FDA Accepts Integral Molecular’s Membrane Proteome Array™ Qualification Plan, Advancing the Platform for Approval as a Drug Development Tool

On February 5, 2025 Integral Molecular, a leader in antibody discovery technologies, reported that the FDA has accepted their Membrane Proteome Array (MPA) Qualification Plan for advancement as a Drug Development Tool (DDT) to assess antibody binding specificity (Press release, Integral Molecular, FEB 5, 2025, View Source [SID1234650053]). Antibody drug developers already routinely include MPA data in regulatory packages, and qualification as a DDT will allow them to further rely on the MPA in the approval process. Integral Molecular’s MPA is the industry-leading technology for antibody specificity testing and is the only specificity platform under FDA consideration as a DDT.

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Learn more about the Membrane Proteome Array, and how it enables the precise identification of off-target binding interactions

Non-specific drug binding is a significant cause of adverse events in patients that can lead to severe complications or even death, and early specificity testing can de-risk drug development and enhance patient safety. Recent research has demonstrated that up to one-third of antibody drugs exhibit non-specific binding to unintended targets.

The MPA assesses binding across ~6,000 structurally intact membrane proteins and is the only platform of its kind that screens membrane proteins in their native conformation. The MPA has been used to screen over 2,000 preclinical antibody therapeutics for customers worldwide, and MPA specificity data has been accepted by regulatory bodies globally, including the FDA, EMA, and NMPA.

"This milestone towards MPA qualification reflects the continued dedication of our team to set a new standard in testing antibody drug specificity. Our continued improvements to the MPA—including statistical analyses, bioinformatic comparisons, and enhanced quality systems—have been critical to our qualification plan and have supported ISO 9001 certification of our processes. We thank the FDA for their confidence in our approach and commitment to advancing the safety of biologics."

-Benjamin Doranz, CEO, Integral Molecular

The MPA is progressing toward DDT qualification under the FDA’s ISTAND Pilot Program, which promotes Innovative Science and Technology Approaches for New Drugs. As part of this process, Integral Molecular has been invited to submit a Full Qualification Plan (FQP) for the MPA, which is the final step in achieving DDT status.

Cellectar Biosciences to Present at the Oppenheimer 35th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference

On February 5, 2025 Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLRB), a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of drugs for the treatment of cancer, reported that members of its management team will present an overview of the company at the upcoming Oppenheimer 35th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference being held virtually (Press release, Cellectar Biosciences, FEB 5, 2025, View Source [SID1234650051]). Details are as follows:

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Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM Eastern Time
Webcast: Click HERE

A replay of the corporate presentation will be available on the Events section of the company’s investor relations website.

Bicycle Therapeutics to Participate in the Oppenheimer 35th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference

On February 5, 2025 Bicycle Therapeutics plc (NASDAQ: BCYC), a pharmaceutical company pioneering a new and differentiated class of therapeutics based on its proprietary bicyclic peptide (Bicycle) technology, reported that management will participate in a fireside chat at the Oppenheimer 35th Annual Healthcare Life Sciences Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 10 a.m. ET (Press release, Bicycle Therapeutics, FEB 5, 2025, View Source [SID1234650050]).

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A live webcast of the fireside chat will be accessible from the Investor section of the company’s website at www.bicycletherapeutics.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived and available following the event.

Aprea Therapeutics Announces Strategic IP Portfolio Evolution in DNA Damage Response (DDR) Cancer Therapeutics

On February 5, 2025 Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APRE) ("Aprea", or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative treatments that exploit specific cancer cell vulnerabilities while minimizing damage to healthy cells, reported an update on its existing patent portfolio (Press release, Aprea, FEB 5, 2025, View Source [SID1234650049]).

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"Our strong patent portfolio reflects our commitment to innovation and leadership in the field of DNA Damage Response therapeutics," said Oren Gilad, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Aprea. "Intellectual property is an essential component of Aprea’s strategy, enabling us to advance first in class and best in class oncology treatments while protecting the value of our assets. Our commitment to securing global intellectual property rights underscores our long-term vision to develop and commercialize breakthrough therapies for difficult to treat cancers."

Aprea’s ATR inhibitor program is protected by a strong patent estate, including four granted U.S. patents, one pending U.S. application, and one pending provisional application. There are 19 granted non-U.S. patents and 16 pending non-U.S. patent applications. The granted patents will expire 2035-2037 and the pending applications, if granted, could extend exclusivity into 2044. Additional regulatory exclusivities up to five years may also be available. This portfolio comprehensively covers the program’s proprietary compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of use. The Company’s lead ATR inhibitor, ATRN-119, is currently being evaluated in the ABOYA-119 clinical trial as monotherapy in patients with advanced solid tumors having at least one mutation in a defined panel of DNA damage response (DDR)-related genes.

The intellectual property covering Aprea’s WEE1 kinase inhibitor program includes one pending U.S. patent application and 12 pending non-U.S. patent applications. The WEE1 family of applications, if granted, will expire in 2043, not including any regulatory exclusivities that may be awarded. The WEE1-portfolio covers key aspects of the program, including proprietary compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods of use. The Company’s lead WEE1 inhibitor, APR-1051, is currently being evaluated in the ACESOT-1051 Phase 1 clinical trial in advanced/metastatic solid tumors harboring certain cancer-associated gene alterations.

Erasmus Medical Center Safety Committee Grants Approval to Proceed with Phase 2 Study of Ampligen® and Imfinzi as a Potential Combination Therapy for Late-Stage Pancreatic Cancer

On February 5, 2025 AIM ImmunoTech Inc. (NYSE American: AIM) ("AIM" or the "Company") reported Safety Committee approval to proceed with the Phase 2 portion of the Phase 1b/2 clinical trial involving AIM’s Ampligen (rintatolimod) and AstraZeneca’s anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Imfinzi (durvalumab) in the treatment of late-stage pancreatic cancer ("DURIPANC") (Press release, AIM ImmunoTech, FEB 5, 2025, View Source [SID1234650048]).

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DURIPANC is an investigator-initiated, exploratory, open-label, single-center study in the Netherlands at the Erasmus Medical Center ("Erasmus MC"). The approval to proceed to Phase 2 was granted following the Safety Committee’s review of the complete Phase 1 safety data, which found the combination therapy to be generally well-tolerated with no treatment-related severe adverse events or dose-limiting toxicities.

AIM CEO Thomas K. Equels stated: "Patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer have very few options. This is a lethal malignancy that kills approximately 50,000 Americans every year and there is no effective therapy. It is one of the highest unmet needs in oncology, and we are excited to see this clinical study at Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands move to Phase 2. Ampligen is believed to reprogram the immune system to enhance the cellular response, and this combination study with Imfinzi is part of our broader strategy to explore these effects in combination with synergistic anti-cancer agents, including checkpoint inhibitors."

Prof. Casper H.J. van Eijck, MD, PhD, Pancreato-biliary Surgeon at Erasmus MC and Coordinating Investigator for the DURIPANC study, commented: "We have observed improvements in quality of life and we saw no toxicity at all – with ‘quality of life’ recognized as an indicator of stable disease. As a comparison, approximately 80% of patients at Erasmus MC with similar disease, but who did not receive the treatment, showed disease progression after only three months. While this new data is extremely preliminary, it is also encouraging since some patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer still have stable disease for 15 or more months after starting FOLFIRINOX, including six or seven months of maintenance therapy. By analyzing blood samples and tumor biopsies taken at different time points before and after the start of immunotherapy, we will obtain crucial insights into several aspects of treatment response, immune dynamics and tumor evolution."

Up to 25 patients are expected to be enrolled in the Phase 2 portion of DURIPANC. Six patients from Phase 1 will be included in Phase 2, as per the protocol and based on their Phase 1 participation. Continued enrollment is expected to begin soon.

Read more at about DURIPANC at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05927142 – "Combining anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab with TLR-3 agonist rintatolimod in patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma for therapy efficacy (DURIPANC)"