On November 30, 2016 Viracta Therapeutics, Inc. reported completion of its acquisition of drug development candidate, VRx-3996, from Chroma Therapeutics, Ltd (Press release, Viracta Therapeutics, NOV 30, 2016, View Source [SID1234519770]).

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Viracta plans to advance VRx-3996 (previously CHR-3996) into Phase 2 clinical testing for application in Viracta’s proprietary anticancer combination therapy approach. The Company will initially focus on Epstein Barr Virus-associated lymphoid malignancies. Additional applications include a range of EBV-associated cancers and other serious diseases. The Company believes that its viral activation therapy platform and VRx-3996 hold potential to treat cancers and other disease associated with a range of viral pathogens.

"We are excited to complete our acquisition of VRx-3996 from Chroma, and thank the Chroma team for the excellent work that they contributed to discover and advance the drug candidate through early clinical development," said Viracta Chief Executive Officer, Ivor Royston, M.D.

"As a leader in the viral activation therapy field, we are pleased to have Viracta advance 3996 to potentially benefit patients with viral-associated cancers," said Chroma CEO, Richard Bungay.

"VRx-3996 has demonstrated ideal characteristics for use in Viracta’s viral activation therapy approach, and we look forward to advancing into clinical testing to treat EBV-associated cancers," commented Viracta Chief Medical Officer, Marshelle Smith Warren, M.D.
About VRx-3996

VRx-3996 belongs to a clinically validated drug class called histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which affect association of DNA with histones to alter gene expression patterns. VRx-3996 is selective for Class 1 HDACs, including isoforms targeted in Viracta’s viral activation approach. It exhibited favorable pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics properties as well as favorable tolerability profile after oral administration in a Phase 1b trial in cancer patients as a single agent. In non-clinical testing, VRx-3996 was among the most potent activators of targeted viral genes. When applied in combination with an antiviral pro-drug in Viracta’s viral activation therapy approach, VRx-3996 drives selective killing of EBV-positive cancer cells.
About Chroma-Viracta Transaction

Under the VRx-3996 asset purchase agreement, Viracta acquired rights to VRx-3996 for all geographies and applications in exchange for issuance of Viracta equity to Chroma.

On November 30, 2016 X4 Pharmaceuticals, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel CXCR4 inhibitor drugs to improve immune cell trafficking and increase the ability for T-cells to track and destroy cancer, reported the presentation of preclinical data for X4P-001, the Company’s lead drug candidate, at the EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics Symposium, held November 29 – December 2 in Munich, Germany (Press release, X4 Pharmaceuticals, NOV 30, 2016, View Source [SID1234516899]). The findings in preclinical models of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) elucidate the molecular mechanism that directs the trafficking of key immune cells in the tumor microenvironment that result in synergistic anti-tumor effect of X4P-001 and axitinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for use as a targeted therapy for RCC. The data also showed that X4P-001 blocks the critical escape mechanism that leads to resistance to treatment with axitinib, a vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF-R) antagonist cancer therapy.

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"While treatment with VEGF-R antagonists is first line therapy, it can be hindered by acquired resistance," said James W. Mier, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and senior author of the poster presentation. "These data show clear evidence that by inhibiting CXCR4, X4P-001 blocks a critical mechanism of this resistance, resulting in a synergistic anti-tumor effect which may ultimately lead to improved patient outcomes."

The poster, entitled "MDSC trafficking and function in RCC by CXCR4 in the presence of a VEGF-R antagonist is dependent on HIF-2a expression," shows that CXCR4 inhibition with X4P-001 blocks the primary pathway that leads to resistance to VEGF-R cancer therapies in renal cell carcinoma. Acquired resistance of tumors to VEGF-R antagonists is dependent on HIF-2a, CXCR4/CXCL12, and the infiltration of myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), into the tumor. CXCR4 inhibition with X4P-001 blocks communication between the tumor and MDSCs, suppresses HIF-2a expression, reduces MDSC tumor infiltration, and improves anti-tumor effect.

"These data demonstrate the potential of X4P-001 in combination with approved therapies as a potential new treatment approach to achieve impactful clinical responses for patients with advanced ccRCC, a cancer with serious unmet needs," said Paula Ragan, PhD, Founder, President and CEO of X4. "The data provide additional compelling rationale for our ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study evaluating the combination of X4P-001 and axitinib in patients with advanced ccRCC."

About X4P-001 in Cancer
X4P-001 is an oral, small molecule inhibitor of CXCR4, or C-X-C receptor type 4, the receptor for the chemokine CXCL12 (also known as stromal derived factor-1, or SDF-1). Recent studies demonstrate that CXCR4/CXCL12 is a primary receptor-ligand pair that cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells express and use to block normal immune function and promote angiogenesis through the trafficking of T-effector and T-regulatory cells, as well as myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), in the tumor microenvironment.1, 2 Pre-clinical studies have demonstrated X4P-001 activity alone and in combination with approved cancer therapies resulted in an increased tumor-specific immune response and significant inhibition of tumor growth. X4P-001 has been tested in over 70 subjects in four clinical trials in healthy volunteers and HIV-infected patients to date and was shown to be well tolerated.

About Renal Cell Carcinoma
Kidney cancer is among the ten most common cancers in both men and women with more than 60,000 new diagnoses each year in the United States.3 Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is the most common form of kidney cancer, and advanced ccRCC accounts for approximately 20% of the patient population. Therapies for advanced ccRCC include immunotherapies, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase inhibitors, and angiogenesis inhibitors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors.4 There continue to be unmet medical needs with advanced ccRCC because durable responses remain a serious clinical challenge for patients with advanced disease.

On November 30, 2016 NanoString Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:NSTG), a provider of life science tools for translational research and molecular diagnostic products, reported the highlights of numerous advances in precision oncology and hematology using the nCounter platform that will be presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) (Press release, NanoString Technologies, NOV 30, 2016, View Source [SID1234516871]).

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"We’re excited by the volume and impact of the important translational research that our customers and collaborators are presenting at the meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper)," said Brad Gray, president and chief executive officer of NanoString Technologies. "This research includes significant advances in subtyping lymphomas and optimizing regimens to achieve better clinical outcomes."

The ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, being held December 3-6, in San Diego, will include at least seven oral presentations and nine posters that demonstrate the unique capabilities and robust performance of the nCounter platform. In particular, several abstracts provide additional insights on the development and performance of NanoString’s assay in development for subtyping lymphoma.

In lymphoma, NanoString and its collaborators are presenting results generated using the nCounter-based Lymphoma Subtyping Test showing its analytical robustness and clinical relevance, including:

Analytical validation of the investigational nCounter-based Lymphoma Subtyping Test for cell-of-origin (COO) identification in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) Specimens. The data show that this assay provides a highly precise, sensitive and rapid method for measuring COO on FFPE DLBCL tumor specimens, including both excisional and core needle biopsies. This assay is currently being used to select patients for a phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate lenalidomide plus R-CHOP versus placebo plus R-CHOP in patients who have newly diagnosed, previously untreated ABC-type DLBCL (Abstract #2933).

Data on outcomes by COO as determined via the investigational NanoString Lymphoma Subtyping Test on patients enrolled in a phase 2 study of lenalidomide combined with R-CHOP (R2CHOP) and an independent comparison cohort of patients treated with R-CHOP alone. The results show that R2CHOP demonstrates promising efficacy in ABC-type DLBCL as defined by the NanoString assay, where the addition of lenalidomide to R-CHOP appears to mitigate the negative prognostic impact of the ABC subtype in newly diagnosed DLBCL (Abstract #3035).

Results from an open-Label, randomized phase 3 study (GOYA) comparing the efficacy and safety of obinutuzumab plus CHOP (G-CHOP) with R-CHOP in patients with previously untreated DLBCL. A pre-specified secondary analysis of cell-of-origin by the investigational NanoString Lymphoma Subtyping Test showed a trend toward benefit from Gazyva in GCB-type DLBCL. (Abstract #470).

Data on the first analysis of an international double-blind randomized phase 3 Study (REMARC) of lenalidomide maintenance in elderly patients with DLBCL treated with R-CHOP in first line, which include cell-of-origin analysis assessed by the NanoString Lymphoma Subtyping Test (Abstract #471).
The 2016 ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) abstracts describe research and clinical applications that underscore the diverse capabilities of the nCounter platform, which NanoString will showcase at booth #3651.

Abstract # Title Hyperlink
2933 Analytical Validation of the nCounter-based Lymphoma Subtyping Test (LST) for Cell-of-Origin (COO) Identification in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) Specimens View Source
3035 Lenalidomide Combined with R-CHOP (R2CHOP) Overcomes Negative Prognostic Impact of ABC Molecular Subtype in Newly Diagnosed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma View Source
470 Obinutuzumab or Rituximab Plus CHOP in Patients with Previously Untreated Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Final Results from an Open-Label, Randomized Phase 3 Study (GOYA) View Source
471 First Analysis of an International Double-Blind Randomized Phase III Study of Lenalidomide Maintenance in Elderly Patients with DLBCL Treated with R-CHOP in First Line, the Remarc Study from Lysa View Source
474 Lenalidomide Maintenance Significantly Improves Survival Figures in Patients with Relapsed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (rDLBCL) Who Are Not Eligible for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation (ASCT): Final Results of a Multicentre Phase II Trial View Source
152 Integrating Genomic Alterations in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Identifies New Relevant Pathways and Potential Therapeutic Targets View Source
2935 Whole-Exome Analysis Reveals Novel Somatic Genomic Alterations Associated with Cell of Origin in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma View Source
1107 Pembrolizumab in Relapsed/Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: Primary End Point Analysis of the Phase 2 Keynote-087 Study View Source
619 Phase 1b Study of Pembrolizumab in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Primary Mediastinal Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Results from the Ongoing Keynote-013 Trial View Source
918 A Novel Anti-Lymphoma Immune Evasion Mediated By the Interaction Between PD-1 Enriched NK-Cells and CD163+PD-L1+PD-L2+ Tumor Associated Macrophages, That Is More Prominent in Hodgkin Lymphoma Than Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma View Source
4576 Differential Expression of Immunity Related Genes and Early Prediction of Severe Graft Versus Host Disease after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation View Source
1954 Transcriptional Characterization of Myelofibrotic Bone Marrow Microenvironment Reveals Distinct Tumor Microenvironment in JAK2+ and Calr+ PMF Marrows View Source
1664 Microvesicles microRNAs Reflect and Affect Progression of Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Could Serve As a Biomarker of Disease Dynamics View Source
3285 Integrative Network Analysis of Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma Identifies a Novel RNA-Seq Based High Risk gene Signature View Source

On November 30, 2016 Heat Biologics, Inc. (Nasdaq:HTBX), a leader in the development of gp96-based immunotherapies that are designed to activate a patient’s immune system to fight cancer, reported that it presented topline data from its 94-patient Phase II trial evaluating HS-410 (vesigenurtacel-L) in combination with standard of care, Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), or as a monotherapy, for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, at the Society of Urologic Oncology Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX (Press release, Heat Biologics, NOV 30, 2016, View Source [SID1234516865]).

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In the poster, "Top-Line Results from Vesigenurtacel-L (HS-410) in Combination with BCG from a Randomized, Blinded Phase 2 Trial in Patients with Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC)," researchers reported that there were encouraging signs of anti-tumor activity as HS-410 generated a robust antigen-specific immune response to multiple tumor-associated peptides in treated patients, while there were no immune responses of this type in the placebo. However, these responses did not translate into clinical outcomes, and there was no statistically significant difference in the primary endpoint (proportion of recurrence-free survival at one year) between the vaccine and placebo arms of the trial. To better assess the durability of the positive immunological responses, and in keeping with clinical trial guidance recently issued by International Bladder Cancer Group ("IBCG")1 recommending a 2-year study duration for NMIBC trials, Heat will continue to monitor all patients enrolled in the study for an additional 12 months. At that time, Heat will make a final determination whether to progress its bladder cancer program into a Phase 3 trial.

"The ability of HS-410 to prime T-cells suggests a strong signal that the vaccine is having an impact, as well as an opportunity to improve responses, in this challenging disease," said study principal investigator, Gary Steinberg, M.D., The Bruce and Beth White Family Professor of Surgery and Director of Urologic Oncology at the University of Chicago. "Historically, NMIBC has been very difficult to treat, with BCG being the only approved therapy in the past 40 years. We were surprised to see that all arms of this trial performed much better than historical control, which is a testament to improvements in standard of care, and validates our choice to run a controlled clinical trial. We look forward to continuing to monitor patients in this trial, per IBCG recommendations. and would like to thank the many patients and their families for the commitment to this trial and advancement of the treatment of bladder cancer."

"We were pleased to see a robust antigen-specific immune response, reinforcing our earlier clinical data," Jeff Wolf, CEO of Heat Biologics, commented. "Even though we did not achieve our desired clinical outcomes, we are encouraged by the results and believe this, and other combination therapies, have the potential to improve long-term outcomes. In particular, Heat’s ComPACT technology, combining a therapeutic vaccine with an immune co-stimulator in a single product, was designed to substantially improve immune response durability. We are actively pursuing new programs to complement our existing platforms, which we expect to announce in early 2017. Moreover, we look forward to examining the additional top-line data that will be reported next week for our combination trial of HS-110 in with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab) in lung cancer."

"HS-410 stimulated antigen-specific immune responses to multiple tumor-associated peptides," commented Taylor Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer. "The kinetics of these responses indicate efficient priming of CD8+ T cells, consistent with results seen in other Heat Biologics clinical trials. Remaining analyses are in progress to inform future development of other agents and/or combinations aimed at improving immune response durability. Further understanding of the secondary and exploratory endpoints will advise future development steps."

"We conducted a cost-efficient trial and will continue to gather important data with minimal ongoing costs," Mr. Wolf added. "We have maintained a solid balance sheet and intend to continue to be very prudent in managing our expenses as we generate additional clinical data and progress our programs and platforms."

Additionally, Heat will be presenting topline data on its non-small cell lung cancer study of HS-110 in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab) at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Annual Meeting in Vienna, Austria, on December 6th. The presentation, "Viagenpumatucel-L Bolsters Response to Nivolumab Therapy in Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma: Preliminary Data from the DURGA Trial" will occur on December 6, 2016, 8:56 AM EST (14:56 CET). Following this data release, Heat plans to hold an investor call on December 8th to discuss its overall clinical strategy moving forward.

1 Definitions, End Points, and Clinical Trial Designs for Non–Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Recommendations from the International Bladder Cancer Group, Journal of Clinical Oncology, 34(16):1935-44, June, 2016.