On May 21, 2021 Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a dermatologic diagnostics company providing personalized genomic information to inform treatment decisions, reported its collaboration with the American Skin Association to provide a 2021 research grant in the area of melanoma (Press release, Castle Biosciences, MAY 21, 2021, View Source [SID1234580452]).

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The ASA Castle Biosciences Research Grant Melanoma was awarded to Joel Sunshine, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The grant will support Dr. Sunshine’s research study entitled "mRNA Nanoparticle Vaccination for Melanoma Immunotherapy."

"These crucial grants in support of cutting-edge dermatological research will improve the chances of finding long sought-after cures and bring hope to those suffering from these devastating illnesses," said ASA Chairman, Howard P. Milstein.

"At Castle, our main focus is to improve the lives of patients with dermatologic diseases," said Derek Maetzold, president and chief executive officer of Castle Biosciences. "We are proud to recognize and support research in new technology that stands to make meaningful advances in the area of skin cancer. Melanoma remains largely unexplored with respect to the disease’s behavior in response to targeted immunotherapies. With that in mind, we are thrilled to support Dr. Sunshine and his group in pursuing an immunotherapy approach to melanoma."

ASA’s grant program is steered by leading scientists and physicians to support talented researchers, ranging from talented investigators in the early phases of their careers to recognized leaders in the field of dermatology. In particular, ASA-funded researchers have had a broad impact on melanoma research, improving our understanding of its diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. For over thirty years, ASA and its affiliates have funded over $50 million in grants to enhance treatments and continue working toward cures for melanoma, vitiligo, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and other skin diseases.

On May 21, 2021 Perrigo Company plc (NYSE; TASE: PRGO), reported that that President and CEO, Murray S. Kessler and CFO, Ray Silcock are scheduled to participate in investor meetings at the Barclays Consumer Spring Symposium on Tuesday, May 25 (Press release, Perrigo Company, MAY 21, 2021, View Source [SID1234580451]).

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Also, President and CEO, Murray S. Kessler is scheduled to present at the Oppenheimer 21st Annual Consumer Growth and Ecommerce Conference at 9:05 AM (EDT) on Wednesday, June 16.

Lastly, President and CEO, Murray S. Kessler and CFO, Ray Silcock are scheduled to present at the Evercore ISI Consumer & Retail Summit at 2:45 PM (EDT) on Thursday, June 17.

Interested parties can access the Oppenheimer and Evercore ISI presentation webcasts on the Perrigo website at View Source

On May 21, 2021 Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SGMO), a genomic medicine company, reported that management will participate in a fireside chat at the Jefferies Healthcare Conference on Friday, June 4th at 11am Eastern Time (Press release, Sangamo Therapeutics, MAY 21, 2021, View Source [SID1234580450]).

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The virtual session will be webcast live and may be accessed on the Sangamo Therapeutics website in the Investors and Media section under Events and Presentations. The presentations will also be available on the Sangamo Therapeutics website after the event.

On May 21, 2021 Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: ONTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel products for patients with cancer, reported that the first patient has been dosed in the U.S. Phase 1 clinical trial of ON 123300, the Company’s proprietary, novel multi-kinase inhibitor (Press release, Onconova, MAY 21, 2021, View Source [SID1234580449]). The trial is expected to include three U.S. sites that will enroll patients with advanced cancer including, but not limited to, HR+ HER 2- metastatic breast cancer patients who are refractory to, or progressing on, currently approved CDK 4/6 inhibitors.

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The Phase 1 trial is designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of ON 123300 administered orally as monotherapy at increasing doses starting at 40 mg daily for consecutive 28-day cycles. Following completion of the dose-escalation phase of the trial and once the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) is established, additional patients with HR+ HER 2- metastatic breast cancer with at least one prior line of therapy, which are expected to include approved CDK 4/6 inhibitors, will be enrolled into the trial with the intent to identify signals of efficacy. Additional cancer indications are also under consideration for study, and will be chosen based on preclinical and developing data.

"We are excited to begin dosing patients in this Phase 1 study and are pleased to be advancing ON 123300’s clinical development in the United States," said Steven M. Fruchtman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Onconova Therapeutics. "Our goal is to provide an innovative treatment option for patients with advanced breast cancer who have become resistant to the commercial CDK 4/6 inhibitors, and other refractory solid tumors driven by the overexpression of tyrosine kinases targeted by ON 123300. Notably, ON 123300’s ability to target multiple kinase pathways that are overexpressed in cancer may allow for single-agent efficacy and better tolerability compared to existing treatment regimens."

Dr. Fruchtman added, "We are also pleased by the progress our partner HanX Biopharmaceuticals is making with their ongoing Phase 1 trial with ON 123300 in China. While the administration schedule differs between these two Phase 1 trials, the maximum tolerated dose has not yet been reached in the first two dose-escalation cohorts of this trial, which is a promising sign for ON 123300’s safety profile. Collectively, we expect these two complementary Phase 1 studies to provide important insights that will inform the design of subsequent trials."

For more information on the U.S. Phase 1 clinical trial of ON 123300 see ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04739293.

On May 21, 2021 XOMA Corporation (Nasdaq: XOMA) reported that learned its licensees are presenting at the upcoming 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, which is being held June 4-8, 2021, in a virtual setting (Press release, Xoma, MAY 21, 2021, View Source [SID1234580448]).

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"We congratulate Novartis and AVEO on their recent announcements regarding NIS793 and ficlatuzumab, respectively. We were particularly excited to see the statements each company made in their May 19th press releases regarding the potential for advancing these drug candidates to Phase 3 clinical programs. We look forward to each company’s data presentations at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) early next month," stated Jim Neal, Chief Executive Officer at XOMA. "We wish both companies continued success with their development activities."

Novartis1

Title: Phase Ib study of the anti-TGF-β monoclonal antibody (mAb) NIS793 combined with spartalizumab (PDR001), a PD-1 inhibitor, in patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors
Abstract: 2509; poster session
Date and Time: June 4, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time

Title: Phase II study of the anti-TGF-β monoclonal antibody (mAb) NIS793 with and without the PD-1 inhibitor spartalizumab in combination with nab-paclitaxel/gemcitabine (NG) versus NG alone in patients (pts) with first-line metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC)2.
Abstract: TPS4173

AVEO Oncology3

Title: Randomized Phase II trial of ficlatuzumab with or without cetuximab in pan-refractory, advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
Presenter: Julie E. Bauman, M.D., MPH, Professor of Medicine, Chief, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Associate Director of Translational Research, University of Arizona Cancer Center
Abstract: 6015
Date and Time: June 4, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time

NIS793 and ficlatuzumab are investigational compounds. Efficacy and safety have not been established in either drug candidate. There is no guarantee that NIS793 and/or ficlatuzumab will become commercially available.