The U.S. FDA advised Agenus Inc. to conduct a phase III trial for its immunotherapy combination, botensilimab (bot) and balstilimab (bal), instead of seeking accelerated approval based on phase II data, sending company shares plunging by 58.8% July 18.
Gossamer Bio Inc. has divulged diacylglycerol kinase α (DGK-α) and/or diacylglycerol kinase ζ (DGK-ζ) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and viral infections.
LG Chem Ltd. has identified macrophage stimulating 1 receptor (MST1R; RON) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer and immunological disorders.
Chengdu Easton Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. has synthesized oxalamide derivatives acting as protein arginine N-methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Tumor cells use metabolic reprogramming for their survival and to fuel and boost their proliferation. Only 15% of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) benefit from immune checkpoint blockade therapy, mainly due to tumor microenvironment changes to promote CD8+ T-cell exhaustion and inactivation allowing tumor cells to escape from immunity.
Transposable elements (TEs) are DNA sequences involved in the epigenetic regulation of tumors. KDM1A is an epigenetic regulator overexpressed in liver cancer that suppresses the methylation of histone H3 Lys4 (H3K4) in liver-TEs and as a result, HNF4A expression is silenced and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth is promoted.
Mutations in the metabolic enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) induce tumorigenesis due to generation of the oncometabolite (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate (R-2HG). A hallmark of solid tumors carrying mutations in IDH1 is immune evasion by T-cell exclusion and altered epigenetic state. Researchers from the Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital have published a study in Science on July 12, 2024, in which they demonstrate that inhibiting mutant IDH1 restored antitumoral immunity.
As the “most concrete achievement” since its entry into the radiopharmaceutical therapy space last year, SK Biopharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. picked up rights to Full-Life Technologies Ltd.’s RPT asset, FL-091, in a deal fetching up to $571.5 million.
Sotio Biotech AS and Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. are partnering to discover antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) via an option and license agreement worth up to $325.5 million plus sales royalties. The deal grants Sotio of Prague, Czech Republic, the option to license multiple fully human bispecific antibodies generated with Biocytogen’s Renlite platform, which Sotio will use to develop next-generation ADCs targeting solid tumors.
RSS
