Leukemic cells rely on excessive mitochondrial respiratory and energy metabolism. Therefore, targeting mitochondrial proteases has been proposed as a potential approach to improve therapeutic regimens for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The mitochondrial caseinolytic protease P (ClpP), located in the mitochondrial matrix, maintains protein quality by mediating the proteolytic hydrolysis of damaged proteins. The chaperone ClpX regulates this hydrolysis and is overexpressed in AML, thus providing a rationale for using ClpP agonists to disrupt AML proliferation.

Cytomed Therapeutics Ltd. has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hangzhou CNK Therapeutics Co. Ltd. allowing Cytomed to utilize CNK's Piggybac technology to permanently graft the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) gene into its γδ T cells via a non-viral gene editing method.

Ibio Inc. has announced promising in vivo data for three immuno-oncology candidates, anti-EGFRvIII, CCR8 and a bispecific TROP-2 x CD3, advancing these programs to clinical candidate selection stage.

Less than a week after approving Johnson & Johnson’s bispecific antibody, Talvey (talquetamab-tgvs), for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) under accelerated review, the U.S. FDA has followed suit with Pfizer Inc.’s equivalent, Elrexfio (elranatamab-bcmm). The accelerated clearance of Elrexfio – a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) bispecific antibody that targets BCMA on myeloma cells and the CD3 receptor on T cells – covers it for adult patients who have received at least four prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, an immunomodulatory agent and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.

Emerging from stealth mode, new immuno-oncology company Dotbio Pte. Ltd. closed an oversubscribed $5.6 million pre-series A round to accelerate development of its multifunctional and intracellular antibody therapies.

Oricell Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has become the latest Chinese biotech to advance an independently developed CAR T therapy, announcing Aug. 10 that China’s regulatory body gave IND approval for Oricar-017. Oricar-017 is the Shanghai-based biotech’s GPRC5D-directed CAR T therapy developed to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Biocity Biopharmaceutics Co. Ltd. is advancing its pipeline of differentiated, modality-independent therapeutics for oncology that include small molecules, monoclonal and bispecific antibodies, as well as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The Wuxi, China-headquartered company is focused on first-in-class molecules for different modalities that can be combined with other treatments, Biocity Co-founder and Executive Vice President Ivy Wang told BioWorld.

Kelun-Biotech Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd.’s trophoblast cell-surface antigen 2 (Trop2)-targeted antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), SKB-264, met the primary endpoint of progression-free survival (PFS) in a phase III trial in patients with unresectable locally advanced, recurrent or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), according to an interim analysis.