INVECTYS, INC. TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 41ST JP MORGAN HEALTHCARE CONFERENCE ON JANUARY 9-12, 2023

On January 5, 2023 Invectys, Inc. "Invectys", a clinical-stage immunotherapy company headquartered in Houston and dedicated to the development of a new generation of cell therapy products for cancer patients, reported that Praveen Tyle, Ph.D., President and CEO of Invectys, will participate in the 2023 edition of the JP Morgan Healthcare Meeting on January 9-12, 2023 (Press release, Invectys, JAN 5, 2023, View Source [SID1234625901]). In addition to the main meeting, Dr. Tyle will also attend the 2023 BIO One-on-One partnering meetings live from January 9-12 at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis.

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Intellia Therapeutics Highlights Strategic Priorities and Anticipated 2023 Key Milestones

On Jnauary 5, 2023 Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTLA), a leading clinical-stage genome editing company focused on developing potentially curative therapies leveraging CRISPR-based technologies, reported its strategic priorities for the upcoming two years as the Company enters its next phase of pipeline execution and platform innovation (Press release, Intellia, JAN 5, 2023, View Source [SID1234625900]).

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2023 – 2024 Strategic Priorities

Initiate global pivotal trials for Intellia’s first two investigational in vivo CRISPR-based therapies, NTLA-2001 for transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis and NTLA-2002 for hereditary angioedema (HAE);

Advance new platform capabilities to the clinic, including CRISPR-based in vivo targeted gene insertion and a first-of-its-kind allogeneic cell engineering solution designed to avoid NK cell-mediated rejection;

Lead the development of new gene editing and delivery modalities, compatible with its modular platform, which will extend Intellia’s position of technological leadership and drive future pipeline growth.

"2022 proved to be another outstanding year for Intellia, with several significant clinical milestones achieved across our pipeline, further reinforcing the ability of our modular CRISPR genome editing platform to target a broad range of diseases," said Intellia President and Chief Executive Officer John Leonard, M.D. "These accomplishments reflect steady execution against our core strategy: to harness the immense power of genome editing, both for in vivo and ex vivo applications. As we look ahead, our highest priority will be to prepare for the initiation of global pivotal trials for our first two investigational in vivo CRISPR-based therapies, NTLA-2001 for ATTR amyloidosis and NTLA-2002 for hereditary angioedema. As these programs continue to progress, we believe we are moving closer to setting a new standard of care for people living with these and other serious diseases. In addition, we are advancing the next wave of platform capabilities, such as in vivo gene insertion and our proprietary allogeneic solution. Importantly, while the possibilities to apply our industry-leading genome editing technology are expansive, we are taking a disciplined approach with our portfolio by deploying resources on high-impact opportunities and collaborating with a network of other scientific leaders to expand the applications of our innovative technologies."

Based on these strategic priorities, which will be the Company’s focus over the next two years, Intellia anticipates reaching the following key program milestones in 2023:

In Vivo Programs

NTLA-2001 for ATTR amyloidosis:

Submit an IND application in mid-2023 to enable inclusion of U.S. sites in a pivotal study of NTLA-2001 for patients with ATTR amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM).

Present additional clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1 study of NTLA-2001 in 2023.

Initiate a global pivotal NTLA-2001 trial for ATTR-CM by year-end 2023, subject to regulatory feedback.
Prepare for a Phase 3 study of NTLA-2001 for the treatment of ATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy (ATTRv-PN), including discussions with regulatory authorities.

NTLA-2002 for HAE:

Initiate Phase 2 portion of the ongoing NTLA-2002 Phase 1/2 study in 1H 2023.

Submit an IND in 1H 2023 to support inclusion of U.S. sites in the Phase 2 study of NTLA-2002.

Present additional clinical data from the ongoing first-in-human study of NTLA-2002 in 2023.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD) franchise:

Submit an IND or IND-equivalent application for NTLA-3001, Intellia’s wholly owned insertion candidate in development for AATD-associated lung disease, in 2H 2023.

Complete IND-enabling activities for NTLA-2003, a wholly owned knockout candidate for AATD-associated liver disease, by year-end 2023.

Prevalent diseases:

Progress one new in vivo development candidate, nominated in 2022, for the treatment of an undisclosed prevalent condition.

Ex Vivo Programs

NTLA-6001 for CD30+ Lymphomas:

Identify collaboration opportunities to advance development of NTLA-6001.

Additional ex vivo candidates:

Advance multiple programs, wholly owned or in collaboration with partners, utilizing allogeneic platform.

Platform Innovation

Advance novel gene editing technologies, including DNA writing, and delivery to other tissues outside of the liver.

Cash Position

Intellia ended the fourth quarter of 2022 with approximately $1.3 billion in cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities.

Integral Molecular Reveals Mechanism Underlying Exquisite Specificity of Claudin 6 Therapeutic Antibody Being Developed for Solid Tumors

On January 5, 2023 Integral Molecular, reported that the industry leader in antibody discovery for membrane proteins, has published the targeting mechanism enabling best-in-class specificity of its Claudin 6 (CLDN6) antibody CTIM-76 being developed for cancer therapy with Context Therapeutics (Press release, Integral Molecular, JAN 5, 2023, View Source [SID1234625899]). CLDN6 is a tumor-specific protein found in multiple solid tumors—including ovarian, endometrial, lung, gastric, and testicular—but absent from healthy adult tissues. Until now, its structural complexity and similarity to related proteins has hindered efforts to develop safe and selective therapeutics, with most CLDN6 antibody clinical trials being halted due to specificity-related safety issues. The similarity of the target to widely expressed Claudins 3, 4 and 9 means that non-specific binding could kill otherwise healthy tissues.

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Publication Details

In their recent publication (Screnci et al., iScience December 2022), Integral Molecular scientists describe the isolation of highly specific CLDN6 antibodies that use a single atomic contact point centered around amino acid 156 to derive exquisite specificity. This interaction site allows the antibody to bind CLDN6 but not any of the other 24 claudin family members.

Key findings include:

Best-in-class specificity of CLDN6 antibodies compared to clinical benchmarks
Unusual steric hindrance mechanism of the gamma carbon on Q156 discovered as critical for absolute specificity of antibodies for CLDN6 versus CLDN9
CLDN6 antibodies exhibited excellent developability
"We are thrilled to be progressing high-specificity antibodies to safely target Claudin 6-positive tumors," said Ross Chambers, PhD, VP of Antibody Discovery at Integral Molecular. "The ability of our antibodies to interact specifically with Claudin 6 is extraordinary since the target and related proteins differ by just a few atoms at the binding site."

Integral Molecular’s MPS Antibody Discovery Platform is tailored to discover rare antibodies with maximal epitope diversity. Integral Molecular is co-developing CTIM-76 with Context Therapeutics to treat ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. CTIM-76 is a CLDN6xCD3 antibody that brings cytotoxic T cells into proximity with CLDN6-expressing tumor cells to initiate cell killing. Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies are currently underway, and Context expects to submit an IND application for CTIM-76 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for first-in-human trials in the first quarter of 2024.

Inspirna Announces Interim Data from Phase 1b/2 Study of Abequolixron (RGX-104) in Relapsed or Refractory Lung Cancer

On January 5, 2023 Inspirna, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule cancer therapeutics, reported interim data from its ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of abequolixron in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) (Press release, Inspirna, JAN 5, 2023, View Source [SID1234625898]).

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Abequolixron (RGX-104) is a first-in-class, small molecule liver X receptor (LXR) agonist designed to target APOE dysregulation and enhance anti-tumor immunity by inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, depleting myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC), and activating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). Abequolixron is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in combination with docetaxel in second- or third-line (2/3L) NSCLC as well as second-line (2L) SCLC. The primary objectives of the study include characterizing the safety profile and the antitumor activity of the abequolixron and docetaxel combination.

"The data thus far demonstrate that abequolixron is well tolerated in combination with full dose docetaxel, while showing encouraging clinical activity suggesting that this drug candidate could be a valuable addition to a current standard of care chemotherapy in heavily-pretreated patients with lung cancer," said Hossein Borghaei, D.O., M.S., Chief of the Division of Thoracic Medical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Principal Investigator on the study. "I am very encouraged by the overall response rate, disease control rate, and time to progression so far seen in the study and I look forward to further evaluation of this unique compound as the clinical trial progresses."

"These data, while early, clearly show the potential that abequolixron may have in driving deep responses in patients with heavily-pretreated lung cancer," said Masoud Tavazoie, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Inspirna. "We are excited to begin the new year by announcing these promising data for abequolixron and look forward to sharing more updates as we continue advancing our novel pipeline in difficult-to-treat cancers."

Key findings from the data

As of December 2, 2022, 17 patients were treated at the Recommended Phase 2 Dose (RP2D) as determined in the dose escalation stage, with 120mg abequolixron twice daily (BID), 5 days on/2 days off, plus docetaxel. Thirteen patients were evaluable for response per RECIST v1.1, including five patients with 2/3L NSCLC and eight patients with 2L SCLC.
The ORR across all evaluable patients was 38% (n=13), with a disease control rate (DCR) of 77%, including five patients who achieved partial response (PR).
In the 2/3L NSCLC cohort, of five evaluable patients, four patients achieved PRs with two patients achieving confirmed partial responses. Four of the five patients were on study treatment for > 19 weeks, including one patient for 25 weeks, one patient for 28 weeks and one ongoing patient at 37 weeks.
In the 2L SCLC cohort, of eight evaluable patients, one patient achieved a PR and five patients had a best overall response (BoR) of stable disease (SD). Four patients (50%) were on study drug progression free for > 24 weeks. One of the patients with a BoR of SD, although experiencing CNS progression at week 12, stayed on therapy for clinical benefit for 30 weeks without experiencing systemic PD.
Across the two cohorts (N=17), the most common TEAEs were fatigue in 12 patients, diarrhea and nausea in 9 patients, decreased appetite in 8 patients and neutropenia and weight loss in 7 patients. Of the most common TEAEs, Grade 4 events were neutropenia (2 patients) and Grade 3 events were fatigue (2 patients), diarrhea (1 patient), nausea (1 patient), decreased appetite (1 patient) and the others were Grade < 2.
The expansion stage of the study is ongoing and continues to enroll patients with 2/3L NSCLC. In addition, this Phase 1b/2 study includes an ongoing expansion arm of abequolixron in combination with Yervoy (ipilimumab) in second- or third-line endometrial cancer as part of a clinical collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb.

About Abequolixron (RGX-104)

Abequolixron is an orally administered small molecule agonist of the Liver X Receptor (LXR) which activates expression of the APOE tumor suppressor protein. APOE expression becomes dysregulated (silenced) in the tumors of select patients with solid cancers. APOE dysregulation results in increased tumor angiogenesis (tumor blood vessel growth) as well as a shifting of the tumor myeloid cell population from immune-stimulatory to immune-suppressive, which are both counteracted by abequolixron. Abequolixron is currently being tested in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial in combination with standard-of-care regimens in several lung cancer indications that are enriched for APOE dysregulation, including SCLC and NSCLC.

Corporate Presentation

On January 5, 2023 Lipocine presented its corporate presentation (Presentation, Lipocine, JAN 5, 2023, View Source [SID1234625902]).

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