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Vycellix to Present at Upcoming Life Science Conferences

On March 23, 2021 Vycellix, Inc., an immuno-centric discovery life science company with a focus on natural killer cell-based (NK cell) therapeutics, reported that members of its executive leadership team are scheduled to present and moderate panel sessions at the following upcoming life science conferences this week (Press release, Vycellix, MAR 23, 2021, View Source [SID1234577052]):

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INNATE KILLER SUMMIT 2021 (requires paid registration):

MOFFITT CANCER CENTER’S BUSINESS OF BIOTECH CONFERENCE (free registration):

Vycellix’s proprietary platform technologies confer optimized competitive benefits covering: 1) the engineering of allogeneic cells without the need for gene-editing or requiring lymphodepletion of the patient (VY-UC); 2) cell expansion (VY-M); 3) cell potency (VY-X); 4) gene delivery/transduction (VY-OZ). The Company is leveraging these collective assets to develop next-generation, cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancers and other indications with active commercial partnering activities ongoing.

Vycellix’s platforms were all discovered by scientists at the world-renowned Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm, Sweden. The Company is a collaborative partner in "NextGenNK", an international Competence Center for the development of next-generation NK cell-based cancer immunotherapies based at KI and funded by Sweden’s innovations agency, Vinnova. KI is globally recognized for its Nobel Assembly, which awards the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc. Says New Radiotherapeutic is Effective and Less Toxic for Neuroendocrine Tumor Patients

On March 23, 2021 Molecular Targeting Technologies, Inc. (MTTI) reported an article entitled "Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) of Late-Stage Neuroendocrine Tumor (NETs) Patients with Multiple Cycles of 177Lu-DOTA-EB-TATE" just published in the March issue* of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (Press release, Molecular Targeting Technologies, MAR 23, 2021, View Source [SID1234577051]).

PRRT drugs bind tightly to unique targets on tumor cells, in this case somatostatin receptors, delivering a cancer killing radioactive lutetium to the site. MTTI’s new 177Lu-DOTA-EB-TATE (EBTATE) therapeutic holds promise to reduce mortality among NET patients and significantly cut costs of extended treatment.

NETs are a diverse group of tumors originating in the neuroendocrine system that regulate hormones throughout the body. NET incidence increased 7-fold from 1973 to 2018. Because they are rare, varied, and slow growing, an NET diagnosis can be delayed up to seven years. As a result, more than 50 percent of NET cases are at an advanced stage at the time of diagnosis.

Study participants were divided into three groups. Each group was given a different dose of EBTATE. All the groups tolerated the therapy well, with almost no side effects regardless of the dose. Ultimately, researchers found that an EBTATE dose of 1.89 GBq/cycle (GBq – gigabequerel measure of radioactivity) was the most effective for tumor control. They also noted that with careful patient selection and monitoring, a 3.97 GBq/cycle dose could achieve an even better response.

"EBTATE is found to be safe and more effective than the current standard of care," said Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen, PhD, Nasrat Muzayyin Chair professor at the National University of Singapore. "Overall, this new treatment provides an extended therapeutic window and improved treatment efficacy over Lutathera. EBTATE significantly impacts mortality and morbidity for neuroendocrine tumor patients."

"This is an exciting step change in NET management. Effective, potentially less toxic, lower doses of EBTATE hold huge promise for neuroendocrine tumor patients," said Chris Pak, President & CEO of MTTI.

*The authors of the article include Qingxing Liu … Zhaohui Zhu, and Xiaoyuan Chen. Journal of Nuclear Medicine 62: 386-392, March 2021.

Selexis and Tallac Therapeutics Collaborate to Advance Tallac’s Pipeline of Novel Immunotherapies in Oncology

On March 23, 2021 Selexis SA, a JSR Life Sciences company, and Tallac Therapeutics reported that they have signed both a commercial license agreement (CLA) and a service agreement (SA) to advance Tallac’s Toll-like Receptor Agonist Antibody Conjugate (TRAAC) platform, which harnesses the power of innate and adaptive immunity to treat cancer (Press release, Selexis
, MAR 23, 2021, View Source [SID1234577050]). Under the agreements, Tallac will employ Selexis’ proprietary SUREtechnology Platform to develop the research cell banks necessary to bring its immunotherapy candidates for the treatment of solid tumors to the clinic.

"We are proud to work with Tallac Therapeutics as the company develops new medicines for cancer," said Yemi Onakunle, PhD, MBA, Selexis chief business officer. "Our work with Tallac will allow Selexis to play a role in the advancement of differentiated immunotherapies that are designed to overcome the resistance and lack of response seen in the majority of patients receiving currently available treatments."

Tallac Therapeutics is developing systemically delivered therapeutics with the potential to provide powerful innate and adaptive anti-tumor immunity. The Company’s TRAAC platform currently supports a pipeline of next-generation immunotherapies that have potential for monotherapy and combination approaches across multiple tumor indications.

"As we advance our pipeline of groundbreaking cancer immunotherapies, we chose Selexis as our cell line development partner because of their innovation and scientific expertise, and their proven commitment to the quality, speed, safety and reliability of the technology solutions they provide," said Dr. Hong I. Wan, Tallac Therapeutics president, CEO and co-founder.

Selexis’ modular SUREtechnology Platform facilitates the rapid, stable, and cost-effective production of recombinant proteins and vaccines, providing seamless integration of the development continuum from discovery to commercialization.

NeoImmuneTech Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 2a Portion of Basket Study Evaluating NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in Relapsed/Refractory Advanced Solid Tumors

On March 23, 2021 NeoImmuneTech, Inc. (KOSDAQ: 950220), a clinical-stage T cell-focused biopharmaceutical company, reported the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 2a portion of a Phase 1b/2a clinical trial evaluating NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa), a novel T cell amplifier, in combination with Merck’s anti-PD-1 therapy KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory advanced solid tumors (Press release, NeoImmuneTech, MAR 23, 2021, View Source [SID1234577049]).

The Phase 2a portion of this study will enroll up to 150 patients and will explore the preliminary anti-tumor activity of the combination therapy both in patients who have been treated with a checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) for triple-negative breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, or small cell lung cancer, and CPI-naïve patients with microsatellite stable colorectal cancer or pancreatic cancer.

"We are excited to quickly advance to the Phase 2a portion of this important clinical trial to further evaluate this combination treatment in patients with a variety of advanced solid tumors," said NgocDiep Le, M.D., Ph.D., Executive VP and Chief Medical Officer of NeoImmuneTech. "We have great confidence in the combination of NT-I7, as a T cell amplifier, with CPI therapies like KEYTRUDA to improve clinical outcomes and become a viable treatment option for many cancer patients, with either CPI-responsive or CPI-resistant tumors."

The results of this study will be used to guide further clinical development of this combination in select tumor types.

More information on this trial can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT04332653

KEYTRUDA is a registered trademark of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA.

About NT-I7

NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) is the only clinical-stage long-acting human IL-7, and is being developed in oncologic and immunologic indications, where T cell amplification and increased functionality may provide clinical benefit. IL-7 is a fundamental cytokine for naïve and memory T cell development and for sustaining immune response to chronic antigens (as in cancer) or foreign antigens (as in infectious diseases). NT-I7 exhibits favorable PK/PD and safety profiles, making it an ideal combination partner. NT-I7 is being studied in multiple clinical trials in solid tumors and as vaccine adjuvant. Studies are being planned for testing in hematologic malignancies, additional solid tumors and other immunology-focused indications.

Immunome Advances Its Proprietary Antibody Against IL-38, a Novel Innate Immune Checkpoint, into IND-enabling Studies

On March 23, 2021 Immunome, Inc. (Nasdaq: IMNM), a biopharmaceutical company utilizing a proprietary human memory B cell platform to discover and develop first-in-class antibody therapeutics, reported that it advanced its first oncology program into IND-enabling studies and anticipates filing an IND in the second half of 2021 (Press release, Immunome, MAR 23, 2021, View Source [SID1234577048]).

The IL-38 target was identified through the interrogation of a B cell sample from a head and neck cancer patient using the Immunome discovery engine. IL-38 appears to function as a novel innate immune checkpoint, secreted by tumors to inhibit myeloid cell activation and dampen innate anti-tumor immunity. A correlation between high IL-38 expression and poor clinical outcomes in lung cancer was noted in a recent published study (Takada et al., PLoS One, 2018).

Purnanand Sarma, PhD, CEO of Immunome, said, "We are very excited to advance our lead oncology program targeting IL-38, a novel innate immune checkpoint that appears to inhibit infiltration and pro-inflammatory activity of innate immune cells. Our analysis of publicly available data (The Cancer Genome Atlas) further confirms that IL-38 is over-expressed in certain tumors with high unmet clinical need, such as carcinomas of the head, neck and lung and that its expression appears to be correlated to reduced infiltration of innate immune cells."

Dr. Anthony Tolcher, MD, FRCPC, medical oncologist and co-founder of NEXT Oncology as well as a member of Immunome’s Scientifc Advisory Board, said, "Agents targeting the innate immune system, specifically myeloid biology, represent novel approaches in the treatment of solid tumors. Immunome’s target, IL-38, appears to play a key role in keeping the tumor microenvironment immunologically unresponsive, and reversing this dampened immunity may lead to favorable treatment modalities, especially in high unmet medical need diseases where it is overexpressed. I am excited to see this agent moving into IND-enabling studies and head towards the clinic."