Immutep Ltd. announced strong median overall survival of 17.6 months in cohort B of the TACTI-003 (Keynote-PNC-34) phase IIb trial that evaluated eftilagimod alfa in combination with Merck & Co.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as first-line therapy in recurrent/metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in patients with PD-L1 expression below 1.

Human papillomavirus (HPV), particularly the high-risk HPV16 subtype, is a major driver of certain cancers, including cervical, oropharyngeal, anal and penile cancers. The E6 and E7 proteins produced by HPV16 are known to play critical roles in the development of these malignancies, making them attractive targets for therapeutic interventions.

Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are often co-expressed in the tumor microenvironment. The combination of anti-PD-1 and anti-VEGF agents has been evaluated in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, with promising results from agents like ivonescimab, a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody.

Among three Korean biotech companies slated to sell shares on the Korea Exchange this month, Immuneoncia Therapeutics Inc. is the latest to price a ₩33.9 billion (US$24 million) Kosdaq IPO for May 19. Regenerative cell therapy maker Organoid Sciences Ltd. and antibody-drug conjugate specialist Intocell Inc. are also gearing up for respective Kosdaq listings starting next week.

The leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15 (LRRC15) is a cell surface protein involved in cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, with limited expression in normal tissues.

The use of mimicking antibodies that activate death receptors (DRs) to selectively induce cell death in cancer cells has shown limited clinical success so far, primarily due to suboptimal efficacy and safety concerns, particularly hepatotoxicity. Emerging strategies to enhance efficacy include the development of bispecific antibodies that simultaneously target DRs and tumor-specific antigens.