On June 29, 2021 AccessHope, LLC, a company that provides cancer expertise to employers and their health care partners, reported a new foundational partnership with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, extending member access to specialized cancer expertise to more people living with complex cancers across the United States (Press release, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, JUN 29, 2021, View Source [SID1234584477]). Dana-Farber joins two National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers — City of Hope and Northwestern Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University — in a novel collaboration that delivers advanced, expert knowledge for employees with cancer and their local treating oncologists, as well as cancer support services .

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"The AccessHope program deploys the latest cancer care knowledge to the places and people who need it most, when it is most valuable, wherever they are located," said AccessHope CEO Mark Stadler. "By adding Dana-Farber as a new foundational partner alongside City of Hope and Northwestern Medicine, we expand our ability to connect plan members with world-renowned specialists who can review their cases and share insights with their local treating oncologists to help improve clinical outcomes, enhance quality of life, and optimize cancer treatment plans."

Cancer experts from Dana-Farber will provide expertise for AccessHope’s core services — Accountable Precision Oncology, Expert Advisory Review and Cancer Support Team — to employers and their plan members in Northeast states including Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York and New Jersey, as well as patients from all across the United States. Through an employer benefit, employees of AccessHope clients have access to AccessHope’s network of oncology experts. The medical specialists are at the forefront of the latest cancer research and lifesaving discoveries, and they can guide individuals and their treating oncologists to the newest personalized treatments, such as clinical trials or breakthrough medications, and genetic/genomic testing and targeted therapies.

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute blends leading science and exceptional care into transformative medicine and is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Dana-Farber cares for adults and children challenged with cancer, blood disorders and related diseases with world-renowned specialists, providing comprehensive and personalized care for each patient and support for their families.

Dana-Farber’s specialized treatment centers are staffed by teams of experts who work closely together to offer patients the latest therapies and strategies, including access to more than 1,100 therapeutic and non-therapeutic clinical trials.

"The extraordinary pace of innovations in cancer research and care can sometimes make it challenging for oncologists everywhere to keep up with rapidly evolving practices, especially if they are managing many types of cancer every day," said Eric Winer, M.D., chief clinical development officer and Thompson Chair in Breast Cancer Research, Dana-Farber. "Through our new collaboration with AccessHope, Dana-Farber specialists can be helpful resources to community oncologists, particularly when treating patients with complex cancers. Joining forces with AccessHope is a part of our commitment to sharing the very latest science, extraordinary care and exceptional expertise with those who need it."

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the rise in telehealth over the past year and a half, amplifying the need to rethink cancer care and the patient experience. Regardless of location, employees of AccessHope clients who are diagnosed with cancer, along with their local treating oncologist, can benefit from the expertise of specialists knowledgeable in the latest cancer discoveries for review of diagnosis, treatment plan and personalized precision medicine opportunities, as well as clinical trial information and support services. AccessHope’s cancer support services help employees navigate the complexity of a cancer diagnosis to improve quality of life and health outcomes, help people return to their work and lives, and reduce expenses.

Today, AccessHope serves approximately 2.3 million plan members who have its cancer support services through 43 employers including Adobe and Pitney Bowes, and through collaborative relationships with Health Transformation Alliance and Quantum Health.

Following AccessHope’s national launch as a wholly owned subsidiary of City of Hope, Northwestern Medicine, a nationally recognized health system in Chicago that includes the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, was the first organization to join AccessHope as a foundational partner in the fall of 2020. Northwestern Medicine has extended its subspecialists’ expertise to AccessHope’s services throughout the Midwest, enabling AccessHope’s employer plan members and their treating oncologists to be matched with Northwestern Medicine and Lurie Cancer Center cancer specialists for case review and treatment plan recommendations.

"When we first formed AccessHope, our vision was to continuously increase its reach and impact to patients across the U.S. through new partnerships. We are pleased that one of the world’s leading academic cancer institutes, Dana-Farber, has joined AccessHope. This partnership not only will deliver significant benefit to employers and cancer patients, but also further validates the value proposition of AccessHope’s unique approach," said Harlan Levine, M.D., president of strategy and business ventures, City of Hope, and chair of the board for AccessHope. "By leveraging remote delivery of cutting-edge insights and knowledge from clinical research, we are able to help people with cancer and their treating physicians benefit from the latest cancer care expertise, close to home."

On June 29, 2021 Aptevo Therapeutics Inc. ("Aptevo") (NASDAQ:APVO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel immuno-oncology therapeutics based on its proprietary ADAPTIR and ADAPTIR-FLEX platform technologies reported that the company has been added to the Russell Microcap Index at the conclusion of the 2021 annual reconstitution (Press release, Aptevo Therapeutics, JUN 29, 2021, View Source [SID1234584476]). Aptevo’s inclusion in the index became effective after the US market opened yesterday, June 28, 2021.

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Membership in the Russell Microcap Index, which remains in place for one year, means automatic inclusion in the appropriate growth and value style indexes. FTSE Russell determines membership for its Russell indexes primarily by objective, market-capitalization rankings and style attributes.

"We are pleased to be joining the Russell Microcap Index this year, as this inclusion represents increasing value to shareholders and opportunity for potential shareholders, after a year of significant achievement of clinical, pre-clinical and business goals," said Mr. Marvin White, President and CEO of Aptevo.

An immuno-oncology company, Aptevo is focused on discovering and developing novel therapeutics for difficult-to-treat hematologic malignances and solid tumors. Drug candidates are developed from the Company’s proprietary platforms, ADAPTIR and ADAPTIR-FLEX, which are capable of generating highly differentiated bispecific and multi-specific antibodies. The Company recently announced completion of the dose escalation part of a Phase 1b clinical trial with lead drug candidate APVO436 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome. Interim results showed the drug was well tolerated and had a manageable side effect profile. The primary endpoint – identification of a recommended Phase 2 dose – was also achieved. The Company also announced activation of the expansion part of the trial, which will simultaneously evaluate APVO436 in five cohorts of 18 patients each (N=90) in both combination and monotherapy.

About the Russell Indexes
Russell indexes are widely used by investment managers and institutional investors for index funds and as benchmarks for active investment strategies. Approximately $10.6 trillion in assets are benchmarked against Russell’s US indexes. Russell indexes are part of FTSE Russell, a leading global index provider. For more information on the Russell Microcap Index and the Russell indexes reconstitution, go to the "Russell Reconstitution" section on the FTSE Russell website.

On June 29, 2021 Trillium Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ/TSX: TRIL), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company developing innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer, reported that it has dosed the first patient with TTI-621 (SIRPα-IgG1 Fc), an investigational checkpoint inhibitor of the innate immune system, in combination with doxorubicin in a Phase 1b/2 study in leiomyosarcoma (LMS) (Press release, Trillium Therapeutics, JUN 29, 2021, View Source [SID1234584474]).

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TTI-621 binds CD47, an innate immune checkpoint that binds SIRPα and delivers a "don’t eat me" signal to suppress macrophage phagocytosis. Overexpression of CD47 can allow tumor cells to escape immune surveillance. TTI-621 is a fusion protein consisting of the CD47 binding domain of SIRPα linked to the Fc region of human IgG1. It is designed to enhance phagocytosis and tumor cell destruction by blocking the CD47-SIRPα interaction and delivering an activating ("eat me") signal to macrophages. The IgG1 backbone can also activate NK cell-mediated anti-tumor activity. Published preclinical studies suggest that anti-CD47 agents may exhibit anti-tumor activity against LMS cells.

"The dosing of this patient marks the beginning of the first Phase 1b/2 solid tumor clinical trial for Trillium," commented Dr. Ingmar Bruns, Trillium’s Chief Medical Officer. "We’re committed to exploring solid tumors and build upon our potentially best-in-class initial hematologic malignancy datasets."

For newly diagnosed LMS patients, doxorubicin is considered part of standard of care. In this open-label Phase 1b/2 study, Trillium is adding TTI-621 to frontline doxorubicin and enrolling approximately 60 newly diagnosed LMS patients. The primary endpoints are safety and overall response rate.

"Metastisized LMS, the most common form of soft tissue sarcoma, is a serious disease with significant unmet need. We believe that the combination of TTI-621 and doxorubicin has the potential to provide benefit for these patients where few therapeutic options exist," added Dr. Bruns.

On June 29, 2021 MediciNova, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company traded on the NASDAQ Global Market (NASDAQ:MNOV) and the JASDAQ Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Code Number: 4875), reported that Yuichi Iwaki, MD, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Geoffrey O’Brien, JD/MBA, Vice President and Executive Officer, will present a corporate overview at the Ladenburg Thalmann 2021 Virtual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 4:30 pm ET. MediciNova will be available for one-on-one meetings at this conference and investors may request a one-on-one meeting through Ladenburg Thalmann.

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On June 29, 2021 Amplia Therapeutics Limited (ASX: ATX) ("Amplia" or the "Company")reported its Financial
Report for the Year Ended 31 March 2021 (Press release, Amplia Therapeutics, JUN 29, 2021, View Source;[email protected] [SID1234584472]).

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This ASX announcement was approved and authorised for release by the Board of Amplia Therapeutics.