On April 29, 2025 Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company, reported data today from a study showing that its methylation-based Shield multi-cancer detection (MCD) test demonstrated high specificity and clinically meaningful sensitivity across ten tumor types,* while also providing information to guide clinical diagnostic evaluation (Press release, Guardant Health, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652335]). The study was presented at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) annual meeting. Results of the study served as the basis for the selection of the blood-based Shield MCD test by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for inclusion in its upcoming Vanguard Study evaluating emerging MCD technology.

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Data presented in the oral session titled "Evaluation of a plasma cell-free DNA methylation-based multi-cancer detection test" showed that the Shield MCD test demonstrated 98.5% specificity and 60% overall sensitivity, with 74% sensitivity across the six most aggressive cancers (defined as those with the shortest survival rates), including esophageal-gastric, hepatocellular, lung, ovarian and pancreas. The test also demonstrated 89% accuracy for primary or secondary cancer signal of origin (CSO) prediction.

"There are still many types of cancer that are difficult to detect with existing technologies until the late stages. This strong data reinforces the potential of the Shield test to detect multiple cancers earlier through a simple blood draw," said AmirAli Talasaz, Guardant Health co-founder and co-CEO. "This study was a critical step in evaluating this innovative technology as a new screening option we can bring to patients to help reduce cancer deaths."

The blinded case-control study evaluated samples from 778 individuals with either a known diagnosis of cancer or who were cancer free (by self-report). Age range of participants was 40-78 years (median age 62); 55% were female and 79% were white. Across the ten cancer types, overall sensitivity per type ranged from 96% (esophageal-gastric (stomach)) to 21% (prostate) at 98.5% specificity (Table 1).

Table 1: Overall and per cancer Sensitivity and CSO Accuracy Results at 98.5% Specificity (n=403)

Sensitivity, %

Primary or Secondary CSO
Accuracy, %

Overall, 375

60%

89%

Bladder, 13

62%

75%

Breast, 86

45%

92%

Colorectal, 41

83%

94%

Esophageal-Gastric (Stomach) 25

96%

92%

Hepatocellular, 16

94%

73%

Lung, 57

67%

97%

Ovarian, 20

70%

93%

Pancreas, 59

68%

80%

Prostate, 59

21%

83%

"Impressively, this initial cohort analysis of the Shield MCD test met overall performance expectations, with particularly strong sensitivity in the six most aggressive cancers for which early detection is key," said William Greenleaf, Ph.D., study co-author, consultant for Guardant Health and professor of genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine. "These results show this blood-based MCD test holds promise for detection of multiple cancer types, and thus for detection in asymptomatic adults when treatment is more effective."

The full data abstract and a list of all abstracts being presented at the meeting can be found on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) website. For more information on the NCI Vanguard Study, please visit the study website.

On April 29, 2025 D3 Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering precision oncology therapies, reported the simultaneous publication of landmark clinical data on its lead investigational drug D3S-001 in Nature Medicine and oral presentation of updated results at the 2025 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Press release, D3 Bio, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652334]). These data affirm D3S-001’s differentiated mechanism of action, favorable safety profile and compelling efficacy in patients with KRAS G12C mutation–addicted cancers, including patients previously treated with first-generation KRAS G12C inhibitors.

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Promising Efficacy in G12Ci-Naïve and Resistant Patients

In a Phase 1a/1b clinical study (NCT05410145), D3S-001 demonstrated an overall objective response rate (ORR) of 73.5% in KRAS G12C inhibitor-naïve patients across multiple tumor types, including:

66.7% in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)
88.9% in colorectal cancer (CRC)
75.0% in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC)
Additionally, in 20 patients with NSCLC who had previously been treated with and progressed on first-generation G12C inhibitors, including sotorasib and adagrasib, D3S-001 achieved a 30.0% overall response rate (ORR) and 80.0% disease control rate (DCR), providing direct clinical evidence of its ability to overcome acquired resistance to first-generation G12Ci therapies.

"These findings demonstrate that D3S-001 fulfills the defining qualities of a next-generation KRAS G12C inhibitor: fast and complete target engagement, favorable safety, consistent and promising efficacy across all tumor types, brain penetration, and ability to overcome first-generation resistance," said Byoung Chul Cho, MD, PhD, lead and co-supervisory author and Professor and Head of Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University College of Medicine. "We believe it is a truly new-generation KRAS G12C inhibitor with the potential to overcome the limitations of the first-generation inhibitors and become a cornerstone therapy for KRAS G12C-driven cancers."

AACR 2025 Data Highlights the Activity of D3S-001 in Overcoming Resistance in Patients with NSCLC Who Have Progressed on First-Generation G12C Inhibitors

At AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2025, D3 Bio shared updated results from a Phase 2 expansion cohort of NSCLC patients who had previously been treated with FDA-approved or other experimental G12C inhibitors. The compound demonstrates encouraging clinical benefits in this patient population. The data include:

60% of patients experienced tumor shrinkage
30% achieved partial responses
80% disease control rate
11 of 14 ctDNA-positive patients achieved >90% G12C MAF reduction, with 6 achieving partial response (a 43% response rate in the ctDNA-positive population)
Responses were observed in patients with KRAS G12C amplification, a known resistance mechanism to first-generation inhibitors, consistent with previous preclinical observations
The results support D3S-001’s unique ability to overcome molecular resistance in a population with urgent unmet medical needs.

"The clinical data, published at Nature Medicine and presented at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper), validates D3S-001 as a promising treatment for patients with KRAS G12C–driven tumors, both naïve and refractory, to first-generation inhibitors," said Tony Mok, MD, co-supervisory author of the Nature Medicine paper, Professor of Clinical Oncology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a global thought leader in targeted therapy for lung cancer. "Its potential to induce compelling responses in these challenging cases offers hope for a patient population with limited treatment options."

"At D3 Bio, we believe that solid science, combined with strong collaboration with global thought leaders, is the foundation for driving the field forward," said George Chen, MD, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of D3 Bio. "Our Cancer Discovery paper reported the new mechanism and properties of D3S-001 in preclinical settings, and now we are excited to witness the nearly seamless translation of these important features into the clinic. The continued clinical advancement of D3S-001 reflects not only the innovation behind its design, but also the strength of these collaborations to bring meaningful therapies to patients worldwide."

About D3S-001

D3S-001 is a next-generation KRAS G12C inhibitor designed to achieve rapid and complete KRAS G12C target engagement. In preclinical investigations, D3S-001 has demonstrated high covalent potency, complete engagement of KRAS G12C at clinically relevant doses and CNS penetration properties. D3S-001 is currently in a Phase II global clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring KRAS G12C mutations, including NSCLC, CRC, and other tumor types. Key publications:

D3S-001, a KRAS G12C Inhibitor with Rapid Target Engagement Kinetics, Overcomes Nucleotide Cycling, and Demonstrates Robust Preclinical and Clinical Activities. Cancer Discov (2024) 14 (9): 1675–1698.
D3S-001 in advanced solid tumors with KRAS G12C mutations. Nature Medicine (View Source)

On April 29, 2025 Marengo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel approaches for precision immunotherapy, reported new clinical and translational data from the ongoing STARt-001 Phase 1/2 trial of invikafusp alfa (STAR0602), presented as a clinical plenary oral session at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2025 (Press release, Marengo Therapeutics, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652333]).

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The presentation highlights strong evidence of meaningful clinical activity, robust immune activation in vivo, and a well-characterized safety profile, further supporting the momentum behind the ongoing Phase 2 study as well as the value proposition for developing invikafusp as monotherapy in PD1 resistant TMB-H cancers.

"Today’s data represent a major step forward for Marengo and for the field of IO to advance a new class of cancer immunotherapy: Immune Activation Inducers (IAI)," said Zhen Su, M.D., M.B.A., Chief Executive Officer of Marengo Therapeutics. "Invikafusp alfa’s ability to selectively activate and expand a key T cell subset to drive meaningful anti-tumor responses across a range of PD-1 resistant tumors gives us confidence in our precision T cell activation approach. The emerging clinical signals in both colorectal and lung cancers further underscore invikafusp’s pan-tumor potential and justify our focused expansion into these high-need indications."

"Colorectal cancer is less sensitive to immunotherapy except in a very small percentage of MSI-H tumors. The field has seen few, if any, immunotherapy agents achieve single-agent activity in PD-1 resistant colorectal cancer," said Josep Tabernero, M.D., Director of Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO). "The clinical signals observed with invikafusp alfa in both CRC and other tumor types are highly encouraging and warrant further clinical investigation to fully realize the clinical potential of this novel T cell agonist approach."

Invikafusp alfa is Marengo’s first-in-class dual T cell agonist, designed with a bi-specific antibody format to selectively engage and activate the Vβ6 and Vβ10 subsets of T cells in vivo, promoting durable anti-tumor immunity.

Updated Findings from the STARt-001 Clinical Plenary Presentation:

Clinically meaningful anti-tumor activity as monotherapy in anti-PD(L)1-resistant tumors at the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) of 0.08 mg/kg:
61% disease control rate in heavily pretreated, PD-1 resistant tumors dosed at 0.08 or 0.12 mg/kg
52% tumor regression rate observed across multiple tumor types, including colorectal cancer (CRC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), cervical, squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), and melanoma
Objective responses in colorectal cancer and NSCLC:
3 responders out of 10 TMB-high metastatic CRC patients (across RAS wild-type, RAS mutant, and MSI-H subtypes)
1 additional responder with 73% tumor regression out of 2 anti-PD(L)1-resistant TMB-high NSCLC patients
Mechanism of Action and Translational Insights:
Invikafusp promoted potent, selective expansion of peripheral CD8+ Vβ6/Vβ10 T cells, which acquired a novel "memory-like effector" phenotype in both blood and tumor tissue
Expanded and activated Vβ T cells in post treatment tumor tissues consistent with enhanced anti-tumor function
Safety Profile:
Consistent with a selective T cell activation mechanism
Adverse events were generally transient and manageable with supportive care
Based on these early clinical and preclinical findings, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Fast Track Designation to invikafusp alfa for the treatment of patients with TMB-high colorectal cancer.

The Phase 2 portion of the STARt-002 trial is actively enrolling patients across multiple tumor types, including TMB-H metastatic colorectal cancer, MSI-H and TMB-H tissue-agnostic solid tumors.

On April 29, 2025 NEUVOGEN, Inc. ("NEUVOGEN THERAPEUTICS" or "NEUVOGEN"), a San Diego based biotechnology company, reported that it will present data that its next generation whole tumor cell vaccine (NGEN-143) activates T cells that recognize a diverse antigen repertoire (Press release, NEUVOGEN, APR 29, 2025, View Source [SID1234652332]).

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"These findings support that NGEN-143 can deliver an unprecedented breadth of targets and activate cytotoxic T cells, as compared to other currently available cancer vaccines, making NGEN-143 a better potential option for patients" said Todd Binder, Chief Executive Officer of NEUVOGEN. "Our dedicated team is eager to bring this new cancer vaccine forward to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)."

Key Findings:

In a fully human in vitro system, NGEN-143 expands effector T cells against a broad repertoire of both tumor-associated antigens and common shared neo-antigens across a wide range of HLA types.

NGEN-143 activates polyfunctional, cytotoxic T cells; the response is dominated by CD8+ cells without any evidence of antigenic competition. CD4+ T cell responses are skewed toward CD4+ Th1 cells over CD4+ Th2 cells.

NGEN-143 activated T cells efficiently kill human tumor cells in a caspase-3 dependent manner.

In the ‘immune warm’ CT26 mouse tumor model, vaccine abrogates or slows tumor growth – durable protection against rechallenge supports efficient induction of immune memory; vaccine + αPD1 improved survival over αPD1 monotherapy.

In the ‘immune cold’ B16F10 mouse tumor model, our vaccine approach inhibits tumor growth and prolongs survival; vaccine + αPD1 improved survival.
Bernadette Ferraro, Ph.D., NEUVOGEN’s Vice President, Immuno-oncology, is scheduled to present "An optimized off-the-shelf whole tumor cell vaccine activates T cells that recognize a diverse antigen repertoire with potential to provide meaningful clinical benefit to patients with NSCLC," at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) on Tuesday, April 29 from 2:00 – 5:00 PM CT. A copy of the poster will be made available for download at neuvogen.com/our-science after the meeting concludes.

On April 29, 2025 Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of oncology, autoimmune, metabolic, ophthalmology and other major diseases, reported completion of the first patient dosing for IBI3020, its first-in-class dual-payload CEACAM5 ADC, in Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors (Press release, Innovent Biologics, APR 29, 2025, View Source;in-patients-with-advanced-malignancies-302441146.html [SID1234652331]). IBI3020 is the first dual-payload ADC developed from Innovent’s proprietary DuetTx dual-payload ADC platform and the first dual-payload ADC globally known in the same class to complete the first-in-human dosing.

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The study is an open-label, multi-regional Phase 1 study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of IBI3020 in participants with advanced solid tumors, as well as determining the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D). The study has received IND approval in the U.S. recently and will be conducted in both China and the U.S.

As a global first-in-class ADC candidate, IBI3020 is generated from Innovent’s proprietary DuetTx dual-payload ADC platform. The internationalization of the CEACAM5-dependent ADC occurs after IBI3020 selectively binds to CEACAM5-expressing tumor cells, followed by lysosomal degradation. This process releases two types of cytotoxic payloads, leading to cell killing of tumor cells.

In preclinical studies, IBI3020 has demonstrated robust antitumor activity across various tumor-bearing pharmacology models, with a notable bystander killing effect. Additionally, IBI3020 has shown favorable safety characteristics in preclinical models, with an overall manageable safety profile.

Professor Yu Jinming, Shandong Cancer Hospital, stated:" Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), also known as CEACAM5, is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored cell-surface glycoprotein involved in cell adhesion, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells. There is a significant clinical need for effective therapies in advanced colorectal cancer, non-squamous lung cancer, gastric cancer, pancreatic cancer, and others. CEACAM5 is overexpressed in these solid tumors but shows limited expression in healthy tissues, making it a potentially safe and promising therapeutic target. The dual payload of IBI3020 consists of two types of payloads that have been clinically validated. This dual-payload design has demonstrated enhanced tumor-killing effects in preclinical studies. We look forward to observing the clinical profiles and potential breakthrough of IBI3020 in terms of safety, tolerability, and efficacy in clinical trials."

Dr. Hui Zhou, Senior Vice President of Innovent, stated: "We are pleased to announce the successful dosing of the first patient dose with IBI3020. We will continue to advance the global development of IBI3020, aiming to offer better treatment options for patients with advanced solid tumors. Innovent possesses innovative ADC technology platforms with independent intellectual property rights. Multiple ADC molecules have clinically validated their differentiated competitiveness. IBI3020, Innovent’s first dual-payload ADC, has successfully entered clinical trials and is the first dual-payload ADC globally known in the same class to complete the first-in-human dosing, marking a breakthrough in Innovent’s ADC technology. We will continue our "IO+ADC" strategy, focusing on next-generation innovations with global potential to benefit cancer patients worldwide."

About IBI3020

IBI3020 is a global first-in-class ADC candidate developed from Innovent’s proprietary DuetTx dual-payload ADC platform. The CEACAM5 dependent ADC internalization occurs after IBI3020 selectively binds to the CEACAM5-expressing tumor cells, followed by the lysosomal degradation. This process releases two types of cytotoxic payloads, leading to tumor cell killing.

The multi-regional Phase 1 study of IBI3020, initiated in China, assesses the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of IBI3020 in patients with advanced solid tumors and aims to determine the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D). The study has also received IND approval in the U.S. recently and will be conducted in China and the U.S.