On March 3, 2021 bioAffinity Technologies, a privately held company focused on early diagnostics and cancer therapeutics, reported that a scientific paper that explains how porphyrins are selectively incorporated into cancer cells has been published in the Journal of the Federation of Societies for the Study of Experimental Biology (FASEB Journal) (Press release, BioAffinity Technologies, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576028]).

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"The research described in the FASEB paper and led by bioAffinity Technologies’ Vice President of Research, David Elzi, Ph.D., resulted in discoveries we have used to design new therapeutic approaches shown to kill cancer cells without harm to normal cells"

The paper, entitled Identification of a novel mechanism for meso‐tetra (4‐carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP) uptake in cancer cells, identified a novel mechanism by which the porphyrin TCPP, which is used in bioAffinity Technologies’ non-invasive test for the early detection of lung cancer, is incorporated into cancer cells using the cellular receptor CD320, which is involved in the uptake of Vitamin B12. In addition to furthering the understanding of TCPP for use in diagnostics, bioAffinity’s research led to four patent applications protecting multiple novel therapeutic platforms for treating cancer.

"The research described in the FASEB paper and led by bioAffinity Technologies’ Vice President of Research, David Elzi, Ph.D., resulted in discoveries we have used to design new therapeutic approaches shown to kill cancer cells without harm to normal cells," Maria Zannes, bioAffinity President and CEO, said. "We continue to advance this research with a focus on developing therapies for breast, lung and brain cancers."

In addition to its therapeutic research, bioAffinity Technologies is developing CyPath, a platform technology to diagnose cancers, including lung, prostate, bladder and cervical cancers, and diseases of the lung such as asthma and COPD. The Company’s first product is CyPath Lung, a non-invasive and cost-effective test for the early detection of lung cancer that allows patients to collect their sample at home.

bioAffinity Technologies recently completed a test validation trial of CyPath Lung evaluating sputum from people at high risk for lung cancer, including patients with the disease and others who were cancer-free. The trial resulted in 92% sensitivity and 87% specificity in high-risk patients who had nodules smaller than 2 cm or no nodules in the lung.

CyPath Lung uses flow cytometry, a method able to interrogate individual cells in a fraction of seconds, and automated analysis to identify parameters indicative of cancer. Unlike genomic or other molecular markers used in liquid biopsies, bioAffinity’s CyPath technology does not collect genetic material for evaluation. CyPath uses flow cytometry to investigate the micro-environment by identifying cell populations that are preferentially labeled by the porphyrin TCPP and other indices of cancer.

"The porphyrin TCPP is selectively taken up by cancer and cancer-associated cells and fluoresces. We use TCPP in CyPath Lung as a cellular label to help diagnose cancer in people at high risk for the disease," said Vivienne Rebel, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Science and Medical Officer of bioAffinity Technologies. "Dr. Elzi led a team that investigated how TCPP enters cancer cells with an initial goal of better understanding the biological basis for the phenomenon we witness in CyPath Lung; that is, the labeling by TCPP of populations of cells in people with lung cancer. Dr. Elzi’s research has opened wholly new, exciting avenues for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics."

On March 3, 2021 CytRx Corporation (OTCQB: CYTR) ("CytRx" or the "Company"), a specialized biopharmaceutical company focused on research and development for the oncology and neurodegenerative disease categories, reported that Steven A. Kriegsman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CytRx, is scheduled to participate in the following upcoming conferences (Press release, CytRx, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576026]):

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H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference: March 9-10, 2021
Mr. Kriegsman will deliver a virtual presentation that will be available to conference participants on-demand beginning March 9, 2021.
Virtual 33rd Annual ROTH Conference: March 15-17, 2021
Mr. Kriegsman will deliver a virtual presentation that may be accessed on the News and Events page of the CytRx website beginning March 5, 2021.

On March 3, 2021 TrakCel, a leading supplier of cellular orchestration solutions supporting the cell and gene therapy industry, reported that it has closed its latest funding round led by AmerisourceBergen and Labcorp (NYSE: LH) (Press release, TrakCel, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576025]). These strategic investments enable further transformation of TrakCel’s cellular therapy orchestration solution, growth of its existing partner ecosystem, and continued global expansion.

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The company will use both the investment and the combined expertise gained from collaborations with the investors to further augment its offering to both clinical and commercial-stage cell and gene therapy developers as part of its drive toward industry standardization and future innovation.

TrakCel has developed the broadest portfolio of live deployments in the industry across a range of therapies, from autologous and allogeneic therapies, personalized cancer vaccines and CRISPR, to tumor and marrow infiltrating lymphocyte therapies.

"The close of this funding delivers a unique opportunity to propel the improvement and evolution of our product and services portfolio in order to exceed expectations across the quickly evolving cell and gene therapy space," said Ravi Nalliah, Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder, TrakCel. "In addition, this investment enhances our already considerable digital ecosystem of partners. Now, TrakCel has the funding and the partnership support to take advantage of our market and industry experience gained as the first orchestration solution to the cell and gene therapy marketplace."

Augmenting and aligning its digital ecosystem with AmerisourceBergen in the future will allow TrakCel to significantly expand its reach. This will also enable the two companies to offer services that drive them toward further standardization of the delivery of cell and gene therapies.

"The advanced therapy sector is producing major advances in treatment that will revolutionize healthcare and the treatment of diseases with currently limited therapeutic options. It is essential that partners to manufacturers find ways to innovate on behalf of the patient and provider to enhance the treatment experience," said Doug Cook, EVP, President of Commercialization and Animal Health at AmerisourceBergen. "By working with TrakCel, we’ll unlock new ideas and generate new value for all therapy participants, truly living our purpose of creating healthier futures."

Labcorp, a leading global life sciences company, provides vital information to help doctors, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, researchers, and patients make clear and confident decisions. Labcorp’s mission to improve health and improve lives will be complemented and supported by TrakCel’s cell, gene and immunotherapy therapy software platform.

"The tools and technologies developed by TrakCel to support the critical needs of advanced therapy logistics are a good complement to the services that we supply for cell and gene therapies," said Steve Anderson, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Labcorp Drug Development. "The ability to more effectively orchestrate those activities, paired with Labcorp’s deep scientific and clinical expertise, makes our collaboration an important aspect for the successful delivery and commercialization of advanced therapies. Our investment in TrakCel also further demonstrates our commitment to the area of precision medicine."

On March 4, 2021 4D pharma plc (AIM: DDDD), a pharmaceutical company leading the development of Live Biotherapeutic products (LBPs) – a novel class of drug derived from the microbiome, reported that 4D management will present at three upcoming investor conferences (Press release, 4d Pharma, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576024]):

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Chardan’s Virtual 3rd Annual Microbiome Medicines Summit: Monday March 8, 2021 at 11:45 am ET (16:45 GMT).
H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference: Available on-demand starting Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 7:00 am ET (12:00 GMT).
Oppenheimer’s 31st Annual Healthcare Conference: Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 8:40 am ET (12:40 GMT).

On March 3, 2021 SQZ Biotechnologies (NYSE:SQZ), a cell therapy company developing novel treatments for multiple therapeutic areas, reported that Armon Sharei, PhD, chief executive officer of SQZ, will present a corporate overview at the upcoming virtual H.C. Wainwright Global Life Sciences Conference (Press release, SQZ Biotech, MAR 3, 2021, View Source [SID1234576023]). The presentation will be available through the virtual conference portal on Tuesday, March 9, 2021 at 7:00 am EST. The team is also taking individual meetings at the event.

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Registration for the webcast can be found here. Replays of the webcast will be available on the Investors & Media section of the SQZ website for 90 days following the event.