Elpiscience Biopharma Ltd.’s ES-005 is a new high-affinity monoclonal antibody (MAb) that blocks human lymphocyte-activated gene 3 (LAG3) from binding to several ligands, such as major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II), liver and lymph node sinusoidal endothelial cell C-type lectin (L SECtin) and fibrinogen like 1 (FGL1).
Biotheus Inc. has entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Hansoh Pharmaceuticals (Hansoh Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd.) for Biotheus' EGFR/MET bispecific antibody PM-1080 in Greater China, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Researchers from Aligos Therapeutics Inc. have described the discovery of novel liver-targeted oral PD-L1 small-molecule inhibitors for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B and liver cancers.
CD39 has an essential role in converting extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP; pro-inflammatory) into adenosine monophosphate (AMP; anti-inflammatory). Preventing the action of CD39 in the tumor microenvironment would increase levels of ATP, causing myeloid cell activation and improvement of tumor control.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment reduced levels of estrogen and important heart-protective proteins, researchers reported in the Nov. 2, 2022, online edition of Science Translational Medicine. Hormone therapies could target this endocrine-cardiac-immune pathway and mitigate myocarditis risk without affecting treatment responses.
Kinimmune Inc. has received US$400,000 in funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its phase I STTR application to advance the preclinical development of KIN-102, an immunostimulant for intratumoral injection that is designed to turn cold tumors hot for synergy with immuno-oncology drugs, such as checkpoint inhibitors.
MGFB, a subsidiary of Fairwinds Bio, has entered into a patent license agreement with Mayo Clinic to advance experimental cancer vaccine therapeutics based on a novel platform developed at Mayo.
Targeted therapies and immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment in recent years. However, achieving durable responses and, ultimately, curing metastatic cancers driven by intracellular oncogenes remains a primary unmet medical need. Although fragments of intracellular oncoproteins can act as neoantigens presented by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), recognizing the typically minimal differences between oncoproteins and their normal counterparts makes this approach quite challenging.