Cancer therapies can eliminate specific tumors based on their genetic content. However, some cancer cells survive. How do they do it? Part of the answer lies in extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA), an ace up the tumors’ sleeve to adapt and evade attack. Three simultaneous studies in the journal Nature lay all the cards on the table, revealing ecDNAs’ content, their origin, their inheritance, their influence in cancer, and a way to combat them. Read More
Ifast Diagnostics Ltd. raised $6.5 million (£5 million) in seed funding to bring its rapid Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (AST) platform to the market. The company’s technology is vital in the fight against antimicrobial resistance and the funds will be used to conduct clinical trials to get the product to the market in the U.K., U.S. and EU, CEO Toby King, told BioWorld. Read More
Ideaya Biosciences Inc. has exercised its option for an exclusive worldwide license for Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co. Ltd.’s B7H3/PTK7 topo-I-payload bispecific antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), BCG-034 (IDE-034), and nominated it as a development candidate. Read More
At the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) meeting that ended yesterday in Houston, Dragonfly Therapeutics Inc. reported the first preclinical data on DF-6215, an alpha-active IL-2-Fc, for cancer immunotherapy. Read More
Evolveimmune Therapeutics Inc. has unveiled EVOLVE-205, a new 2:1 T-cell engager targeting CD20 with integrated affinity-tuned CD3 and CD2 agonists to promote anti-B-cell immunity. Read More
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has launched its Institute for Cell Therapy Discovery & Innovation, which seeks to build upon MD Anderson clinical and research expertise to advance impactful cell therapies. Read More
Scientists at Meta Pharmaceutical (HK) Ltd. and Shenzhen Moyuan Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. have disclosed lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, allergy, among others. Read More
Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) combine monoclonal antibody-targeting capabilities with the cytotoxic effect of conjugated drug payloads. However, there is a need for enhanced strategies to overcome restricted therapeutic window or unacceptable off-target effects. Read More
Lysoway Therapeutics Inc. has synthesized mucolipin-1 (MCOLN1; TRPML1) activators reported to be useful for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, aging, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and type C Niemann-Pick disease. Read More
Shouyao Holdings (Beijing) Co. Ltd. has identified menin (MEN1)/KMT2A (MLL) interaction inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer. Read More
KAT6 is a histone lysine acetyl transferase involved in the epigenetic regulation of oncogenes and it is often dysregulated in cancer, including breast cancer. Inhibiting KAT6 blocks the transcription of genes such as ESR1 and CCND1 and the use of KAT6 inhibitors together with endocrine therapy and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapy may enhance the effectiveness in cancer. Read More
Setonix Pharmaceuticals has described peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) modulators reported to be useful for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, metabolic syndrome, obesity, viral infection, cancer, lipid metabolism and glucose metabolism disorders. Read More
Researchers from Zymeworks Inc. recently reported preclinical data for ZW-220, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) consisting of humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting sodium-dependent phosphate transport protein 2B (SLC34A2, NaPi2b) conjugated to a topoisomerase I inhibitor, being developed for the treatment of cancer. Read More
Nonselective poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have shown antitumoral activity, but they are tied to hematotoxicity, most probably due to PARP2 inhibition. Instead, selective PARP inhibitors retain antitumoral activity without risking PARP2-related toxicity. Read More
