enabling studies to support the initiation of the SB 11285 clinical program in mid-2018.”

SB 11285 was evaluated in several syngeneic mouse models, including A20 lymphoma, CT26 colon carcinoma, B16 melanoma, and orthotopic 4T1 breast cancer models, for tumor growth inhibition (TGI) and tumor growth delay (TGD). SB 11285 was administered by intravenous (i.v.), intraperitoneal (i.p.), and intra-tumoral (i.t.) routes. The results are summarized here:

A20 Lymphoma Model: When SB 11285 was administered by i.t. route, 9 out of 10 animals achieved complete regression with 86% tumor growth inhibition (TGI) and 73% tumor growth delay (TGD). Furthermore, all tumor-free survivors rejected the tumors when re-challenged with A20 cells indicating the induction of immune memory.
CT26 Colon Carcinoma Model: Dose-ranging studies of SB 11285 were performed using i.t. doses (10 to 100µg on days 1,2,4,6,8), i.p. (1 to 9 mg/kg) and i.v. (1 to 9mg/kg, days 1,3,5,8). Highly durable anti-tumoral responses were seen in the CT26 models with i.t. (94% TGI & 207% TGD), i.p. (62% TGI & 49% TGD), and i.v. (80% TGI & 85% TGD). SB 11285 administered i.t. also showed a significant abscopal effect (a shrinkage of tumors beyond the scope of the localized treatment) in this model.

B16 Melanoma Model: Administration of SB 11285 resulted in 77% and 56% reductions in mean tumor volumes, when administered i.v. and i.p., respectively, by day 11 post-treatment.

4T1 Breast Cancer Model: SB 11285 administered i.p. resulted in 78% reduction in primary tumor volume and showed potent inhibition of tumor metastasis.

The anti-tumor activity observed in these models correlated with anti-tumoral immune response. Immuno-histochemistry combined with flow cytometric analysis of tissues and blood from SB 11285-treated groups revealed the presence of activated immune cells, including CD8+ T cells, natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages critical for anti-tumor effects.

About the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy

The AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy is focusing on recent advances in understanding the range of immune responses towards cancer and how these can be modified and harnessed for prevention and therapeutics. The conference features the world’s premier oncologists who will present their latest research on current immunotherapies, engineered cells, checkpoints, and combinations. In addition, highly acclaimed basic researchers and immunologists will present data that bridge the gap between the cutting-edge advances that are under way in the lab, such as single-cell analysis, neoantigens, systems and synthetic biology, and their application to clinical practice.

On October 2, 2017 Sophiris Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: SPHS) (the “Company” or “Sophiris”) today provided an update on clinical trial enrollment of its Phase 2b study of topsalysin as a treatment for men with clinically significant localized prostate cancer (Press release, Sophiris Bio, OCT 2, 2017, View Source [SID1234520748]). Patient enrollment is near completion, and the remaining patients are being scheduled to receive treatment within the next few weeks. Sophiris expects the study will be fully enrolled by the end of October. The Company expects biopsy data from all patients dosed with the first administration of topsalysin to be available late in the first quarter of 2018.

“Interest in this study has been strong, and the remaining patients are being scheduled for treatment in the next few weeks,” said Randall E. Woods, president and CEO of Sophiris. “We look forward to completing enrollment, and, assuming enrollment is completed as expected, initial biopsy results will be available toward the end of the first quarter of 2018.”