Conferences

Pharma industry faces long haul to get return on investment from AI

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Artificial intelligence tools are springing up at multiple points along drug discovery and development, but despite the hype, as yet there is minimal return on investment (ROI). “I would say a lot of companies sort of get this big excitement about AI, but then when you look at how much ROI they get, it’s actually very little. And that’s because the workflow and the process, end-to-end, isn’t mapped to really understand where AI can truly make an impact,” said Laura Matz, chief science and technology officer at Merck KGaA.

BGB-58067 exerts relevant antitumor activity in MTAP-deficient tumors

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Homozygous deletion of methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), present in ~15% of tumors, leads to accumulation of methylthioadenosine and partial inhibition of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), creating a synthetic-lethal vulnerability that sensitizes tumors to PRMT5-targeted therapies. Researchers from Beone Medicines Ltd. presented preclinical efficacy data of BGB-58067, an MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor, in models of tumors with MTAP-deficiency.

Pfizer presents auristatin S ADC for GPNMB tumors

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

An advantage of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) is that they allow targeted delivery of cytotoxic agents into tumors, thus improving the therapeutic index. Pfizer Inc. has developed a new ADC, PF-08046033, that contains auristatin S (AurS) as the cytotoxic payload and targets transmembrane glycoprotein NMB (GPNMB).

KHN-702 as a potent nonopioid analgesic

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Chengdu Kanghong Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. is developing a nonopioid Nav1.8 inhibitor, KHN-702. The effects of KHN-702 were evaluated both in vitro and in vivo, in a plantar incision pain model, and results were presented at the recent American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago.

NEO-811 overcomes HIF resistance in renal cancer

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Neomorph Inc.’s NEO-811 is a molecular glue degrader designed to induce targeted degradation of ARNT and suppress this signaling pathway implicated in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). Targeting ARNT offers a complementary strategy to broadly disrupt oncogenic HIF signaling in ccRCC.

Detecting the invisible: minimal residual disease at AACR 2026

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Minimal residual disease (MRD) has become a central concept in modern oncology, reshaping how clinicians evaluate response, relapse risk and treatment precision. As increasingly sensitive technologies reveal traces of cancer that persist after therapy, MRD is emerging as both a biological challenge and a clinical opportunity, especially as new data illuminate its complexity across hematologic and solid tumors. This topic was addressed at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.

Pharma industry faces long haul to get return on investment from AI

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

INCA-036873 appears to be potent in CD70-expressing cancer

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Incyte Corp. has developed and presented data for their CD70xCD3 bispecific antibody INCA-036873, which was designed to activate T cells and kill tumoral cells expressing CD70.

Synendos’ first-in-class SERI effective in models of anxiety

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

At the recently concluded meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, Synendos Therapeutics AG reported preclinical data from the pharmacological characterization of SYT-510, which is the first selective endocannabinoid reuptake inhibitor (SERI) to enter the clinic for the potential treatment of disorders affecting the CNS, such as anxiety or movement disorders. A new class of endocannabinoid system (ECS) modulators, SERIs potently and selectively inhibit endocannabinoid reuptake to help the ECS restore normal brain function under disease conditions.

AACR 2026: The age of agentic AI in oncology

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) for drug development are transforming biomedical research by replacing or complementing animal models. More than 90% of experimental compounds fail in clinical trials, underscoring the need for strategies that better capture human biology. Many of these techniques were showcased at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting.

Akeso sets durability bar as immuno-oncology 2.0 race heats up

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Akeso Pharmaceuticals Inc. has raised the bar for next-generation immuno-oncology, reporting more than 23 months median overall survival in pancreatic cancer with its PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody cadonilimab, as emerging competitors begin to post earlier signals across solid tumors at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in San Diego April 17 to 22.

Netrin-1 inhibitor blocks chemo resistance in pancreatic cancer

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Netris Pharma SA has delivered positive phase Ib data showing its first-in-class netrin-1 inhibitor NP-137 alleviates resistance to chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer. This could represent an important advance in treating these tumors, which are notoriously resistant to chemotherapy.

Revolution rocks on with first-line PDAC data at AACR

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

And the positive news continues to flow for Revolution Medicines Inc. On the heels of a successful phase III trial for RAS inhibitor daraxonrasib in previously treated patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) – not to mention the firm pricing the largest follow-on offering in biopharma history – Revolution presented updated phase I/II data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting detailing impressive findings in first-line PDAC patients.

Walking the talk, Kyverna phase II stiffens miv-cel CAR T case

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Optimism rose for what could be the first CAR T therapy in autoimmune disease as Kyverna Therapeutics Inc. made public a positive primary analysis from its registrational trial, KYSA-8, of mivocabtagene autoleucel (miv-cel, KYV-101) in stiff-person syndrome. Kyverna plans to submit a BLA to the U.S. FDA in the first half of this year.

Cymirafen ADC exerts antitumor activity in ovarian cancer

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Cymirafen is a novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) from the University of California that targets leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 4 (LGR4)/LGR5/LGR6 and is composed of a potent cytotoxic payload, monomethyl auristatin E (MMAE), plus an Fc domain fused to the receptor binding domain of RSPO1.

Cogent Biosciences reports selective pan-KRAS inhibitor CGT-1263

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Researchers from Cogent Biosciences Inc. presented the preclinical profile of CGT-1263, a pan-KRAS-directed compound that binds both ON and OFF KRAS conformations without affecting HRAS or NRAS.

Elpiscience’s bispecific antibody ES-302 reduces disease activity in IBD model

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Researchers from Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals Inc. hypothesized that dual targeting of the TL1A/DR3 and IL-23 signaling pathways with a single bispecific antibody would exert superior efficacy by reshaping the immune landscape in disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The company has developed a bispecific antibody targeting both TL1A/DR3 and IL-23p19 – ES-302 – for the treatment of IBD.

K-Vax shows broad protection across circulating K. pneumoniae strains

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Klebsiella pneumoniae and Acinetobacter baumannii are both major contributors to the global antimicrobial resistance crisis, causing rapidly progressive and often severe infections. Researchers from Vaxdyn SL and collaborators presented efficacy data for K-Vax, an inactivated, LPS-null whole-cell A. baumannii-based vaccine engineered to display conserved K. pneumoniae outer-membrane proteins on the bacterial cell surface.

Xuanzhu shares dip despite phase III ALK inhibitor data

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Xuanzhu Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. reported positive data from a local phase III study of dirozalkib (Xuan Fei Ning), an ALK inhibitor approved in China to treat patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Early data position Junshi in next-gen immuno-oncology race

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co. Ltd reported early clinical signals across its next-generation immuno-oncology pipeline, including response rates of up to 71% in metastatic colorectal cancer and 45.5% in hepatocellular carcinoma, at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in San Diego.

EIK-1005 targets WRN-driven synthetic vulnerability

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Selective inhibition of Werner syndrome helicase (WRN) has been shown to trigger extensive DNA damage and cell death specifically in microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) cancers, highlighting WRN as a tumor-selective target with potential for precision oncology approaches beyond immunotherapy. Researchers from Eikon Therapeutics Inc. presented the preclinical profile of EIK-1005, a WRN inhibitor.

XPC-837 restores network dysfunction in Dravet syndrome models

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Researchers from Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. described the preclinical efficacy of XPC-837 in models of Dravet syndrome, a severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathy most commonly caused by de novo loss of function mutations in the SCN1A gene.

ASO targeting SNCA p.A53T shows promise in Parkinson’s

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. presented data this week at the annual American Academy of Neurology conference regarding allele-specific antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) that specifically target the mutant p.A53T allele from the SNCA gene while preserving the expression of the wild-type allele. The mutant allele is associated with increased risk of early-onset Parkinson’s disease (PD) and current ASOs target SNCA regardless of its mutation status.

Ipsen’s IPN-01203 is potent T-cell activator

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Despite the success of immunotherapy, it is still limited due to the poor control of which T cells are activated and how strong and how long they are activated. Next-generation T-cell activators should address this limitation by engagement of selective T-cell subsets, allowing stronger control and durable responses. Ipsen SA has presented data regarding their T-cell activator IPN-01203, which is bispecific and selective for Vβ6 and Vβ10 (Vβ6/10) TCR-expressing T cells, alongside with IL-15 receptor coactivation.

At AACR: Epigenetic fingerprints in metastases track tumor origin

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

When a tumor migrates and colonizes another tissue or organ, it can be identified as a metastasis, but its origin is not always clear. Now, a study based on machine learning has identified DNA-methylation patterns that reveal the type of tissue a cancer comes from when the primary tumor cannot be found. This technique could help guide more specific treatments for patients with cancers of unknown primary, who today often receive broad, nontargeted chemotherapy.

Xuanzhu shares dip despite phase III ALK inhibitor data

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Whole genome sequencing unveils blood cancer trajectory

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0400

A new study tracking the genomic evolution of chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms has shown that progression to myelofibrosis or acute myeloid leukemia is encoded in mutations that occur years before the transformation is clinically evident.

AACR 2026: JMKX-005425 shows robust activity in MSI-H solid tumors

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Recent evidence has pointed toward Werner syndrome helicase (WRN) as an attractive target for the management of microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors, including colorectal, gastric and endometrial cancer mainly.

Merck & Co. prepares and tests new IL4I1 inhibitors

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Recent evidence has suggested that secreted L-amino-acid oxidase, also known as interleukin-4-induced protein 1 (IL4I1), is involved in aromatic amino acid metabolism, as a key immunosuppressive enzyme expressed by tumor-associated myeloid cells, thus suppressing T-cell activation and proliferation within the tumor microenvironment.

Peptide GFRAL/RET antagonists against GDF15-induced effects of chemotherapy

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:00:00 -0400

Syracuse University recently presented a comprehensive preclinical program describing the rational design and optimization of peptide antagonists targeting the GDF15/GFRAL/RET receptor complex to mitigate nausea, emesis, anorexia and wasting associated with chemotherapy-induced stress signaling.