Merck KGaA has prepared and tested new antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) comprising monoclonal antibodies targeting sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein 2B (SLC34A2; NaPi-2b) linked to exatecan through a β-glucuronidase cleavable linker. They are described as potentially useful for the treatment of ovarian and non-small-cell lung cancer.
Shanghai Apeiron Biotechnology Co. Ltd. has reported selenium-containing heterocyclic compounds acting as DNA polymerase theta (POLθ, POLQ) inhibitors potentially useful for the treatment of cancer.
In a recent publication in iScience, researchers from Peking University First Hospital investigated the therapeutic potential of SLC7A11 CAR T therapy for solid tumors, particularly colorectal and pancreatic cancers.
Dewpoint Therapeutics Inc. has announced an IND in the U.S. for DPTX-3186, a first-in-class oral condensate modulator designed to selectively disrupt oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin signaling in tumors. Dosing is set to begin before year-end in a phase I/II trial conducted in partnership with cancer centers and opinion leaders in gastric and other Wnt-driven cancers.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer, with a 5-year relative survival rate of only 13%. To understand cell fate decisions and progression in PDAC, it is crucial to clarify the communication networks between tumor cells.
Durable reprogramming of human T cells may now be possible thanks to a new technique based on the CRISPRoff and CRISPRon methodology. Researchers from the Arc Institute, Gladstone Institutes, and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) have stably silenced or activated genes in this type of immune cell without cutting or altering its DNA, making T cells more resistant, active, and effective against tumors.
Alterome Therapeutics Inc. has identified new RAC-α serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT1; PKB-α) E17K mutant)inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Onkure Therapeutics Inc. has disclosed new phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, congenital lipomatous overgrowth, vascular malformations, epidermal naevi and skeletal abnormalities and scoliosis (CLOVES syndrome) and PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum.
Excessive signaling by platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)-α, a transmembrane tyrosine kinase, helps drive the rapid angiogenesis that many types of tumor cells need in order to proliferate and metastasize.
Kivu Bioscience Inc. has released new preclinical efficacy and safety data on KIVU-107, a novel PTK7-targeting antibody-drug conjugate with a DAR4 exatecan payload. KIVU-107 is designed to be highly stable in circulation with negligible free payload release, maximizing on-tumor activity while minimizing off-target toxicity.