The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance Is Now Accepting Applications for its 2021 Prize for Early-Career, Radically Innovative Cancer Researchers

On October 5, 2020 The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance (PSSCRA) reported the opening of applications for its 2021 Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research (Press release, The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance, OCT 5, 2020, View Source [SID1234568114]). The prize of $200,000 per year for up to three years is awarded annually to at least six New York City area-based scientists. The prize empowers researchers to pursue innovative, high-risk/high-reward cancer research at a stage when traditional funding is lacking.

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"Science, social justice and the collective environmental conscience have never been as intertwined. Symbolizing the notion of infinity, our eighth year promises to reveal new insights and innovation in cancer research at a scale that is as broad as it is entangled: spanning the micro and the macro, the individual and the societal; the biologic and the synthetic," said Pershing Square Foundation Trustee Neri Oxman. "We look forward to reviewing radically innovative applications as we continue to grow our PSSCRA community."

Applicants must have between two and eight years of experience running their own laboratories by the award start date (July 2021), hold a PhD, MD or MD-PhD (or degree equivalent), and be affiliated with a research institution in the greater New York City area. The greater New York City area includes New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, Westchester County, New Jersey, and Western Connecticut (Fairfield and New Haven Counties). The deadline to submit a Letter of Intent is November 9, 2020. For more details on PSSCRA and the application process, including the full eligibility criteria, please visit: View Source

Now providing funding and support for 46 investigators at eleven academic research institutions, the highly competitive Prize underwrites the bold research of cancer scientists at a formative stage in their careers. In order to facilitate collaboration and innovation, each Prize winner is given access to leaders in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and the opportunity to present his or her work to scientific, business, and philanthropic audiences.

"As we embark on the eighth year of the Prize, we remain extremely impressed by the remarkable scientific talent in the NYC area. It is our goal to build a community of innovative and skilled individuals and to support their exploration of the most exciting and revolutionary ideas, especially during a time when scientific research is more pressing and vital than ever," said Olivia Tournay Flatto, PhD, President of The Pershing Square Foundation and Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance. "The future of the New York area’s life science research and industry relies on our ability to discover and support such new talent."

"The Pershing Square Sohn Prize is an immense honor for me and my team," said Britta Will, PhD, a 2020 Prize winner who is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "It provides us with a truly unique opportunity to comprehensively explore a wholly new research direction which would have otherwise taken years to realize."

"The Pershing Square Sohn Prize will open the gateway for my laboratory to tackle high-risk and bold questions. This award will also provide the means to establish communication and collaboration with other outstanding scientists by virtue of participation in networking events. It will, therefore, undoubtedly support the development of my scientific career," said Camila dos Santos, PhD, a recipient of the 2018 Prize and Assistant Professor at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. "I am incredibly honored to be a recipient of this prestigious award and become a part of such an extraordinary effort and community."

"This is a highly impactful and prestigious award which has made a major impact on my career," remarked 2014 Prize winner Ross Levine, MD, the Laurence Joseph Dineen Chair in Leukemia Research and Director of the MSK Center for Hematologic Malignancies at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Dr. Levine concluded his project in 2017 and has participated in PSSCRA’s application process as a guest reviewer for the past three years.

OncoMyx to Present at the Chardan Virtual 4th Annual Genetic Medicines Conference

On October 5, 2020 OncoMyx Therapeutics, a privately-held oncolytic immunotherapy company, reported that members of its senior management team will provide a company update today at 2:30 pm ET and host investor meetings at the Chardan Virtual 4th Annual Genetic Medicines Conference (Press release, OncoMyx Therapeutics, OCT 5, 2020, View Source [SID1234568113]). The conference is taking place virtually October 5th and 6th .

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"We are leveraging the unique advantages of myxoma virus to target mechanisms that are common to a number of cancers," said Steve Potts, Ph.D., MBA, founder and chief executive officer of OncoMyx. "With this pan-tumor approach, we are advancing a best-in-class pipeline of systemically-administered myxoma virotherapies in combination with checkpoint inhibitors and other immuno-oncology approaches that could boost the number of patients who could benefit from immunotherapies."

OncoMyx was founded on breakthrough research demonstrating the myxoma virus is highly immuno-interactive and can selectively infect and kill a broad range of cancer cell types. As a virus that is nonpathogenic to humans, myxoma does not have to overcome pre-existing immunity. With a large genome, myxoma is ideal for multi-arming, creating a precision medicine approach with a unique oncolytic virus that can activate the cancer immunity cycle and expand the therapeutic effectiveness of immunotherapies.

About the Chardan Virtual 4th Annual Genetic Medicines Conference

The conference will have presentations from more than 70 public and private companies who are leading the way in the genetic medicines space. The conference will feature presentations, fireside chats, panels, Q&A and 1×1’s. To learn more about the conference and the confirmed presenting companies, please contact [email protected].

Eureka Therapeutics Announces Initiation of ARYA-1 Clinical Trial to Evaluate ET140203 ARTEMIS® T Cell Therapy in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

On October 5, 2020 Eureka Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel T cell therapies to treat solid tumors, reported the Company has initiated a Phase I/II clinical trial of its ET140203 ARTEMIS T cell therapy in adult patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant type of liver cancer (Press release, Eureka Therapeutics, OCT 5, 2020, View Source [SID1234568112]). The Phase I portion of the ARYA-1 study is now open for enrollment.

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ET140203 follows on the experience gained from Eureka’s study of ET140202. ET140202 and ET140203 utilize Eureka’s proprietary ARTEMIS cell receptor platform engineered with a TCR-mimic antibody to target an alpha fetoprotein (AFP)-peptide/HLA-A2 complex on HCC cancer cells. ET140203 ARTEMIS T cells also incorporate Eureka’s proprietary tumor infiltration technology which has demonstrated a favorable safety profile and enhanced ability to infiltrate solid tumors in animal models – potentially leading to improved efficacy in patients.

"We are very excited to initiate our ET140203 ARYA-1 clinical trial," said Dr. Cheng Liu, President and CEO of Eureka Therapeutics. "We believe that poor infiltration of T cells into solid tumors is a significant barrier to developing T cell therapies with curative potential. ET140203 can potentially address this limitation associated with the current generation of CAR and TCR therapies, and we are pleased to be able to bring this therapy into the clinic."

The ARYA-1 study is a multi-center, open-label, dose escalation clinical trial of ARTEMIS T cell therapy to initially assess the safety and tolerability of ET140203 T cells in adult patients with AFP-positive HCC and to determine the recommended phase II dose (RP2D). The first site is at City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases, based in Duarte, California.

Liver cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for an estimated 782,000 deaths in 2018. About 43,000 new cases, and 30,000 deaths from liver cancer are expected to occur in the U.S. in 2020. The rate of liver cancer diagnosis has more than tripled since 1980, according to the American Cancer Society. Patients with advanced HCC have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options.

Exicure to Present at the Chardan Virtual 4th Annual Genetic Medicines Conference

On October 5, 2020 Exicure, Inc. (Nasdaq: XCUR), a pioneer in gene regulatory and immunotherapeutic drugs utilizing spherical nucleic acid (SNA) constructs, reported a presentation at the Chardan Virtual 4th Annual Genetic Medicines Conference on Monday, October 5, 2020 (Press release, Exicure, OCT 5, 2020, View Source [SID1234568111]).

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Date: Monday, October 5, 2020

Time: 11:00 – 11:25 AM Eastern Time

Location: Virtual Webcast

The presentation will be available for live streaming via View Source

Replays of the webcast will be available on Exicure’s website for 30 days following the webcast.

CohBar to Present at the BIO Investor Forum

On October 5, 2020 CohBar, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWBR), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing mitochondria based therapeutics to treat chronic diseases and extend healthy lifespan, reported that its Chief Executive Officer, Steven Engle, will present a company update at the BIO Investor Forum, being held virtually on October 13-15, 2020 (Press release, CohBar, OCT 5, 2020, View Source [SID1234568110]). This presentation will be available on demand for BIO Investor attendees.

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BIO is the world’s largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. BIO also produces the BIO International Convention, the world’s largest gathering of the biotechnology industry, along with industry-leading investor and partnering meetings held around the world.