Some strategies seek to alter molecular mechanisms that can redirect the programmed death of tumor cells. If you can’t selectively eliminate them or stop their proliferation, ask them to die, but don’t tell any other cells. That is the idea proposed by a group of researchers participating in a Chinese-American collaboration for the design of the new drug N6F11. In a mouse model, the compound caused death by ferroptosis only of cancer cells without altering immune cells.
Researchers from Genequantum Healthcare (Suzhou) Co. Ltd. have presented the first preclinical data on GQ-1007, an antibody immune agonist conjugate (AIAC) targeting HER2, for the treatment of cancer. GQ-1007 is an anti-HER2 antibody conjugated via Genequantum’s highly stable linker and enzymatic conjugation technology to a Toll-like receptor 7/8 (TLR7/8) agonist.
Demand for its COVID-19 vaccine might be declining, but Biontech SE is putting its revenue to good use, picking up rights to a bispecific antibody candidate from Biotheus Inc. in exchange for $55 million up front and potentially more than $1 billion in development, regulatory and sales milestones.
Chong Kun Dang Pharmaceutical Corp. has described histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, inflammation, neurodegeneration, autoimmune and neurological disorders.
Biolexis Therapeutics Inc. has divulged CDK9/cyclin T1 inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune disease.
Briacell Therapeutics Corp. has received IND clearance from the FDA to begin clinical studies with Bria-OTS, the first generation of the company’s personalized off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy for breast cancer.
CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd.’s SYS-6011 has been cleared by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to enter clinical trials in China for solid tumors.
At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s annual meeting, researchers from Tallac Therapeutics Inc. reported the discovery of TAC-003, a novel Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist and Nectin-4-specific antibody conjugate, being developed as cancer immunotherapy candidate.
Scientists at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have designed a group of synthetic molecules that could prevent the rejection of allogeneic cell transplants. Their strategy consisted of activating the immune checkpoints of different populations of immune cells from the cell surface, but avoiding the cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells and macrophages that would destroy the transplanted cells.
Kymera Therapeutics Inc.’s KT-333 new phase I data, while early in the STAT3 targeted protein degrader’s development, showed results that cheered the company’s stock. It didn’t hurt that the company also took in a $40 million milestone from partner Sanofi SA in their collaboration to develop the IRAK4 degrader KT-474.
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