Avenzo Therapeutics Initiates Phase 1/2 Clinical Study of AVZO-1418, a Potential Best-in-Class, Novel EGFR/HER3 Bispecific Antibody-Drug Conjugate

On June 3, 2025 Avenzo Therapeutics, Inc. ("Avenzo"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation oncology therapies, reported initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical study of its potential best-in-class EGFR/HER3 bispecific antibody-drug conjugate, AVZO-1418, in patients with advanced solid tumors (Press release, Avenzo Therapeutics, JUN 3, 2025, View Source [SID1234653666]).

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"HER3 is a key dimerization partner of EGFR, and their interaction is known to drive oncogenic signaling across a range of solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer, breast cancer, and head and neck cancer," said Anthony Tolcher, M.D., FRCPC, CEO and Founder, NEXT Oncology. "Based on its preclinical data and differentiated design targeting this pathway, AVZO-1418 offers a promising approach for patients with advanced solid tumors."

The Phase 1/2 first-in-human, open-label clinical study is designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and preliminary clinical activity of AVZO-1418 as a single agent and in combination therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors.

"We are excited to have initiated our company’s second clinical trial within 2 weeks of receiving IND clearance," said Mohammad Hirmand, M.D., Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Avenzo Therapeutics. "This is another important milestone in our journey to advance potentially differentiated drug candidates that help fight cancers with high unmet medical needs."

Alector to Participate in the Goldman Sachs 46th Annual Global Healthcare Conference

On June 3, 2025 Alector, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALEC), a late-stage clinical biotechnology company focused on developing therapies to counteract the devastating progression of neurodegeneration, reported that management will participate in a fireside chat at the Goldman Sachs 46th Annual Global Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, June 10, 2024, at 8:40 am ET (Press release, Alector, JUN 3, 2025, View Source [SID1234653665]).

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A live webcast of the fireside chat will be available on the "Events & Presentations" page within the Investors section of the Alector website at View Source A replay will be available on the Alector website for 90 days following the event.

Biomarker data from Alligator Bioscience’s OPTIMIZE-1 trial presented at ASCO 2025 Annual Meeting

On June 3, 2025 Alligator Bioscience (Nasdaq Stockholm: ATORX) reported that biomarker data from its OPTIMIZE-1 clinical trial were presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Press release, Alligator Bioscience, JUN 3, 2025, View Source [SID1234653629]).

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OPTIMIZE-1 is a Phase 1b/2 trial evaluating mitazalimab in combination with mFOLFIRINOX in first-line metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPDAC). The study has demonstrated strong clinical outcomes to date, including a ~30% survival rate at 24 months and a median overall survival of 14.9 months.

The biomarker analyses highlighted mitazalimab’s immunological mechanism of action, with immune activation in responding patients and gene signatures associated with clinical benefit and improved survival. These results support continued development of mitazalimab, including a planned confirmatory trial in mPDAC.

"ASCO continues to be a cornerstone event for clinical oncology, and it was a privilege to share our OPTIMIZE-1 data with the international community," said Søren Bregenholt, CEO of Alligator Bioscience. "The high level of engagement and many productive meetings we’ve had during the conference further validate the growing interest in mitazalimab and its potential in pancreatic cancer."
The presentation poster is available on Alligator’s website. Alligator’s participation at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) is part of its broader commitment to scientific collaboration and strategic business development.

Minerva Biotechnologies – Overcoming the Solid Tumor Barrier: MUC1*-Targeted CAR T bearing 1XX mutations overcomes exhaustion and enables killing of low antigen expressing cancer cells

On June 2, 2025 Minerva Biotechnologies reported "Effective CAR T cell targeting of a MUC1 cleavage product" in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer View Source (Press release, Minerva Biotechnologies, JUN 2, 2025, View Source;Overcoming-the-Solid-Tumor-Barrier-MUC1-Targeted-CAR-T-bearing-1XX-mutations-overcomes-exhaustion-and-enables-killing-of-low-antigen-expressing-cancer-cells [SID1234653662]).

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Novel target, MUC1*, is a cancer-specific growth factor receptor that is expressed on the surface of 75% of solid tumors. In this study, we compared the efficacy, persistence and antigen sensitivity of three MUC1* CARs, all directed to the tumor by the same antibody fragment, but bearing different co-stimulatory domains and one construct bearing the 1XX mutations in the CD3ζ cytoplasmic domain.

We showed that in animal models, the MUC1* CAR-1XX increased CAR T-cell persistence and suppressed tumor recurrence by enabling the killing of low antigen-expressing cancer cells. "These findings in stringent animal models are very encouraging for developing 1XX CAR T cells to treat solid tumors," said Michel Sadelain, inventor of the 1XX technology. "They further underscore the promise of targeting the cleaved form of MUC1 known as MUC1*."

The in vivo efficacy of MUC1* targeted CAR-1XX T cells against heterogeneous tumors comprising defined percentages of low vs high antigen expressing cancer cells predicts that a large patient population could be treated with MUC1* targeted CAR T immunotherapy.

Although MUC1 has been known for 30 years to be aberrantly expressed in 75% of solid tumors, no therapeutic targeting MUC1 has ever been Food and Drug Administration approved. Part of the problem is that the identification of exactly which form of MUC1 drives tumor growth and metastasis has been controversial. The development of a MUC1* antibody that selectively recognizes the cancer-associated growth factor receptor form, as described here, is an important advance.

Minerva has an FDA-approved IND for a MUC1*-CAR22 that persists longer in vivo enabling a more durable response in solid tumor treatment.

We thank Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for the license to 1XX technology.

BeOne Medicines Unveils Promising Clinical Data for Two Novel Breast Cancer Therapies at ASCO 2025

On June 2, 2025 BeOne Medicines Ltd. (NASDAQ: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, reported new clinical data from its emerging breast cancer pipeline at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Chicago (Press release, BeOne Medicines, JUN 2, 2025, View Source [SID1234653661]). Poster presentations feature preliminary results of the dose escalation studies of two investigational molecules: BG-C9074, a novel B7-H4-targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) in patients with advanced solid tumors, including breast cancer, and BG-68501, a cyclin-dependent kinase-2 inhibitor (CDK2i), in HR+/HER2- breast cancer patients with prior CDK4/6i exposure.

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"Presenting the first clinical data for two novel breast cancer candidates at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2025 marks a pivotal moment for BeOne," said Mark Lanasa, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Solid Tumors at BeOne. "These early results highlight the strong potential of our B7-H4-targeting ADC and CDK2 inhibitor to address critical gaps in breast cancer treatment. Alongside our advancing CDK4 inhibitor, they represent just the beginning of a pipeline built on targeted, biology-driven innovation. As we debut our new identity as BeOne, this milestone reflects the momentum behind our science and our commitment to delivering impactful therapies to cancer patients worldwide."

BeOne is advancing a robust pipeline of differentiated investigational medicines for breast cancer that may both effectively combat the disease and potentially improve quality of life for patients receiving treatment.

BG-C9074, a B7-H4-targeting ADC (Abstract #3033)

BeOne presented initial results of the ongoing first-in-human, Phase 1a dose escalation study of BG-C9074 monotherapy in 78 patients with advanced solid tumors, of which more than a quarter were breast cancer patients. BG-C9074, an investigational topoisomerase I inhibitor ADC that targets the B7-H4 protein, which is broadly expressed in breast and gynecologic cancers, is designed with an innovative drug linker to deliver a potent cancer-killing drug directly to the cancer cells.

With limited follow-up among the 56 efficacy-evaluable patients, preliminary clinical responses were observed at multiple dose levels across various tumor types without selection for B7-H4 expression in these heavily pretreated patients. Confirmed overall response rate (ORR) was 16.1% (9/56; 95% CI: 7.6%–28.3%), with 9 confirmed partial responses; unconfirmed ORR was 25.0% (14/56; 14.4%-38.4%) (n=14 partial responses). Confirmed disease control rate (DCR) was 73.2% (59.7%-84.2%) and confirmed clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 17.9% (8.9%-30.4%). Pharmacokinetics (PK) were observed to be approximately dose-proportional across dose levels.

BG-C9074 showed a manageable safety and tolerability profile in patients with B7-H4 advanced solid tumors, including breast cancer. There were 5 dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) reported among 3 dose levels, all related to treatment: grade 3 fatigue (n=1); grade 3 febrile neutropenia (n=2); and grade 4 platelet count decreased (n=2). The most common treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were nausea, fatigue, and neutropenia*. The most common grade ≥3 TEAEs were neutropenia and thrombocytopenia†. There were no TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation or death.

These data support the continued development of BG-C9074 in patients with advanced solid tumors. (NCT06233942)

BG-68501, a CDK2 inhibitor (Abstract# 3115)

Dose-escalation data from the first-in-human, Phase 1a study of a novel CDK2 inhibitor, BG-68501, were presented as a poster today. BG-68501 is designed to address elevated CDK2 activity as well as cyclin E1-driven upregulation, two key resistance mechanisms that often limit the effectiveness of CDK4/6 inhibitors in treating HR+/HER2- breast cancer. CDK inhibitors target checkpoint proteins that control cell division to stop the growth of cancer cells.

A total of 57 enrolled patients with advanced solid tumors, including 19 patients with HR+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, received BG-68501 as monotherapy or in combination with fulvestrant in escalating dose cohorts (all received prior CDK4/6i).

Of the 37 efficacy-evaluable patients (all with monotherapy), unconfirmed overall response rate (ORR) was 5.4% (2/37; 95% CI: 0.7%–18.2%). Two extensively pretreated patients (5.4%) experienced unconfirmed partial response (PR), 15 patients (40.5%) had stable disease (SD), 15 patients (40.5%) had progressive disease (PD), and 5 patients (13.5%) were not evaluable/not assessed. Of the 2 patients with PR, both were breast cancer patients, and one was ongoing with treatment at the time of data cutoff, while the other had discontinued treatment. Unconfirmed clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 8.1% (3/37; 95% CI: 1.7%-21.9%) and unconfirmed disease control rate (DCR) was 45.9% (17/37; 95% CI: 29.5%-63.1%). BG-68501 demonstrated a linear PK profile consistent with preclinical data and signs of pharmacodynamic responses.

BG-68501 demonstrated a manageable safety and tolerability profile, with no DLTs observed to date during dose escalation. The most common TEAEs were vomiting, nausea, and fatigue, and TEAEs leading to treatment discontinuation occurred in 4 patients (7%) across all dose levels. There were no TEAEs leading to death.

The data support continued development of BG-68501 as a next-line option for tumors with CDK2 dependency. (NCT06257264)

For additional information about our presence at the 2025 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, please visit our meeting hub: congress.beonemedicines.com.

BeOne will host an investor R&D Day on June 26 at 8:30 am ET covering its deep and broad global innovation pipeline and platforms, as well as the Company’s vision, differentiated capabilities, and value creation drivers. A live webcast will be accessible from the investors section of BeOne’s website at View Source, View Source, or View Source An archived replay will be available for 90 days following the event.

About Our Breast Cancer Pipeline

BeOne is advancing a robust portfolio of investigational medicines for breast cancer, including three molecules in clinical development – two cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors, BGB-43395, a CDK4 inhibitor, and BG-68501, a CDK2 inhibitor, and an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), BG-C9074. BeOne also plans to evaluate the potential of BCL2 inhibition in breast cancer, with next-generation BCL2 inhibitor, BGB-21447, expected to begin clinical testing in solid tumor indications soon. Multispecific antibodies and targeted protein degraders with potential applications in breast cancer are among the preclinical assets being developed.

About Breast Cancer

Breast cancer accounts for close to one in four cancer cases and one in six cancer deaths in women worldwide.1 Globally, breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the fourth highest cause of cancer mortality as well as the leading cause of cancer death in women.1 More than 2.3 million patients were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022, and over 666,000 deaths were reported globally.1 Approximately two-thirds of breast cancer cases are the HR+/HER2- subtype.