On October 11, 2022 Illumina Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN), a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, reported a strategic research collaboration with AstraZeneca, a global, science-led biopharmaceutical company, to accelerate drug target discovery by combining their strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) based genome interpretation and genomic analysis techniques along with industry expertise (Press release, Illumina, OCT 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234621890]). The collaboration will evaluate whether a combined framework of these technologies can increase the yield and confidence of target discovery to find promising drugs based on human omics insights.

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Illumina in a strategic research collaboration with AstraZeneca, will combine their strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) based genome interpretation and genomic analysis techniques to accelerate drug target discovery.
Illumina in a strategic research collaboration with AstraZeneca, will combine their strengths in artificial intelligence (AI) based genome interpretation and genomic analysis techniques to accelerate drug target discovery.
"Illumina and AstraZeneca are uniquely positioned to improve the efficiency of pharma pipelines by leveraging industry-leading abilities to identify genetic variants that contribute to human disease," said Joydeep Goswami, chief strategy and corporate development officer, interim chief financial officer at Illumina. "By identifying genes that show evidence of human disease causality, the combined framework has the potential to prioritize drug candidates with increased likelihood of approval."

The collaboration leverages Illumina’s next generation of AI-based interpretation tools, PrimateAI and SpliceAI, in combination with AstraZeneca’s analysis framework for rare variant genomic discoveries—alongside the latter’s own AI tools, including JARVIS and in silico predictors like missense tolerance ratio. As part of the research collaboration a framework combining the two companies’ AI-based tools will be adopted by AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research to analyze large-scale multi-omics data sets in its digital biobank. The complementary AI tools work to more confidently pinpoint genetic variants that contribute to human diseases, a critical step in the process of developing effective and safe therapies.

Slavé Petrovski, head of AstraZeneca’s Centre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences, R&D, said: "Continuous innovation in the AI tools and frameworks that are applied to the growing human genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics medical research resources will enable us to answer some of the toughest questions and contribute to our aims of uncovering novel drug targets with a higher probability of success while also characterizing patient subgroups that are most likely to benefit from the treatments we discover."

"The next generation of drug discovery lies at the intersection of human genetics and AI, making this a potentially pivotal research collaboration that combines Illumina’s industry-leading ability to interpret genomes at scale with AstraZeneca’s extensive capabilities in large-scale human genetics research," said Alex Aravanis, chief technology officer of Illumina.

The research collaboration focuses on the ability of a combined framework to deliver differential performance across a broad range of human diseases. Upon its successful outcome, the two companies will assess opportunities for a long-term partnership.

On October 11, 2022 Nimbus Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company that is working to design and develop breakthrough medicines through its powerful computational drug discovery engine, reported it has entered into a research collaboration and exclusive, worldwide license agreement with Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) for the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapies that activate a specific isoform of AMPK for the treatment of metabolic diseases (Press release, Nimbus Therapeutics, OCT 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234621889]).

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Leveraging Nimbus’s computational drug discovery engine and expertise in structure-based drug design, Nimbus is uniquely positioned to develop isoform-selective small molecule activators of AMPK with potential therapeutic application to a broad range of metabolic disorders.

"AMPK is a high-value target for the treatment of metabolic diseases, and drug developers have faced challenges for many years in identifying isoform-selective AMPK activators for tissue-specific therapeutic interventions. Nimbus has established a successful track record in developing and progressing highly-selective small molecules to the clinic against hard-to-interrogate targets, which is a demonstration of the power of our computational and structural approach to drug discovery," said Peter Tummino, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Nimbus. "We are excited to partner with Lilly and benefit from their deep expertise in metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity and related disorders."

"We look forward to collaborating with this innovative team at Nimbus, which has an established record of developing highly-specific small molecule modulators against important therapeutic targets," said Ruth Gimeno, Ph.D., Lilly’s Senior Vice President, Diabetes Research and Clinical Investigation. "Developing therapies together that target AMPK helps address a critical need and is part of Lilly’s ongoing efforts to expand treatment options available to patients with metabolic disorders."

Under the collaboration, Nimbus will be responsible for research activities, and Lilly will be responsible for development and commercialization activities worldwide. Financial consideration for Nimbus includes a series of payments, funding and milestones spread through research, development and commercialization, potentially reaching up to $496 million in total. Nimbus is eligible to receive tiered royalties on global net sales ranging from mid single- to low double-digits.

On October 11, 2022 GT Medical Technologies, Inc. reported the enrollment of the first patient into the GESTALT (GammaTile Enhanced Stupp ALTernative Trial) of GammaTile Surgically Targeted Radiation Therapy (STaRT) for patients with newly diagnosed glioblastomas (Press release, GT Medical Technologies, OCT 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234621888]).

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The GESTALT Clinical Trial will include immediate radiation with GammaTile Therapy followed by the Stupp protocol.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults, yet effective treatment remains a challenge. In 2005, the Stupp protocol became the standard of care—tumor resection, followed by adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) several weeks post-surgery. Unfortunately, patient outcomes remain poor, and there have been few advancements over the last decades.

GammaTile Therapy is the only GBM treatment to be FDA cleared in the past decade and one of only 7 FDA-cleared or -approved GBM treatments in the past 50 years. In clinical trials and patient case studies, GammaTile Therapy provides immediate radiation therapy at the time of surgical resection giving patients an effective treatment alternative for newly diagnosed malignant and recurrent brain tumors of all types.

GammaTiles are radiation implants specifically designed for use in the brain. Each resorbable collagen GammaTile is embedded with Cs-131 radiation sources. The neurosurgeon implants GammaTiles in the cavity created by tumor removal. They begin working immediately to combat residual tumor cells.

The GESTALT Clinical Trial will include immediate radiation with GammaTile Therapy followed by the Stupp protocol. The total radiation administered in this clinical trial with GammaTile Therapy and EBRT will be within standard radiation treatment levels.

"Our goal is to demonstrate how starting radiation immediately at the completion of resection and combining it with the Stupp protocol can improve outcomes," said Matt Likens, president and CEO of GT Medical Technologies. "Since GBM is highly proliferative, approximately 50% of patients experience rapid early progression before they can start the Stupp protocol treatment."

"This is an important study built on sound clinical data with the potential to reshape how we approach glioblastoma treatments in the future. We are pleased to offer this study to our patients at M Health Fairview," commented Dr. Clark Chen, the Lyle French Chair and Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Chen played an instrumental role in designing the GESTALT Clinical Trial and leads the GESTALT Clinical Team at this site.

On October 11, 2022 Mission Therapeutics ("Mission"), a drug discovery and development company focused on protein homeostasis by selectively inhibiting deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), reported that Dr Paul Wallace, Chief Business Officer, and Dr Suhail Nurbhai, Chief Medical Officer, will attend the 14th Annual Parkinson’s Disease Conference on 13 October 2022 in New York (Press release, Mission Therapeutics, OCT 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234621887]).

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The Parkinson’s Disease Therapeutics Conference is the only conference globally that focuses exclusively on Parkinson’s disease drug development, providing an unmatched platform for industry leaders to share exciting new and unpublished data from the field. Mission will join over 300 research and business professionals in attending poster and speaker presentations.

On October 11, 2022 Mission Therapeutics ("Mission"), a drug discovery and development company focused on protein homeostasis by selectively inhibiting deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs), reported that its CEO, Anker Lundemose, will attend and present at the 9th Annual Fall Private Company Showcase, co-hosted by Solebury Strategic Communications, BMO and Goodwin, on 13 October 2022 in New York (Press release, Mission Therapeutics, OCT 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234621886]).

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Dr Lundemose will be available for one-to-one meetings and will discuss the Company’s business strategy, technology, discovery platform and development programmes in a 20-minute presentation at 11am EDT / 4pm BST.

As well as the company presentations from select private biotechs, the event’s agenda includes two thematic panels, one-to-one meetings with company executives, and a networking reception.

For individuals interested in attending the meeting, please contact the organisers for further information.