SML Biopharm Co. Ltd. is harnessing mRNA technology to develop novel immunotherapy-based cancer vaccines, including two candidates for cervical and head and neck cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

Lung cancer is the most frequent cause of cancer-related death in both men and women worldwide. Current treatments can fail because of variable responses in different types of patients, drug resistance, poor tumor penetration and systemic toxicity, prompting the continuing search for better therapeutics.

Aussie researchers have used CRISPR gene editing tools to “armor” chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to activate additional cancer-fighting proteins at the tumor site, enabling them to target cancer cells in solid tumors.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies, primarily due to its dense, desmoplastic and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that hinders the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors such as anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1).

Innocare Pharma Ltd. has obtained IND approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to initiate a clinical trial of the B7-H3 targeted antibody-drug conjugate.

Brightpath Biotherapeutics Co. Ltd.’s iPS cell-derived BCMA CAR-natural killer T cell therapy candidate has been awarded orphan drug designation by the FDA for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

A recent study published in the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer has revealed a promising new approach for the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive and incurable form of primary brain cancer.

A newly developed oncolytic virus, SKV-012, has demonstrated promising results in preclinical studies and a phase I clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG has selected a third oncology drug candidate to advance into IND-enabling studies under its ongoing collaboration with Oxford Biotherapeutics Ltd.