Rakuten Medical Inc. raised $100 million in a series F round to support late-stage clinical development of ASP-1929, its Alluminox-derived photoimmunotherapy being tested with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line treatment for recurrent head and neck cancer.
The sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus, which carpets the Caribbean seafloor, may hold the key to eliminating the senescent cells that survive cancer therapy. A collaboration led by Spanish scientists across several international research centers has discovered a new type of toxin that selectively eliminates senescent cancer cells.
Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) inhibitors have been reported in several Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. patents. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
The University of Washington has divulged antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) comprising an antibody targeting HER2 (erbB2) linked to monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE) through a linker. They are described as useful for the treatment of cancer.
The University of Michigan has disclosed pyrrolo[1,2-a]-azocine analogues acting as as inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) inhibitors. As such, they are reported to be potentially useful for the treatment of AIDS, cancer, infections, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, vascular disorders, inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases.
Copper is an essential trace element with critical roles in several biological processes; therefore, its levels are tightly regulated by multiple mechanisms. Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University (Guangzhou, China) and collaborators recently described the design of a series of novel copper ionophores with varying n-alkyl chain lengths.
Unlike patients with HER2+ tumors, there is an unmet clinical need for patients with HER2-low expression cancers, which are refractory to trastuzumab. Sanofi SA has developed TPP-45142, a T-cell engager consisting of two nanobody domains targeting HER2 and T-cell receptor (TCR) fused to an Fc region harboring the F234A and L235A mutations to inhibit effector function.
Negio Therapeutics NV has disclosed guanfacine derivatives acting as α2-adrenoceptor agonists. They are reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine (Japan) and collaborating institutions aimed to characterize the heterogeneity of myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma using the KPC mouse model.
D3 Bio Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for D3S‑003, enabling initiation of a first‑in‑human phase I trial in patients with advanced solid tumors harboring KRAS G12D mutations.