Lantern Pharma Inc. has presented new data on their novel acylfulvene compound LP-184 as a DNA-damaging agent that induces DNA double-strand breaks (DNA DSBs) in cancer cells and may activate immune responses by activation of the cGAS/STING pathway.
Researchers from Mustbio Co. Ltd. and Chung-Ang University have presented the discovery and preclinical characterization of MB-2033, a novel bispecific fusion protein being developed for the treatment of cancer.
Cellular immunotherapy is the Lamine Yamal of cancer therapy. It is easy to forget how young the field is – and that as stunning as it is to watch in action already, it is still reaching its full potential. One aspect of doing so is working in a broader range of tumor types. The field made a giant step toward that goal with last week’s approval of Tecelra (afamitresgene autoleucel, Adaptimmune Therapeutics plc), the first CAR T cell to be approved for treatment of a solid tumor.
Umoja Biopharma Inc. has received clearance from the FDA to begin a first-in-human trial of its CAR T product UB-VV111. The company expects to dose the first patient by the end of 2024.
LTZ Therapeutics Inc. has completed a series A financing of more than $20 million to advance the development of its myeloid engager pipeline to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases. The closing of this round brings LTZ’s total funding to about $50 million.
Zymeworks Inc. has received IND clearance from the FDA for ZW-191, the company’s novel folate receptor-α (FRα)-targeted topoisomerase I (TOPO1) inhibitor antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). Clinical development is set to begin this year, with filings to initiate studies outside the U.S. to be made in the second half of this year.
An article by Daiichi Sankyo Co. Ltd. scientists reports data from a study designed to assess the potential of combining pharmacological inhibition of hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) with programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) blockade as a novel strategy to enhance antitumor immunity against tumors with low antigenicity.
Ipsen SA and Foreseen Technology (Beijing) Co. Ltd. have entered into an exclusive global licensing agreement for FS-001, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets a novel tumor-associated antigen highly expressed across a range of solid tumors that was identified through the application of Foreseen’s proprietary proteomic platforms.
As PD-L1 and CD73 are both overexpressed in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and inhibiting CD73 has been shown to enhance anti-PD-L1 efficacy, dual-targeting of PD-L1 and CD73 has emerged as a feasible strategy in the oncolytic field.