Researchers from Zymeworks Inc. recently reported preclinical data for ZW-220, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) consisting of humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein 2B (SLC34A2, NaPi2b) conjugated to a topoisomerase I inhibitor, being developed for the treatment of cancer.

KAT6 is a histone lysine acetyl transferase involved in the epigenetic regulation of oncogenes and it is often dysregulated in cancer, including breast cancer. Inhibiting KAT6 blocks the transcription of genes such as ESR1 and CCND1 and the use of KAT6 inhibitors together with endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy may enhance the effectiveness in cancer.

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine monoclonal antibody-targeting capabilities with the cytotoxic effect of conjugated drug payloads. However, there is a need for enhanced strategies to overcome restricted therapeutic window or unacceptable off-target effects.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has launched its Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, which seeks to build upon MD Anderson clinical and research expertise to advance impactful cell therapies.

At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) meeting that ended yesterday in Houston, Dragonfly Therapeutics Inc. reported the first preclinical data on DF-6215, an alpha-active IL-2-Fc, for cancer immunotherapy.

Ideaya Biosciences Inc. has exercised its option for an exclusive worldwide license for Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co. Ltd.’s B7H3/PTK7 topo-I-payload bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), BCG-034 (IDE-034), and nominated it as a development candidate.

Cancer therapies can eliminate specific tumors based on their genetic content. However, some cancer cells survive. How do they do it? Part of the answer lies in extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), an ace up the tumors’ sleeve to adapt and evade attack. Three simultaneous studies in the journal Nature lay all the cards on the table, revealing ecDNAs’ content, their origin, their inheritance, their influence in cancer, and a way to combat them.

University of Auckland senior research fellow Jeff Smaill first visited China in 2012 as part of a team of 15 scientists from the Maurice Wilkins Center, one of New Zealand’s centers of excellence, to meet with scientists at the Guangzhou Institute of Medicine and Health to find partners to collaborate on drug development projects. The scientists started collaborating that year, and the first project is already in phase I trials in China. It was a joint discovery and development partnership from the beginning, he said.

While the size of the market is enormous, drug development and treatments for women’s health care still lag behind what is offered for men. There has been a renaissance in the past few years, however, led by investors and companies that have wrestled with determining exactly what encompasses women’s health and how to meet its challenges.