1stOncology™: Cancer Intelligence Service – Page 93 – 1stOncology is recognized as a Top 10 Global Pharma Analytic Provider

NeoGenomics Launches PanTracer LBx, Expanding Access to Comprehensive Genomic Profiling with Liquid Biopsy

On July 30, 2025 NeoGenomics, Inc. (NASDAQ: NEO), a leading provider of oncology diagnostic solutions that enable precision medicine, reported the launch of NEO PanTracer LBx, a blood-based comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) test, expanding the company’s PanTracer portfolio (Press release, NeoGenomics Laboratories, JUL 30, 2025, View Source [SID1234654659]). PanTracer LBx is a noninvasive test designed to support therapy selection, trial matching, and longitudinal monitoring, empowering data-driven decisions even when tumor tissue is limited or unavailable.

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!

"The launch of our liquid biopsy test positions us at the forefront of the precision oncology market," said Tony Zook, Chief Executive Officer, NeoGenomics. "As demand grows for faster, less invasive, and more accessible genomic testing, PanTracer LBx expands our addressable market, enhances our clinical portfolio, and opens new revenue streams in both therapy selection, trial matching, and disease monitoring. It’s a strategic milestone that underscores our commitment to sustainable growth and clinical leadership."

Using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from a simple blood draw, PanTracer LBx provides access to biomarker information when tissue samples are insufficient or unavailable. The test is designed to offer a seven-day turnaround time and analyze over 500 genes, including MSI and bTMB, to deliver timely, actionable insights. When indicated, it can be ordered as a standalone option, as a reflex when tissue testing fails, or concurrently with tissue analysis. Clinical applications include therapy selection, trial matching, and longitudinal monitoring.

PanTracer LBx strengthens NeoGenomics’ pan-solid tumor CGP portfolio, working seamlessly with tissue-based options like PanTracer Tissue, providing a testing strategy across a range of solid cancers. Complemented by a broad portfolio of testing services and dedicated clinical support, the launch expands NeoGenomics’ position in the growing $3–5 billion liquid biopsy market and advances its goal of delivering deep insights to more patients across diverse care settings.

TriSalus Life Sciences to Participate in the Canaccord Genuity 45th Annual Growth Conference

On July 30, 2025 TriSalus Life Sciences Inc. (Nasdaq: TLSI) ("TriSalus" or the "Company"), a company working to improve outcomes for patients with solid tumors by combining innovative drug delivery, reported that Mary Szela, Chief Executive Officer and President, and David Patience, Chief Financial Officer, will present at the Canaccord Genuity 45th Annual Growth Conference on Wednesday, August 13, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. ET (Press release, TriSalus Life Sciences, JUL 30, 2025, View Source [SID1234654658]). Management will also host investor meetings during the conference.

The presentation will be accessible via live webcast here. A webcast replay will be available for 90 days following the presentation in the Events section of the TriSalus Investor website at www.investors.trisaluslifesci.com.

Akeso Announces Completion of First Dosing in Phase III Clinical Trial of Ivonescimab (PD-1/VEGF) Combination Therapy for Immunotherapy-Resistant NSCLC

On July 30, 2025 Akeso, Inc. (9926.HK) ("Akeso" or the "Company") reported that the first patient has been dosed in its pivotal Phase III clinical study (AK112-305/HARMONi-8A) of ivonescimab (PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody) in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed following PD-1/L1 inhibitors and platinum-based chemotherapy (Press release, Akeso Biopharma, JUL 30, 2025, View Source;therapy-for-immunotherapy-resistant-nsclc-302518092.html [SID1234654657]).

Ivonescimab is the only bispecific immunotherapy antibody currently undergoing Phase III registration trials for IO-resistant lung cancer.

In recent years, immunotherapy has achieved significant progress in the treatment of NSCLC. PD-1/L1 inhibitors, whether used as monotherapy or in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, have become the standard first-line treatment for advanced NSCLC in patients without driver mutations. However, despite these advances, 60%-70% of patients experience disease progression within the first year of treatment.

Currently, there are no approved standard treatment options for IO-resistant NSCLC. Docetaxel is recommended in both China’s and international treatment guidelines for immunotherapy-resistant (IO-resistant) NSCLC. However, docetaxel’s monotherapy efficacy in the IO-resistant NSCLC patients remains limited. Several Phase III clinical trials investigating IO-resistant lung cancer, including immunotherapy combination therapies studies and ADC therapy studies, have failed to demonstrate positive results.

Mechanistic studies suggest that PD-1 therapy can restore the immune system’s anti-tumor activity, while anti-VEGF therapy alleviates VEGF-mediated immune suppression and promotes T-cell infiltration. When combined, these two therapies may produce synergistic effects. Ivonescimab simultaneously targets both PD-1 and VEGF pathways, reversing the immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment and reactivating anti-tumor immune responses. These synergistic mechanisms provide a scientific rationale for using ivonescimab to treat IO-resistant tumors. Furthermore, the positive efficacy and safety data demonstrated in a Phase II study in this indication underscore the significant therapeutic potential of ivonescimab in this difficult to treat patient population.

The ivonescimab regimen has demonstrated remarkable efficacy and excellent safety across multiple tumor types. The ongoing AK112-305/HARMONi-8A Phase III study targeting IO-resistant NSCLC is expected to offer a novel and highly effective treatment option for patients with IO-resistant NSCLC, in line Akesos ‘ ‘Immuno-2.0’ strategy.

As the world’s leading PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody, ivonescimab has achieved extensive population coverage for core indications in NSCLC and is positioned across multiple lines of treatment, with the potential to reshape the overall treatment landscape for advanced NSCLC.

Vivace Therapeutics Announces Receipt of Orphan Drug Designation for VT3989 for Treatment of Mesothelioma

On July 30, 2025 Vivace Therapeutics, Inc., a small molecule discovery and development company developing first-in-class cancer therapies targeting the Hippo pathway, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation to VT3989 for the treatment of mesothelioma in the United States (Press release, Vivace Therapeutics, JUL 30, 2025, View Source [SID1234654656]). VT3989, the company’s first-in-class and best-in-class transcriptional enhanced associate domain (TEAD) autopalmitoylation inhibitor, is a novel investigational small molecule cancer therapeutic that is designed to target the Hippo pathway by inhibiting palmitoylation of members of the TEAD protein family.

"The granting of Orphan Drug Designation to VT3989 underscores the critical need for new, effective therapies for mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer with limited treatment options. The benefits provided by this important designation will support our continued advancement of VT3989, which has already generated compelling clinical trial data, a first for this promising therapeutic class," said Sofie Qiao, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Vivace Therapeutics. "We are committed to continuing clinical development of VT3989 and discussing a move into a registrational Phase 3 study in mesothelioma with FDA by the end of 2025."

VT3989 has been evaluated in more than 200 patients to date in an ongoing, open-label Phase 1 clinical study and, to the company’s knowledge, is the first and only member of the TEAD autopalmitoylation inhibitor class for which compelling clinical efficacy data have been publicly reported. In addition to the promising data to date, VT3989 has demonstrated a positive safety profile in the Phase 1 trial, which supports its best-in-class potential.

Clinical findings for VT3989 have been particularly notable in patients with mesothelioma who have failed chemotherapy and immuno-oncology combination regimens, which represent the only approved therapies in this indication. These results will be presented at a major medical conference in the second half of 2025.

Orphan Drug Designation is granted by FDA and is intended to support the development and evaluation of treatments for rare diseases affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. The designation provides drug developers with potential benefits including tax credits for qualified clinical trials, exemptions from certain FDA fees for clinical trials, and the potential for seven years of market exclusivity following drug approval.

About Phase 1 study of VT3989
The Phase 1 study of VT3989 (View Source) is a multi-center, open label trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and biological activity of VT3989 in patients with refractory metastatic solid tumors, including refractory pleural and non-pleural malignant mesothelioma.

Espervita’s EVT0185 Shows Dramatic Tumor Reduction and Immune Activation in Preclinical MASH-Driven Hepatocellular Carcinoma

On July 30, 2025 Espervita Therapeutics, a biotechnology company developing targeted metabolic reprogramming therapies, reported the publication in Nature featuring groundbreaking preclinical data for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with its lead drug candidate, EVT0185, a first-in-class liver and kidney targeted inhibitor of acetyl-CoA metabolic enzymes (ACLY, ACSS2, ACC) (Press release, Espervita Therapeutics, JUL 30, 2025, View Source [SID1234654654]). Over 80% of people with advanced HCC do not respond to immunotherapies due to a "cold" immune deficient tumor microenvironment. EVT0185 reverses this effect, making tumors "hot" and harnessing the body’s immune system to attack and kill tumors more effectively than current standards of care.

Unmet Need

Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. HCC, the most common form of liver cancer, is increasingly caused by the global rise in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). With current treatment options, five-year survival for advanced HCC is < 5% and the five-year recurrence rate for earlier-stage HCC following surgical resection or ablation is > 75%, with HCC being the only common cancer in the world with no approved adjuvant therapy. HCC is thus one of the highest priority unmet needs in oncology.

Preclinical Efficacy in HCC

Espervita Therapeutics evaluated the therapeutic potential of acetyl-CoA metabolic enzyme inhibition in MASH-HCC using EVT0185 across three preclinical models.

Key findings from the studies:

EVT0185 significantly reduced tumor burden in multiple preclinical models of MASH-HCC prevention and treatment, both as a monotherapy and in enhancing the effects of existing treatments, including tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immunotherapies.

EVT0185 enhanced immune recognition of tumors by reprogramming the tumor microenvironment, increasing CXCL13 expression and B cell infiltration, and triggering strong anti-tumor responses.

Through tissue-selective activation, EVT0185 minimized off-target effects and avoided immune cell suppression.
"These findings illustrate how targeted metabolic reprogramming can counter the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment and significantly reduce tumor burden in MASH-HCC," said Spencer Heaton M.D., CEO at Espervita Therapeutics. "They also highlight the potential of EVT0185 to redefine how we approach oncology immunotherapies."