Researchers from the MD Anderson Cancer Center presented data from a study that assessed the tumor microenvironment (TME) of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) with the aim of identifying novel therapeutic targets for ACC.
Targeting the adenosine A2A receptor, a critical mediator of immunosuppression on the tumor microenvironment, has emerged as a strategy to improve cancer immunotherapy, and several A2A receptor antagonists are under clinical evaluation both as monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors.
Twelve years on from spinning out of Philips Healthcare, Tagworks Pharmaceuticals BV has raised $65 million in a series A round to take a new generation of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) based on click chemistry into the clinic.
Immunoprecise Antibodies Ltd.'s Talem Therapeutics LLC subsidiary has entered into a research collaboration and exclusive option license agreement with Xyphos Biosciences Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc.
Previous studies have revealed that the microbiome plays a role in the development and progression of some cancers and gut microbiome has been linked with immune homeostasis as well as antitumor immune responses. In the current study, scientists at the University of California, Davis aimed to evaluate the intratumoral microbiome in patients with nonmetastatic soft tissue sarcoma (STS) undergoing neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RT) and surgery.
The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) in London is shifting the focus of drug discovery from molecular targets in cancer cells to take in the whole ecosystem supporting tumor growth, evolution and the development of resistance. The aim is to exploit new understanding of the way cancers evolve within the ecosystem of the body, the interaction between cancer cells and the immune system, and the reliance of a tumor on the tissue and growth signals that surround it. Manipulating this environment could make cancer cells become “extinct,” ICR researchers say.
Two studies published this week have reported new insights into the role of the nervous system in tumors outside of the brain. Researchers at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine have identified a role for pain-sensing neurons in helping oral carcinomas cope with nutrient starvation, and that this interaction could be blocked by the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-targeting migraine drug Nurtec ODT (rimegepant; Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd.).
Araris Biotech AG has raised $24 million in a second round of funding, as it completes preparations to take its lead antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) into the clinic. The company continues to accumulate preclinical data indicating its novel linker technology makes for an improved therapeutic index compared to approved ADCs, and the lead product is expected to begin clinical development next year.
Over the past decade cancer immunotherapy has redefined standard care in many kinds of tumor, but low response rates remain a problem and there have been some shock trial failures where checkpoint inhibitors have failed to work as expected. To help, Neobe Therapeutics Ltd. is attempting to tackle an important constituent of the tumor microenvironment, the extracellular matrix.
