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Aptorum Group Announces the Launch of its Oncology and Autoimmune Discovery and Development Platform Targeting Unmet Mutations and Novel Biomarkers

On January 10, 2022 Aptorum Group Limited (Nasdaq: APM, Euronext Paris: APM) ("Aptorum Group" or "Aptorum"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, reported the launch of its oncology and autoimmune discovery and development platform with an initial focus on indications including, but not limited to, non-small cell lung cancer ("NSCLC") and autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc (Press release, Aptorum, JAN 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234598536]).

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Under the platform, Aptorum has and will continue to conduct its screening process for novel first-in-class small molecule and PROTAC (Degrader) based drug candidates. On this basis, Aptorum is currently conducting optimisation for selected candidates as part of its small molecule library for major targets including, but not limited to EGFR, ALK, KRAS, p53 mutations. Aptorum has identified major unmet medical needs in third and fourth generation mutations, where applicable, for NSCLC for example and will be leveraging its existing drug discovery platform to deliver novel therapeutics for such targeted patient group.

Mr. Darren Lui, President and Executive Director, commented, "The exciting launch of our oncology and autoimmune platform, culminating with the discovery and development of small molecule and PROTAC based candidates, if achieved, will help address the significant unmet medical needs for patients suffering from NSCLC (and potentially other cancer types) and autoimmune diseases. For example, the current 5-year, average survival rate for NSCLC is 25%1, despite existing therapies available. Subject to further optimisation and development, we target to deliver these candidates to their respective clinical trial stage at the earliest for such unmet medical needs."

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Pyramid Biosciences Appoints Brian Lestini, MD, PhD as Chief Executive Officer

On January 10, 2022 Pyramid Biosciences, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a portfolio of precision therapies targeting a wide range of diseases, reported the appointment of Brian Lestini, MD, PhD as Chief Executive Officer (Press release, Pyramid Biosciences, JAN 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234598535]). Dr. Lestini joined Pyramid Biosciences in March 2021 as the Chief Medical Officer, overseeing the advancement and expansion of the company’s clinical pipeline of novel targeted medicines. Pyramid Biosciences’ lead program, PBI-200, currently in Phase 1 clinical trials, is an orally-active, CNS penetrant TRK inhibitor targeting a variety of genetically defined cancers, including primary and metastatic brain cancers.

Dr. Lestini will succeed co-founder and current CEO Kollol Pal, PhD, MBA. Dr. Pal will continue to serve as the Company’s Chief Scientific Officer, where he will lead all pre-clinical development activities. "I would like to thank Dr. Pal for his pioneering leadership," said Dr. Lestini. "Pyramid Biosciences has grown immensely over the past seven years under Dr. Pal’s stewardship, and I’m excited to help the company take the next step in our growth and achieve Dr. Pal’s vision of bringing Pyramid’s precision oncology therapies to underserved patients throughout the world."

"Dr. Lestini’s successful track record of bringing drugs through development to global approval will be invaluable to Pyramid Bio as we move forward in our clinical development process," said Dr. Pal. "I’m looking forward to continuing to grow our Company’s pipeline by focusing my efforts on developing new, innovative therapeutic targets for precision oncology."

An experienced leader in early- and late-stage oncology clinical development, Dr. Lestini oversaw development and commercialization strategies for checkpoint inhibitor therapies including OPDIVO (nivolumab) and relatlimab (anti-LAG3 checkpoint inhibitor), a novel immune-oncology agent applied to a wide range of cancers, at Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY). Dr. Lestini also served as the Head of Global Medical Affairs at Bristol-Myers Squibb for three hematology products: OPDIVO (nivolumab), SPRYCEL (dasatinib), and EMPLICITI (elotuzumab). Prior to joining Bristol-Myers Squibb, Dr. Lestini led early-stage clinical development programs at Hoffmann-La Roche (OTCMKTS: RHHBY).

Dr. Lestini is a board-certified pediatric hematologist-oncologist. He received his medical degree (MD) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Case Western Reserve University and completed his fellowship training at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

ArsenalBio Announces Expansion of Collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb to Advance T Cell Therapy in Solid Tumors

On January 10, 2022 Arsenal Biosciences, Inc., a privately held programmable cell therapy company engineering advanced CAR T therapies for solid tumors, reported that Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) has exercised an option to initiate a new program, expanding its strategic collaboration with ArsenalBio to discover and advance next-generation T cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumors (Press release, Arsenal Bio, JAN 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234598534]).

"The decision by Bristol Myers Squibb to expand our collaboration and add another program is a testament to the strength of our partnership and the promise of ArsenalBio’s proprietary technology," said Ken Drazan, M.D., Co-Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ArsenalBio. "We look forward to continuing this fruitful relationship and working together to advance next-generation T cell therapies so we can ultimately achieve our mission – help more patients defeat cancer."

Under the collaboration, ArsenalBio is discovering and building preclinical candidates against multiple targets, and Bristol Myers Squibb has the option to obtain an exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize preclinical candidates. Through the terms of the agreement, Bristol Myers Squibb has exercised an Expansion Option to initiate a new program, triggering an additional undisclosed financial milestone payment to ArsenalBio. Following exercise of a subsequent License Option, Bristol Myers Squibb is solely responsible for developing and commercializing the licensed candidates. ArsenalBio will remain eligible to receive additional payments associated with collaboration expansion, regulatory and sales milestones, as well as potential royalties on sales of approved products.

"We are pleased to continue our partnership with ArsenalBio as we work to advance the next generation of cancer therapies leveraging their unique therapeutic platform," said Teri Foy, Senior Vice President, Research and Early Development Immuno-Oncology and Cell Therapy, Bristol Myers Squibb. "Unlocking the promise of cell therapy with application to solid tumors is a key aspect of our R&D strategy at BMS as we strive to help more patients across a broad range of cancers."

Through the multi-year collaboration, ArsenalBio continues to deploy its full stack of synthetic biology compositions to build programmable cell therapy product candidates based on its PrimeR logic gates, CARchitecture chimeric antigen receptor libraries, multi-target gene expression controls, and CITE mediated nonviral manufacturing. Combined, these integrated circuit-modified T cells offer the promise of significantly improved outcomes for patients.

Affini-T Therapeutics to Present at the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference

On January 10, 2022 Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company unlocking the power of T cells against oncogenic driver mutations, reported its participation in the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference (Press release, Affini-T Therapeutics, JAN 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234598533]). Jak Knowles, M.D., Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present an overview of the company at 2:00 pm Eastern Time on Wednesday, January 12, 2022.

Puma Biotechnology Releases Updated Corporate Presentation

On January 10, 2022 Puma Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PBYI), a biopharmaceutical company, reported an update to the corporate presentation that its Chief Executive Officer and President, Alan H. Auerbach, presented at the virtual H.C. Wainwright BioConnect Conference, which began at 7:00 a.m. EST on Monday, January 10, 2022 (Press release, Puma Biotechnology, JAN 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234598532]). The updated presentation includes, among other things, the Company’s preliminary estimate that it sold approximately 3,454 bottles of NERLYNX in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2021. This preliminary estimate is subject to completion of the Company’s customary closing and review procedures and could change based on that process. The updated slides will be available on the Investors section of Puma’s website at View Source