On June 2, 2021 Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) reported the release of SureSelect Human All Exon V8 – a new exome design that provides comprehensive content and up-to-date coverage of protein coding regions from RefSeq, CCDS, and GENCODE (Press release, Agilent, JUN 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234583412]). It also covers the TERT promoter and hard-to-capture exons that are omitted by other exomes on the market. The new design is available in three options – routine exome sequencing (Exome v8), clinical research sequencing (v8 Clinical Plus), and translational research (v8 UTR Plus) – allowing for content flexibility to meet our customer’s needs.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"The SureSelect exome has been widely adopted in both clinical and translational research, and it has played an important role in shaping the rise of exome sequencing as a routine genomics technique"

Powered by machine learning-based probe design and an improved probe-printing process, the SureSelect Human All Exon V8 spans a 35.1 Mb target region of the human genome, with an efficient end-to-end design size of only 41.6 Mb. The panel delivers excellent enrichment performance for more uniform coverage, as well as efficient and cost-effective exome sequencing.

Kevin Meldrum, vice president and general manager for Agilent’s Genomics Division, discussed the impact of the release. "The SureSelect exome has been widely adopted in both clinical and translational research, and it has played an important role in shaping the rise of exome sequencing as a routine genomics technique," he said. "The SureSelect Human All Exon V8 provides best-in-class enrichment performance and sequencing efficiency, and it shows our commitment to exceed customer expectations and continue our legacy as the benchmark exome to the genomics community."

This new exome design is already delivering promising results in genetics by supporting virtual analysis of targeted genes important in germline investigations through seamless integration with Alissa Interpret for variant interpretation and reporting. In cancer, exome sequencing is commonly used to identify mutations that contribute to tumor progression, and the sequencing efficiency and coverage achieved with this new design will enable customers to get more out of each exome capture than ever before to identify critical genomic targets. In addition, large-scale manufacturing ensures the panel will provide consistent results for many years, another critical need in clinical research laboratories.

These new Exome designs can be automated on the Bravo automated liquid handling platform for high throughput applications and the Magnis NGS Prep System for complete, walkaway automation. The complete, pushbutton automation provided by the Magnis system will allow laboratories to efficiently deploy exome sequencing while reducing labor and operational expenses.

On June 2, 2021 Naveris reported that A new clinically-validated saliva test has been shown to detect HPV-associated head and neck cancer with high accuracy, a first-of-its-kind study result (Press release, Naveris, JUN 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234583411]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis used the Naveris, Inc. test to analyze saliva for sequences of the human papilloma virus (HPV) genome that are specific for HPV DNA released from malignant tumors. The test successfully distinguishes this tumor-tissue modified virus from non-cancerous sources of HPV DNA and precisely measures the number of tumor-tissue modified viral HPV (TTMV-HPV) DNA strands present in a saliva sample.

The study results point to the potential for a significant improvement in early detection of the most common type of head and neck cancer, HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

"Naveris’ patient-friendly saliva test has the potential to radically advance early detection of HPV-positive head and neck cancer, which has been growing rapidly among men in the United States. Early detection of these cancers would make a dramatic difference in patient outcomes," said Piyush Gupta, PhD, CEO of Naveris.

The study quantified participants’ tumor-tissue modified viral HPV DNA in saliva samples and compared it to the levels found in their blood by utilizing Naveris’ NavDx test. The results showed that TTMV-HPV DNA was commonly found in the saliva of HPV-associated head and neck cancer patients (44/46 cases), and at 18 times higher levels in the saliva samples than in the blood samples. One sample had undetectable TTMV-HPV and one was indeterminate for HPV DNA.

Washington University researchers are presenting an abstract of the study at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2021 annual meeting.

"The results of our study highlight the potential of accurately analyzing saliva to improve the early detection of HPV-associated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. If validated in larger studies, this test could lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment," said the study’s principal investigator Jose P. Zevallos, MD, chief of the division of Head and Neck Surgery in the Department of Otolaryngology at Washington University School of Medicine.

Naveris’ new saliva test is based upon the proprietary technology employed by the NavDx blood test that is in use at centers of excellence treating HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer across the United States. NavDx is a liquid biopsy test that detects HPV-associated head and neck cancer earlier than is possible with imaging and is provided exclusively in the United States through the Naveris national reference CAP-accredited laboratory.

About Oropharyngeal Cancer:

Oropharyngeal cancer, which can develop at the base of the tongue, tonsils, and the middle part of the throat, used to be closely associated with smoking and heavy drinking. Today, however, oropharyngeal cancer is primarily caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, the most common sexually transmitted virus and infection in the United States. More than one of five U.S. adults are infected with a high-risk strain of HPV that can potentially develop into cancer.1

Cases of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer have been increasing at an exponential rate among men in the United States over the last two decades2. About 54,000 cases of oropharyngeal and oral cavity cancer are expected in the nation this year and more than 10,000 deaths.3

Oropharyngeal cancers usually are not identified early because they grow slowly in locations that are not easy to see. By the time the cancers are recognized they frequently have spread to the lymph nodes and are difficult to treat. Early detection, however, enables highly effective treatment.

On June 2, 2021 Repare Therapeutics Inc. ("Repare" or the "Company") (Nasdaq:RPTX), a leading clinical-stage precision oncology company enabled by its proprietary synthetic lethality approach to the discovery and development of novel therapeutics, reported that members of its senior management team will participate in a fireside chat at the 42nd Annual Goldman Sachs Virtual Global Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, June 9 at 3:50 p.m. Eastern Time (Press release, Repare Therapeutics, JUN 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234583410]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

A live webcast of the fireside chat can be accessed in the Investor section of the Company’s website at View Source A replay of the webcast will be archived on the Company’s website for 30 days.

On June 2, 2021 Harvard University reported that it has granted an exclusive license to biotechnology company Obatala Sciences to commercialize innovations that enable the study of human fat tissue in vitro (Press release, Obatala Sciences, JUN 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234583408]). Harvard Office of Technology Development and Obatala, which manufactures stem cell and hydrogel products to enable next-generation therapeutics discovery, announced the agreement today .

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Obatala Sciences operates in the organ-on-a-chip or microphysiological system industry, a fast-growing scientific field that enables pharmaceutical companies to better model human response to therapies, in comparison to traditional laboratory approaches. The licensed Harvard technology, an adipose-on-a-chip, provides a method of obtaining adult-size fat tissue cells for study in vitro and enables the testing of weight loss and cancer-targeting therapeutics without the need for testing in animals. The adipose chips can respond to starvation and simulated meals, and they demonstrate key hormonal activity that is a hallmark of adipose as a functional organ. This ground-breaking technology provides a more accurate and dynamic model of human tissue in its diseased state compared to traditional two-dimensional culture.

The adipose chips were developed by researchers led by Kit Parker, PhD, the Tarr Family Professor of Bioengineering and Applied Physics at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Associate Faculty member of Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. Parker’s lab at Harvard SEAS developed and demonstrated novel methods of culturing human fat cells to model a diseased state in vitro. The findings were published, for example, in the journal Lab on a Chip (2020). The worldwide license agreement with Harvard enables Obatala to make the technology widely available for researchers’ use in drug discovery and R&D.

As a key part of its mission, Obatala promotes diversity in clinical research with the goal of speeding up the development of better therapies for diseases like obesity, diabetes, and cancer, which disproportionately affect minority populations. The company has rapidly grown to establish a robust pipeline of stem cells, unique human-derived hydrogels, and media products that combine to mimic tissue from patients of specific populations.

"We are elated to be able to expand access to transformational research tools from Harvard that may help speed up the research and discovery of better treatments for patients who are traditionally excluded from clinical trials and those who need them the most," said Obatala Sciences CEO Trivia Frazier, PhD, MBA. "The adipose chip technology provides us another crucial tool to promote diversity in research and improve outcomes for all patients. Organ-on-a-chip technology is revolutionary and may forever change the way we approach drug discovery on a global scale."

"I am excited for the translation opportunity that the license to Obatala represents for these technologies developed in the Disease Biophysics Group at Harvard," Parker said. "Trivia and I have talked for almost a year now and share a vision of how organs on chips can enable innovation in the pharma and biotech industries, and how the spin-off technologies represent new therapeutic opportunities in and of themselves. I’m hopeful that my lab’s innovations in tissue engineering may lead to numerous impactful uses of synthetic adipose, including this effort to accelerate the development of better treatments for disease."

Frazier, a New Orleans native, said Obatala is the first life sciences firm based in New Orleans that is run by an African-American woman. To date, Obatala has received more than $2 million in federal funds to support the commercialization of its hydrogels and media products, and it has made history as the first minority female-owned firm to raise over $1 million in institutional funds to grow a biotechnology enterprise in Louisiana.

The license agreement with Harvard, Frazier said, will help Obatala expand its offerings of microphysiological systems that biomedical researchers can use to mimic various tissues throughout the human body. In consideration for the license, the university has received equity in the company and is eligible to receive royalties on resulting products. The license agreement also includes global access provisions, in keeping with Harvard’s longstanding commitment to promote equitable access to technologies of significant public health benefit in developing countries.

On June 2, 2021 Proteros biostructures GmbH ("Proteros") reported that it has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca (LSE/STO/Nasdaq: AZN) to jointly discover and develop novel small molecules for the potential treatment of various types of cancer (Press release, AstraZeneca, JUN 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234583407]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

The collaboration brings together Proteros’ discovery capabilities which are tailored to unlock even the most technically challenging drug targets with AstraZeneca’s expertise in target biology and medicinal chemistry to jointly discover novel lead compounds which will be further developed, manufactured, and commercialized by AstraZeneca.

Under the agreement, AstraZeneca will provide research funding and Proteros will be eligible for success-based research, development, and commercial milestone payments up to 62 million EUR plus tiered royalties on annual net sales.

"We believe that advances in epigenomic capabilities will bring forward the next wave of innovation in cancer development through the discovery and development of novel small molecules," said Susan Galbraith, Senior Vice President and Head of Research and Early Development, Oncology R&D, AstraZeneca. "Proteros’ proprietary discovery platform enables us to screen epigenetic targets in a physiologically relevant setting, supporting accelerated discovery and development of the next wave of anti-cancer medicines."

"We are delighted AstraZeneca has selected Proteros to act as their discovery engine for a number of novel and very relevant oncology targets," said Dr Torsten Neuefeind, Proteros’ CEO. "These types of targets pose a number of challenges that Proteros’ discovery platform is uniquely positioned to overcome."