Portola Pharmaceuticals to Announce First Quarter 2018 Financial Results and Host Conference Call on Wednesday, May 9, 2018

On April 30, 2018 Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTLA) reported that it will host a webcast and conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2018, and provide a general business overview on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) (Press release, Portola Pharmaceuticals, APR 30, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2345725 [SID1234525859]).

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Conference Call Details
The live conference call on Wednesday, May 9, 2018, at 4:30 p.m. ET, can be accessed by phone by calling (844) 452-6828 from the United States and Canada or 1 (765) 507-2588 internationally and using the passcode 7068059. The webcast can be accessed live on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website at View Source It will be archived for 30 days following the call.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announces Presentations at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Annual Meeting

On April 30, 2018 Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) ("Rocket"), a leading U.S.-based multi-platform gene therapy company, reported eight oral and poster presentations at the upcoming American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 2018 Annual Meeting being held May 16 -19, 2018 in Chicago, IL (Press release, Rocket Pharmaceuticals, APR 30, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2345662 [SID1234526550]).

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"Rocket has a robust pipeline of five innovative gene therapy programs across lentiviral vector (LVV) and adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) platforms, and we are pleased that our programs to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) are featured at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper)," said Gaurav Shah, Chief Executive Officer and President of Rocket. "Our most advanced program to treat FA is in a Phase 1/2 trial for which updated data will be presented during the Presidential Symposium. In children with FA, FANCA gene mutations enable chromosomal abnormalities that frequently lead to bone marrow failure, acute myeloid leukemia and death, with relatively toxic bone marrow transplant regimens as a principal therapy. We are hopeful that our FANCA-focused LVV gene therapy has the potential to enable broadly-applicable prevention of bone marrow failure, leading to safer and transformative outcomes."

Jonathan Schwartz, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Rocket, added, "Our second most advanced program is our LVV gene therapy for Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), which is expected to enter the clinic early next year. We are focused on the most severe form of LAD-I in which approximately 61-75% of children do not survive past the age of 2 due to life threatening infections. Based on our research, a modest correction of the defective gene encoding for the CD18 receptor can enable survival to adulthood. Both FA and LAD-I are examples of Rocket’s focus on exploring definitive therapies for patients with clearly defined monogenic diseases by targeting the underlying genetic deficit; these are disorders where a modest number of gene-corrected stem cells can make a meaningful difference for patients otherwise facing very limited treatment options. "

Oral Presentations:

Title: Engraftment and Phenotypic Correction of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in Non-Conditioned Fanconi Anemia Patients Treated with Ex Vivo Gene Therapy
Session: 330 Presidential Symposium & Presentation of the Top Abstracts
Presenter: Juan Bueren, Ph.D. Head of the Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies Division, Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) / CIBER-Rare Diseases / IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, and principal investigator of the RP-L102 trial.
Date: Friday, May 18, 2018
Session Time: 1:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Central Time
Presentation Time: 2:45 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Central Time
Location: International Ballroom North & South

Title: Immunotoxin-Based Conditioning Facilitates Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Engraftment and Multi-Lineage Development in a Fanconi Anemia Mouse Model
Session: 115 Hematopoietic Cell Therapies
Presenter: Meera Srikanthan, M.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Session Time: 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Central Time
Presentation Time: 10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Central Time
Location: Salon A-5

Title: Gene Editing in Fanconi Anemia Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
Session: 302 Advances in Genome Editing in HSCs – Organized by the Hematologic and Immunologic Gene and Cell Therapy Committee
Presenter: Paula Rio, Ph.D., Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT)
Date: Friday, May 18, 2018
Session Time: 8:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. Central Time
Presentation Time: 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. Central Time
Location: International Ballroom North

Poster Presentations:

Title: Improvements in the Transduction Conditions of Human Hematopoietic Progenitors with the CPcoRPKW-17 Therapeutic Lentiviral Vector to be Used in a Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Gene Therapy Clinical Trial
Session: Hematologic & Immunologic Diseases I
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Central Time
Location: Stevens Salon C, D

Title: Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency I: A Closer Step to a Gene Therapy Clinical Trial
Session: Hematologic & Immunologic Diseases I
Date: Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Time: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Central Time
Location: Stevens Salon C, D

Title: Pairs of Guide RNAs Mediate Precise Deletions on the PKLR Gene via Non Homologous End Joining Generating a Human Hematopoietic Progenitor Model of Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency
Session: Hematologic & Immunologic Diseases II
Date: Thursday, May 17, 2018
Time: 5:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Central Time
Location: Stevens Salon C, D

Title: Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I: A Comprehensive Review of Published Cases
Session: Hematologic & Immunologic Diseases III
Date: Friday, May 18, 2018
Time: 5:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Central Time
Location: Stevens Salon C, D

Title: Towards the Gene Therapy Clinical Trial for Pyrivate Kinase Deficiency
Session: Hematologic & Immunologic Diseases III
Date: Friday, May 18, 2018
Time: 5:45 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. Central Time
Location: Stevens Salon C, D

Triumvira Immunologics to Present at Two Upcoming Conferences:

On April 30, 2018 Triumvira Immunologics, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company developing a novel platform for engineering T cells to attack multiple types of cancers, reported that it will present an abstract at the International Society for Cellular Therapy Annual Meeting (ISCT) in Montreal, and a company overview at the Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference in Toronto, both on Thursday, May 3 (Press release, Triumvira Immunologics, APR 30, 2018, View Source [SID1234525860]).

At the ISCT, Dr. Chris Helsen, Director of Platform Development, will be presenting during the "Cancer Immunotherapy" breakout plenary on May 3, 11:00am – 12:15pm ET. The abstract is titled T cells engineered with T-Cell Antigen Coupler (TAC) receptors display robust efficacy against solid and liquid tumor xenografts in the absence of any toxicity.

At the Bloom Burton & Co. conference, President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Paul Lammers will provide an overview of Triumvira and the improvements the company is making over current therapies with its novel immuno-oncology platform T Cell-Antigen Coupler (TAC). Dr. Lammers will also be giving updates on Triumvira’s lead drug, CD19-TAC01, which is targeted to enter clinical development in Q1 2019 for the treatment of patients with CD19 positive B-cell malignancies. Dr. Lammers will be presenting May 3, at 3:00pm ET and will be available for private meetings during the day.

About the ISCT
The International Society of Cellular Therapy is a global society of clinicians, regulators, technologists, and industry partners with a shared vision to translate cellular therapy into safe and effective therapies to improve patients’ lives. ISCT Members gain access to an influential global community of peers, experts, and organizations invested in cell therapy. ISCT offers a unique collaboration between academia, regulatory bodies, and industry partners in cell therapy translation.

About the Bloom Burton & Co. Conference
The Bloom Burton & Co. Healthcare Investor Conference brings together U.S., Canadian and international investors who are interested in the latest developments in the Canadian healthcare sector. Attendees will have an opportunity to obtain corporate updates from the premier Canadian publicly traded and private companies through presentation and private meetings.

Xencor to Host First Quarter 2018 Financial Results Webcast and Conference Call on May 7, 2018

On April 30, 2018 Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ: XNCR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing engineered monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, asthma and allergic diseases and cancer, reported that it will release first quarter 2018 financial results after the market closes on Monday, May 7, 2018 (Press release, Xencor, APR 30, 2018, View Source [SID1234525863]). Xencor management will host a webcast and conference call the same day at 4:30 p.m. ET (1:30 p.m. PT) to discuss the financial results and provide a corporate update.

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The live call may be accessed by dialing (877) 359-9508 for domestic callers or (224) 357-2393 for international callers, and referencing conference ID number 5056978. A live webcast of the conference call will be available under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors section of the Company’s website located at www.xencor.com. The webcast will be archived on the company website for 90 days.

AbbVie and Rice University establish K.C. Nicolaou Research Accelerator to advance therapies in oncology

On April 30, 2018 AbbVie, a research-based global biopharmaceutical company, and Rice University reported they have entered into a joint research collaboration to establish the K.C. Nicolaou Research Accelerator (Press release, AbbVie, APR 30, 2018, View Source [SID1234525846]). The research at the Accelerator will focus on synthesizing novel cytotoxic agents for use in the fight against cancer. The collaboration will complement AbbVie’s existing expertise in oncology discovery and early development.

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The K.C. Nicolaou laboratory has unique expertise in the art of replicating complex natural molecules that have cancer-fighting properties. The process, called total synthesis, allows researchers to apply organic chemistry strategies and technologies to optimize anti-tumor agents. When combined with AbbVie’s medicinal chemistry and antibody engineering capabilities, these anti-tumor agents have the potential to transform cancer treatment paradigms and significantly benefit patients.

"Dr. Nicolaou and his team at Rice University are conducting world-class research in organic chemistry that has the potential to aid in the development of new and effective cancer therapies for patients," said Tom Hudson, M.D., vice president, oncology discovery and early development, AbbVie. "Our goal is to transform the way cancer is treated and we look forward to aligning our development capabilities with the team’s expertise in chemistry to better address patient needs."

Dr. Nicolaou, the Harry C. and Olga K. Wiess Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, will lead the Accelerator’s research team at Rice. He is globally renowned for his research on total organic synthesis. He achieved the first total synthesis of the widely used chemotherapy agent paclitaxel (trade name Taxol), along with multiple other complex molecules. Dr. Nicolaou has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2016 for advancing the field of chemical synthesis to the extremes of molecular complexity and expanding the interface among chemistry, biology and medicine.

"The K.C. Nicolaou Research Accelerator is a new model for university-industry collaboration," said Yousif Shamoo, vice provost for research at Rice University. "It is a true partnership between AbbVie and Rice scientists to conduct the highest-quality cutting-edge research and development in cancer therapeutics. Rice is moving away from more transactional relations with industry and replacing them with an integrative and deeper collaborative structure that we think will produce better outcomes for industry as well as better research and knowledge creation for the University."

"Collaborations like this one afford exciting opportunities for the commercialization of Rice research," said Asha Rajagopal, director of technology transfer at Rice University. "University-industry partnerships can marry academic exploration to market need and help streamline the translation of academic results into products with commercial impact. Such partnerships help foster a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in the university community."

Taxol is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

A photo of Nicolaou is available at the link below.
View Source
Cutline: K.C. Nicolaou (Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)