Many cancers involve upregulation of Aurora kinase B, which helps deregulate normal cell cycling to drive tumor proliferation. The kinase should therefore be a good therapeutic target, yet no small-molecular inhibitor has been clinically approved despite more than two decades of effort.
CDR-Life Inc. has announced CDR-609 as its next clinical candidate. Built on the company’s proprietary M-gager platform, CDR-609 is a novel T-cell engager targeting LGR5, a surface antigen widely expressed on common solid tumors, including colorectal, gastric, liver and pancreatic cancers.
Colorectal cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Recent advancements in immunotherapy have demonstrated the potential of targeting immune checkpoints and co-inhibitory pathways to enhance antitumor responses.
Silexion Therapeutics Corp. has released preclinical data demonstrating the efficacy of its next-generation RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutic candidate, SIL-204, against human pancreatic, colorectal and lung cancer cell lines.
To overcome the current limitations of antitumor immunotherapy, in situ vaccine platforms based on intelligent microbes are gaining increased attention due to their ability to sustainably deliver drugs locally without causing severe systemic risks.
ALX Oncology Holdings Inc. is set to begin phase I studies around the middle of this year with ALX-2004, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) for the treatment of EGFR-expressing solid tumors, following IND clearance last month.
Microsatellite instability (MSI), which results from defects in the DNA mismatch repair system, is an important biomarker in colorectal cancer. While the MSI-high (MSI-H) status predicts response to pembrolizumab, a commonly used immune checkpoint inhibitor in metastatic colorectal cancer, a subset of MSI-H patients still does not respond to this treatment.
UTR Therapeutics Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA for UTRxM1-18, a novel therapeutic approach for targeting c-MYC-driven cancers. Pending approval, a first-in-human phase I trial is slated to begin next year.
Safeheal SAS raised €35 million (US$39.72 million) in an oversubscribed series C financing round for its temporary endoluminal fecal bypass system, Colovac, which is placed in the colon following colorectal resection. The funds will be used to complete an investigational device exemption pivotal study and speed up preparation for commercial launch of the device.
Shanghai Yiweikang Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has divulged camptothecin derivatives acting as DNA topoisomerase I inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.