On January 8, 2025 Samsung Biologics (KRX: 207940.KS), a global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), reported to extend collaboration with LigaChem Biosciences (KOSDAQ: 141080) to provide antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) services (Press release, Samsung BioLogics, JAN 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234649517]).

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Samsung Biologics will support a series of LigaChem Biosciences’ ADC programs at Samsung Biologics’ new dedicated ADC facility. The two companies have already been collaborating on ADC programs for the treatment of solid tumors. LigaChem Biosciences is a biotech pioneering research and development of ADC candidates.

"The latest collaboration will further strengthen Samsung Biologics’ capabilities across all stages of ADC development and manufacturing as part of our commitment to deliver safe and high-quality therapeutics to patients," said John Rim, CEO and President of Samsung Biologics. "We look forward to supporting our clients’ innovative ADC pipelines, ensuring the highest quality and timelines are met."

"This collaboration with Samsung Biologics will be an important step toward strengthening the supply chain of high-quality ADC drugs and enhancing the competitiveness of both companies in the global ADC market," said Yong-Zu Kim, LCB’s President and CEO. "By leveraging Samsung Biologics’ extensive experience as a CDMO, we will accelerate the development of our pipeline and quickly provide innovative ADC treatments to patients".

Samsung Biologics’ ADC facility is a segregated suite, equipped with a 500-liter reactor, supporting the development and manufacture of ADC therapies. Building on the company’s track record of expertise in large-scale antibody manufacturing and process engineering, Samsung Biologics’ ADC service scope spans late discovery to development and conjugation.

Samsung Biologics has also been making active investments through the Samsung Life Science Fund in biotech companies pioneering ADC linker technologies, toolbox, and protein engineering.

On January 8, 2025 iTeos Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ITOS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering the discovery and development of a new generation of immuno-oncology therapeutics for patients, reported that Michel Detheux, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference being held in San Francisco, CA on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM PST (10:30 AM EST) (Press release, iTeos Therapeutics, JAN 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234649514]).

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A live webcast of the presentation will be available on the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.iteostherapeutics.com. An archived replay will be available for approximately 30 days following the presentation.

On January 8, 2025 Vividion Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing novel discovery technologies to unlock high-value, traditionally undruggable targets and develop small molecule precision therapeutics for devastating cancers and immune disorders, reported the acquisition of Tavros Therapeutics, Inc., a precision oncology platform company (Press release, Vividion Therapeutics, JAN 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234649513]). Vividion is a wholly owned and independently operating subsidiary of Bayer AG.

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The addition of Tavros greatly expands Vividion’s functional genomics expertise and capabilities, bringing proprietary methods for genomic screening that can identify new target opportunities, as well as support discovery and translational efforts towards known targets. Combining the Tavros platform with Vividion’s chemoproteomics expertise and capabilities will greatly enhance Vividion’s efforts to generate potential best- and first-in-class drug targets across oncology and immunology.

Vividion and Tavros have been working together for the past two years under a strategic collaboration to discover and develop novel precision therapeutics capable of addressing cancer-causing proteins that have eluded traditional small molecule drugs.

"The addition of Tavros will expand and strengthen our chemoproteomics drug screening capabilities and open up a new target space to fuel the growing pipeline of novel therapies across oncology and immunology", said Aleksandra Rizo, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Vividion. "We have already seen the power of combining Vividion’s platform and compound library with Tavros’s functional genomics capabilities in uncovering druggable vulnerabilities in tumor cells. We are excited to take this next step to unlock the full potential of our work together for the patients in need."

"The acquisition of Tavros is an exciting next step as we seek to accelerate the development of previously undruggable targets to improve outcomes for patients with significant high unmet medical needs", said Juergen Eckhardt, M.D., Head of Business Development and Licensing at Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division. "It is also the first acquisition in the history of Bayer Pharmaceuticals for one of our ‘arms-length’ model companies, demonstrating the flexible operating model while Vividion continues to operate autonomously to drive breakthrough innovations in precision oncology and immunology."

"We are thrilled for the opportunity to combine forces with Vividion. We have enjoyed a highly productive partnership over the past two years and have seen the clear synergy between our platforms", said Eoin McDonnell, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Tavros. "We look forward to building on our success to date to develop novel small molecule therapeutics against elusive protein targets and maximize our ability to bring new treatment options to patients."

Financial terms are not disclosed.

On January 8, 2025 Sensei Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNSE), a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics for cancer patients, reported corporate updates on its lead program, solnerstotug (SNS-101) and upcoming milestones (Press release, Sensei Biotherapeutics, JAN 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234649512]).

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"2024 was a noteworthy year for Sensei and our pioneering lead program, solnerstotug. We demonstrated that solnerstotug can overcome the safety and pharmacological hurdles associated with first-generation antibodies targeting the immune checkpoint VISTA, positioning it as the first program in its class with potential to demonstrate clinically meaningful antitumor responses. Moreover, despite enrolling a predominantly ‘cold’ tumor patient population that was unlikely to respond to immunotherapy, solnerstotug demonstrated promising early signs of activity," said John Celebi, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Looking ahead, 2025 is set to be a pivotal year as we seek to share our first significant efficacy data at optimal doses that include a ‘hot’ tumor patient population more likely to respond to immunotherapy that nonetheless has primary or acquired resistance to PD-1 inhibitors. With cash runway into the second quarter of 2026, we are positioned to advance solnerstotug through the completion of the Phase 1 portion of this study."

Highlights and Milestones

Solnerstotug (SNS-101)

Solnerstotug is a conditionally active antibody designed to selectively target the immune checkpoint VISTA (V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation) within the tumor microenvironment. VISTA is implicated in numerous cancer indications and its expression correlates with low survival rates.

Sensei is conducting a multi-center Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and efficacy of solnerstotug (SNS-101) as both a monotherapy and in combination with Regeneron’s PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo (cemiplimab) in patients with advanced solid tumors. Key findings and updates as of January 1, 2025 include:

A total of 45 patients have been enrolled in the dose expansion portion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial.
The majority of the "hot" tumor patients enrolled in the combination dose expansion to date have progressed on a prior anti-PD-1 therapy or are PD-L1 negative, making it highly unlikely that these patients would respond upon re-challenge with anti-PD-1 alone.
Sensei expects to complete enrollment of the dose expansion with approximately 60 patients by the end of Q1 2025.
The Company expects to report data from evaluable patients in Q2 2025. Patient follow-up data from the dose escalation cohorts will also be presented.
Solnerstotug continues to be well tolerated with a best-in-class pharmacokinetic profile.
Dose optimization is now focused on dose levels of 3 and 15 mg/kg Q3W to support the Phase 2 doses in several patient populations under consideration.
Efforts are ongoing to explore biomarker correlates of clinical benefit using peripheral immunophenotyping and tumor genomic and transcriptomic analyses.

On January 8, 2025 Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: SANA), a company focused on changing the possible for patients through engineered cells, reported that it will webcast its presentation at the 43rd Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference at 9:00 a.m. PT on Wednesday, January 15, 2025 (Press release, Sana Biotechnology, JAN 8, 2025, View Source [SID1234649511]). The presentation will feature a business overview and update by Steve Harr, Sana’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

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The webcast will be accessible on the Investor Relations page of Sana’s website at View Source A replay of the presentation will be available at the same location for 30 days following the conference.