The traps that neutrophils develop against microorganisms also hold T cells and prevent the success of immunotherapy in pancreatic cancer. To free the immune system from itself, scientists at the Istituto Oncologico Veneto in Italy made a key that unlocked this sticky dungeon from an antibody against arginase-1 (ARG1), an enzyme also present in the trap.
The NMPA accepted a BLA from Astellas Pharma Inc. for enfortumab vedotin, which is designed for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who previously received treatment with a PD-1/L1 inhibitor and platinum-based chemotherapy. “In China, there were nearly 86,000 new cases of bladder cancer in 2020, and we are working with the NMPA to seek approval for enfortumab vedotin for patients with advanced stage disease,” said Ahsan Arozullah, senior vice president and head of development therapeutic areas at Astellas.
Optimism for the GoCAR-T program had perked somewhat after a mid-February update, but hopes were definitively dashed as Bellicum Pharmaceuticals Inc. made known March 15 its decision to quit the phase I/II study testing two prospects in heavily pretreated cancer. The Houston-based firm’s stock (NASDAQ:BLCM) closed at 43 cents, down 50%, as Wall Street reacted to news regarding the study, designed to test GoCAR-T cell prospects BPX-601 and BPX-603 when combined with the activating agent rimiducid, a lipid-permeable tacrolimus analogue.
Human trophoblastic cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) is upregulated in cancers compared to normal tissues. Researchers from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center recently aimed to assess the clinical significance of Trop2 in small bowel adenocarcinoma (SBA).
Bladder small-cell carcinoma can be divided into different subtypes depending on the expression of neuroendocrine (NE) markers such as POU2F3, NEUROD1 and ASCL1. Single-cell RNA sequencing previously found a distinct subpopulation with high expression of 1-phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate phosphodiesterase gamma-2 (PLCG2) with pro-metastatic features and poor prognosis. The aim of a newer study was to evaluate the expression of PLCG2 in bladder NE tumors and correlate it with prognostic utility.
Suzhou Genhouse Bio Co. Ltd. has prepared and tested new histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, asthma, Alzheimer’s diseases, diabetes, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis and psoriasis, among others.
A recent Nurix Therapeutics Inc. patent describes proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) comprising a cereblon (CRBN) E3 ubiquitin ligase-binding moiety coupled to interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) targeting moiety via a linker reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, metabolic diseases and inflammatory disorders.
Eureka Therapeutics Inc. has entered into a license agreement with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop and commercialize a novel antibody targeting mesothelin (MSLN) in combination with Eureka's proprietary Artemis T-cell receptor platform.
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