1stOncology™: Cancer Intelligence Service – Page 18368 – 1stOncology is recognized as a Top 10 Global Pharma Analytic Provider

On December 4, 2014 Parabon NanoLabs reported that it has received a joint grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a project with Janssen Research & Development, LLC, part of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Press release , DEC 4, 2012, View Source [SID:1234501617]). The funds will support development and testing of a novel therapeutic for prostate cancer – the most common cause of death from cancer in men over age 75. The compound under investigation, PJ-01, will be produced using Parabon’s Essemblix Drug Development Platform, a powerful combination of computer-aided design (CAD) software for designing macromolecules and nanoscale fabrication technology for their production.

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!

With input from Janssen scientists, the Parabon research team has designed PJ-01 to deliver an FDA approved chemotherapy drug, docetaxel, specifically to prostate tumor cells. Targeting cancerous tissue and avoiding healthy tissue can enable lower doses of the chemotherapy drug to be used, which in turn is expected to reduce unwanted side effects. In addition, the compound is outfitted with molecules to make prostate cancer cells more responsive to the treatment, with the goals of improving efficacy and reducing side effects. The effort will add to Parabon’s oncology drug pipeline, which includes compounds for treating glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer.

The NSF grant program that funds the work, called Technology Enhancement for Commercial Partnerships (TECP), is a supplemental funding opportunity available only to companies, such as Parabon, that have received a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from NSF. It is intended to foster co-development relationships between SBIR awardees and strategic corporate partners.

"The NSF TECP program not only funds groundbreaking research," said Dr. Steven Armentrout, President and CEO of Parabon NanoLabs, "it also enables small business innovators to establish valuable industry relationships. With intellectual partnership from Janssen’s creative scientists, we are confident this project will further validate our Essemblix platform."

The project allows Janssen scientists to test Essemblix compounds in a rigorous and cost controlled manner. Dr. Edward Lawson, a principal scientist at Janssen and lead advisor on the project, said, "We are excited about our collaboration with Parabon and the potential of this new technology to enable us to bring innovative treatments to patients faster."

Eporgen’s Portfolio Company Genovax Sells GX301, its Clinical-Stage Therapeutic Vaccine for the Treatment of Various Types of Cancer, to Mediolanum Farmaceutici

On December 3, 2012 Mediolanum Farmaceutici SpA, a privately owned company that leads the Mediolanum Farmaceutici Group of companies, and Genovax srl, a private company which belongs to the portfolio of Eporgen Venture and was originated from the University of Genoa, reported the acquisition by Mediolanum of the global rights to GX301, Genovax’s therapeutic vaccine to treat various types of cancer (Press release, Mediolanum Farmaceutici, DEC 3, 2012, View Source [SID:1234514894]). The first clinical study with GX301 was successfully completed earlier this year in prostate and renal cancer patients. Further clinical studies are scheduled to be initiated in the next few months, and all future development and commercialization activities will be the responsibility of Mediolanum with the support of Genovax. Under the agreement, Genovax will receive upfront and milestone payments as well as royalties.

The acquisition of Genovax’s innovative therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of various type of cancer is part of a strategy that we initiated since the late ’90s and is a testament to our commitment to Research and Development", said Dr Rinaldo Del Bono, founder and President of Mediolanum Farmaceutici. "The acquisition of GX301 expands the interests of Mediolanum to a new therapeutic area (oncology). We look forward to advancing the development of the product through to its worldwide registration and make it available to cancer patients as soon as possible" added Dr Del Bono.

Dr Domenico Criscuolo, President of Genovax commented: "The agreement with Mediolanum is a remarkable achievement, which confirms the vision of all researchers who trusted in the therapeutic potential of GX301. In only four years Genovax’s team was able to consolidate with clinical results the original idea and to attract the interest of Mediolanum, which will lead the further development work. My personal thanks to all Genovax team members, for their dedication and support to GX301 project, and a special acknowledgement to the memory of Silvano Fumero, who shared my enthusiasm for this project, and was instrumental for the foundation of Genovax."

Genovax was founded in March 2008 in Ivrea by Prof. Francesco Indiveri, Prof. Gilberto Filaci, Dr Daniela Fenoglio, Dr Giuseppe Balbi and Dr Domenico Criscuolo, with the financial support of Eporgen Venture. The science behind Genovax’s technology was originated at the Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research (CEBR), which is based at the University of Genoa. Konstantinos Efthymiopoulos, President of Eporgen Venture said: "We are delighted by this event which is the first major transaction of a company in our portfolio. It validates the vision of Eporgen’s founder, the late Dr Silvano Fumero, and vindicates the 70 private shareholders of Eporgen who also believed in it and are nurturing innovation, Italian science and scientists and hope that new therapies will eventually emerge through their financial support. We would like to congratulate the Genovax team for bringing GX301 thus far and to wish every success in the further development of the product, hoping that it will become a life saving therapy for cancer patients."

Further notes for Editors:

About GX301

GX301 is a telomerase-based vaccine against cancer, which completed in February 2012 the first phase I study in prostate and renal cancer patients with very promising results. The study was conducted in Italy and showed that GX301 was very well tolerated and that induced vaccine-specific immune response in all patients. Disease stabilisation was observed in about one third of the patients and overall survival was longer than expected. GX301 is composed by multiple peptides and adjuvants and is designed to induce potent immune responses that are specific for cancer cells through the activation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. It is envisaged that GX301 may be useful also in other types of cancer and this will be explored in future clinical studies.

(Filing, 20-F, Theratechnologies, NOV 30, 2012, View Source [SID:1234504820])

Cancer Research Technology (CRT) to lease new chemistry facilities at the Babraham Research Campus

On November 29, 2012 Babraham Bioscience Technologies has reported that Cancer Research Technology Limited (CRT), the cancer-focused technology development and commercialisation arm of Cancer Research UK – the world’s largest cancer charity, has taken a lease in the new chemistry building currently under construction at the Babraham Research Campus (Press release, Cancer Research Technology, NOV 29, 2012, View Source [SID1234523266]). The building is due for completion in April 2013 and will house part of CRT’s Discovery Laboratories, its early-stage drug discovery operation.

The Babraham Research Campus has established itself as a hub of bioscience innovation at the heart of the Cambridge cluster and is already home to 36 innovative biomedical companies. This new research facility has been funded through the £44M capital development project awarded to the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), which was announced by the Chancellor in 2011.

The building offers around 16,000 sq ft of lettable space, which will include 24 fume hoods, open plan bench space, offices and meeting rooms. CRT has taken a lease on half of the building, which will accommodate up to 30 of their researchers working in the area of cancer therapeutics (both bioscience and chemistry).

This is the second building financed through this capital project funding, the first being Babraham’s most recent Bioincubator Building, Moneta, which opened in April 2012. To date there are five Bioincubator Buildings at the campus, underscoring Babraham’s continuing commitment to nurturing early-stage enterprises and supporting biomedical innovation in the region. The Babraham Research Campus is strategically supported by the BBSRC.

Withdrawal of the marketing authorisation application for Jenzyl (ridaforolimus)

On 27 November 2012, Merck Sharp & Dohme Limited officially notified the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) that it wishes to withdraw its application for a marketing authorisation for Jenzyl, for the maintenance treatment of patients with metastatic soft tissue sarcoma or bone sarcoma previously treated with chemotherapy (Press release, European Medicines Agency, NOV 27, 2012, View Source [SID1234556277]).