On October 1, 2024 Sapience Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of peptide therapeutics to address oncogenic and immune dysregulation that drive cancer, reported that the first patient has been enrolled in its Phase 2 dose expansion study evaluating ST316, the Company’s first-in-class antagonist of β-catenin (Press release, Sapience Therapeutics, OCT 1, 2024, View Source;catenin-antagonist-in-colorectal-cancer-302263343.html [SID1234646985]). Enrollment of the study’s Phase 1 monotherapy dose escalation portion was completed in July 2024.

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ST316 is designed to selectively shut down the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in tumor cells but not in normal cells, allowing for anti-cancer activity without the toxicity related to broad inhibition of this pathway. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is one of the most active pathways in several cancers and drives more than 80% of colorectal cancers (CRCs), the first indication to be evaluated in the ST316 Phase 2 expansion. There are more than 1 million people living with CRC in the United States, with another 150,000 expected to be diagnosed this year alone.

Dr. Abi Vainstein-Haras, Sapience’s Chief Medical Officer, stated, "The promising results seen in our Phase 1 study demonstrate ST316’s potential to be an effective therapy for Wnt pathway-driven cancers, including CRC among others. Given ST316’s favorable safety and tolerability profile, together with robust pre-clinical data, Sapience is committed to maximizing the potential of ST316 in various therapeutic combinations across lines of treatment."

"CRC patients who are refractory to current therapies desperately need new options like ST316," said Dr. Barry Kappel, Sapience’s founder and Chief Executive Officer. "With CRC being the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and with alarming increases in incidence among younger Americans, we are dedicated to widening the treatment options for this devastating disease."

ST316-101 (NCT05848739) is a first-in-human, open-label, Phase 1-2 dose-escalation and expansion study designed to determine the safety, tolerability, PK, PD and early efficacy of ST316. The Phase 1 dose escalation portion of the study tested various dose levels of ST316 in patients with select advanced solid tumors that are known to harbor abnormalities of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, including CRC. The Phase 1 portion completed enrollment in July 2024. In the Phase 2 dose expansion portion of the study, ST316 is being tested in CRC patients in combination with relevant standards of care and in multiple lines of treatment. Sapience is conducting the Phase 2 study across several sites in the United States.

About ST316

ST316 is a first-in-class peptide antagonist of the interaction between β-catenin and its co-activator, BCL9, a complex responsible for driving oncogene expression in multiple cancers where aberrant Wnt/β-catenin pathway signaling is observed. ST316 exposure in cancer cells prevents BCL9-driven nuclear localization of β-catenin and inhibits formation of the Wnt enhanceosome protein complex. Disruption of this interaction selectively suppresses the transcription of oncogenic Wnt target genes that regulate proliferation, migration, invasion and the metastatic potential of tumor cells, as well as genes that regulate the immunosuppression of the tumor microenvironment. ST316 creates a pro-immune tumor microenvironment and in preclinical models has shown to be synergistic with checkpoint inhibition. Due to its selectivity and downstream modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, ST316 presents an opportunity to safely and effectively target Wnt/β-catenin driven cancers without the toxicities previously seen with other Wnt pathway agents.

On October 1, 2024 Replimune Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: REPL), a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of novel oncolytic immunotherapies, reported that members from the Replimune management team will present and host investor meetings at the following two conferences (Press release, Replimune, OCT 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234646982]):

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BMO 2024 Oncology Summit
Date: Tuesday, October 8, 2024

3rd Annual Roth Healthcare Opportunities Conference
Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2024

On October 1, 2024 Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside of the United States and Canada, reported the completion of the acquisition of CN201 from Curon Biopharmaceutical (Curon), a novel investigational clinical-stage bispecific antibody for the treatment of B-cell associated diseases (Press release, Merck & Co, OCT 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234646981]).

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"By actively depleting B-cells, CN201 offers applications spanning both B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. We look forward to building upon the foundational work started by the Curon team," said Dr. Dean Y. Li, president, Merck Research Laboratories.

CN201 is currently being investigated in Phase 1 and Phase 1b/2 clinical trials for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), respectively. Preliminary data suggest CN201 has activity in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell hematologic malignancies and is well tolerated, potentially leading to significant and sustained reductions in B-cell populations.

Transaction details

Under the agreement, Merck, through a subsidiary, has acquired full global rights to CN201. As previously disclosed, the transaction is being accounted for as an asset acquisition. Merck is recording a pre-tax charge of approximately $750 million (reflecting the upfront payment and other related costs), or approximately $0.28 per share, which will be included in third-quarter non-GAAP results and was not included in Merck’s full-year financial outlook issued on July 30. As a matter of policy, Merck provides updates to its financial outlook once each quarter and will provide an update to its full-year financial outlook when it reports third-quarter 2024 results on October 31.

About CN201

CN201 is a novel CD3xCD19-targeting T-cell-engager bispecific antibody, designed to target B cells for elimination by T cells. CN201 is currently being evaluated in Phase 1 and Phase 1b/2 clinical trials for the treatment of relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and relapsed or refractory acute lymphocytic leukemia, respectively.

On October 1, 2024 Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (OTCQB: KRBP) ("Kiromic" or the "Company") reported good safety and favorable ongoing efficacy results from the 10-month follow-up visit of the first patient treated in its Deltacel-01 Phase 1 clinical trial (Press release, Kiromic, OCT 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234646980]). This trial is evaluating Deltacel (KB-GDT-01), the Company’s allogeneic, off-the-shelf, Gamma Delta T-cell (GDT) therapy, in patients with stage 4 metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have failed to respond to standard therapies.

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In this patient, the tumor size was reduced by approximately 27% compared with the pre-treatment size, and no new sites of disease were identified. As a result, the progression-free survival (PFS) has reached 10 months with no reported adverse events. These results follow an approximate 20% reduction in tumor size detected at eight months post-treatment and an approximate 13% reduction at six months post-treatment. This patient is being treated at the Beverly Hills Cancer Center (BHCC).

"As this patient is the most advanced in our ongoing Deltacel-01 clinical trial, we are particularly encouraged by these latest follow-up results that continue to validate the potential of Deltacel as a safe and effective treatment for patients with later-stage cancers," said Pietro Bersani, Chief Executive Officer of Kiromic BioPharma. "We believe these findings underscore the promise of our allogeneic GDT therapy in providing durable clinical benefit."

"The latest results from this patient are highly promising, particularly given the durable progression-free survival and tumor reduction we observed," said Afshin Eli Gabayan, M.D., Medical Oncologist, Medical Director and Deltacel-01 Principal Investigator at BHCC. "This patient’s response to Gama Delta T-Cell Treatment continues to provide optimism as we evaluate Deltacel’s therapeutic potential. Continued meaningful results could represent a significant breakthrough for these late-stage cancer patients with limited treatment options."

Kiromic expects to report additional follow-up results from the fourth patient enrolled in this study in October.

About Deltacel-01

In Kiromic’s open-label Phase 1 clinical trial, titled "Phase 1 Trial Evaluating the Safety and Tolerability of Gamma Delta T Cell Infusions in Combination With Low Dose Radiotherapy in Subjects With Stage 4 Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" (NCT06069570), patients with stage 4 NSCLC will receive two intravenous infusions of Deltacel with four courses of low-dose, localized radiation over a 10-day period. The primary objective of the Deltacel-01 trial is to evaluate safety, while secondary measurements include objective response, progression-free survival, overall survival, time to progression, time to treatment response and disease control rates.

On October 1, 2024 IN8bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: INAB), a leading clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on innovative gamma-delta T cell therapies, reported that it has entered into a definitive securities purchase agreement with accredited investors for a private placement that is expected to result in gross proceeds of approximately $12.4 million to IN8bio, before deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses (Press release, In8bio, OCT 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234646978]). The net proceeds from this financing are expected to fund the Company’s current operating plan into 2026.

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The private placement was led by an existing healthcare-focused institutional investor and included a large mutual fund company and other existing and new institutional investors.

Under the terms of the securities purchase agreement, the Company will sell units comprised of an aggregate of 25,759,595 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, pre-funded warrants to purchase 5,646,853 shares of common stock and warrants to purchase up to 31,406,448 shares of common stock (the "Series C Warrants"). The units will be sold at a purchase price of $0.395 per unit (or $0.3949 per unit with respect to units that include pre-funded warrants in lieu of common stock). The pre-funded warrants will have an exercise price of $0.0001 per share. The Series C Warrants will have an exercise price of $0.27 per share.

IN8bio intends to use the net proceeds from the private placement to fund the clinical development of INB-100 and future product candidates and for working capital and other general corporate purposes. The proceeds will support the continued enrollment of patients in the expansion cohort with a new target total enrollment of approximately 25 patients at the recommended Phase 2 dose. IN8bio expects to complete this additional enrollment in the first half of 2025, with long-term follow-up results anticipated in late 2025 and in 2026. To affirm the improvements in relapse free and overall survival observed to date and to further de-risk a future registrational randomized control trial, IN8bio will also seek to add a parallel control cohort to prospectively assess leukemia patients and enable comparison between patients receiving INB-100 to those who only receive standard haplotransplantation.

The closing of the private placement is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to occur on or about October 4, 2024.

Newbridge Securities Corporation acted as the sole placement agent for the private placement.

The offer and sale of the foregoing securities is being made in a private placement pursuant to an exemption under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and the Securities have not been registered under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. The Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an effective registration statement or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities, nor shall there be any sale of the Securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.