The prenyl-binding protein PDEδ is crucial for the plasma membrane localization of prenylated Ras. Recently, we have reported that the small-molecule Deltarasin binds to the prenyl-binding pocket of PDEδ, and impairs Ras enrichment at the plasma membrane, thereby affecting the proliferation of KRas-dependent human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cell lines. Here, using structure-based compound design, we have now identified pyrazolopyridazinones as a novel, unrelated chemotype that binds to the prenyl-binding pocket of PDEδ with high affinity, thereby displacing prenylated Ras proteins in cells. Our results show that the new PDEδ inhibitor, named Deltazinone 1, is highly selective, exhibits less unspecific cytotoxicity than the previously reported Deltarasin and demonstrates a high correlation with the phenotypic effect of PDEδ knockdown in a set of human pancreatic cancer cell lines.

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On April 21, 2016 Camurus (NASDAQ STO: CAMX) reported that they have granted R-PHARM US (Princeton, NJ) the exclusive license and distribution rights for episil oral liquid in the US (Press release, Camurus, APR 21, 2016, View Source [SID:1234511235]).

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episil oral liquid, is a unique and effective treatment for the pain of oral mucositis, a treatment-limiting side effect of cancer therapies, as well as other oral lesions. Financial terms under this agreement are not disclosed.

About oral mucositis
Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect of cancer therapies (chemo- and radiotherapy) and is characterized by painful inflammation and ulceration of the oral mucosa. OM affects nearly all head and neck cancer patients receiving radiotherapy (RT), 30%-75% of patients undergoing chemotherapy and most patients undergoing conditioning regimens for hematopoietic stem cell transplant.

OM is caused by damage to the DNA in the basal epithelial cell lining of the mouth leading to decreased cell proliferation and cell death. Symptoms of OM vary from pain and discomfort to an inability to tolerate food or fluids, which can prevent patients from eating, swallowing and speaking. OM often necessitates hospitalization for re-hydration, opiate pain medication and total parenteral nutrition. Patients with damaged oral mucosa and reduced immunity resulting from chemo- and radiotherapy are also prone to infections in the mouth. Severe OM can even limit the dosing and frequency of treatment for cancer.

About episil oral liquid
episil oral liquid represents a unique and innovative concept for local treatment of pain associated with OM. Developed using the award-winning* Camurus proprietary technology FluidCrystal, episil is administered as a lipid-based liquid that spreads on the intra-oral mucosal surfaces and transforms to a strongly bioadhesive film that mechanically protects the sensitized and sore epithelium of the oral cavity. Clinically demonstrated, episil has been shown to rapidly (within minutes) and effectively reduce oral pain for up to 8 hours. episil oral liquid is supplied as a ready-to-use, pocket-sized device helping patients maintain their quality of life while undergoing cancer therapy. episil was first launched in Europe and is today commercially available in a number of countries. episil oral liquid is a CE-marked medical device class 1 in Europe and a 510k registered medical device in the US.

On Apr 21, 2016 Immune Therapeutics Inc. (OTCQB: IMUN) reported that they have signed a binding Letter of Intent to acquire Chinese Chimeric Super Antigen Receptor T cell (CAR-T) cocktail therapy, Immuno-Oncology patents (pending), manufacturing technology, and clinical data of the aforementioned therapies from Super-T Cell Cancer Company ("STCC") a newly formed corporation (Press release, Immune Therapeutics, APR 21, 2016, View Source [SID:1234514893]).

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"This CAR-T cell technology licensing further accelerates IMUN’s growth in the Immuno-Oncology field as we evaluate paths to commercialization both in China and other Emerging Markets," commented Christopher Pearce, Chief Operating Officer.
CAR-T cell therapy involves engineering cancer patients’ own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer tumors. CAR-T therapy has great potential to improve patient-specific cancer therapy in a profound way. N umerous studies have implicated regulatory T cells as key mediators in the creation of an immunosuppressed microenvironment that enables tumors to escape attack by the host immune system. The Super CAR-T Cocktail therapy has shown promise in early human clinical trials for the treatment of blood cancer, renal, cervical and hepatic cancer.

"We are very impressed by the quality of the work done by Professor Shan and his team, and are excited by the safe and efficacious profile of this novel CAR-T cocktail therapy for cancerous diseases. This is the beginning of a long-term strategic partnership between IMUN and STCC. Together, we will expeditiously continue our quest in developing more affordable, safer, and more effective cancer immunotherapy programs," said Noreen Griffin, Chief Executive Officer of Immune Therapeutics, Inc.
The need in China for new affordable therapies is critical. It is predicted that there will be about 4,292,000 newly diagnosed invasive cancer cases in 2016, corresponding to almost 12,000 new cancer diagnoses on average each day. IMUN believes that once approved it could capture 5% of the market in the first year.

On April 21, 2016 OncoCyte Corporation (NYSE MKT:OCX), a developer of novel, non-invasive blood based tests for the early detection of cancer, reported that its bladder cancer abstract has been selected for presentation in a poster session, including a live panel discussion on the results, at the 2016 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held in Chicago, Illinois June 3rd through the 7th (Press release, BioTime, APR 21, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2159019 [SID:1234511206]).

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The Company has been developing a urine-based diagnostic that could be more effectively used for screening for bladder cancer in patients presenting with hematuria, confirming indeterminate cytology findings, and diagnosing recurrence of bladder cancer in patients in remission. OncoCyte presented interim clinical study data for the non-invasive detection of bladder cancer at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) in April of 2015 demonstrating a high level of sensitivity and specificity in the detection of urothelial carcinoma, the most common type of bladder cancer. At AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) OncoCyte reported a ROC AUC of .91, sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 83%. The study to be presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) continued the development of the diagnostic first reported in the 2015 study.

"ASCO is one of the largest medical meetings of the year and OncoCyte is excited to be presenting clinical data for our diagnostics for the second year in a row," commented William Annett, Chief Executive Officer. "Our bladder test has the potential to screen approximately four million patients along the cancer spectrum annually and reflects our robust clinical pipeline of diagnostics assays. We are looking forward to sharing our results with the medical community as well as our shareholders."

The data will be presented by Karen B. Chapman, Ph.D., OncoCyte’s Vice President of Research.

Presentation Title: "Derivation of gene expression classifiers for the non-invasive detection of bladder cancer in the hematuria and recurrence surveillance populations."
Session Title: Tumor Biology
Poster Session: 1 PM – 4:30 PM June 6, 2016
Poster Discussion Session: 4:45 PM – 6 PM, June 6, 2016

About Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer has been projected to have the highest lifetime treatment costs per patient of all cancers. Bladder cancer in the U.S. was estimated to cost $125B in 2010, growing to $155B in 2014. The high recurrence rate and ongoing invasive monitoring requirements drive the financial burden of this disease.

On April 21, 2016 Transgene (Paris:TNG), a company focused on discovering and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, reported a business update for the quarter ending March 31, 2016 (Press release, Transgene, APR 21, 2016, View Source [SID:1234511236]).

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Operating revenue:

The following table summarizes the first quarter operating revenue1 for 2016 compared to the same period in 2015:

Q1
In millions of euros 2016 2015

Revenue from collaborative and licensing agreements 0.4 0.5
Government financing for research expenditures 1.6 2.3

Operating revenue 2.0 2.8
During the first quarter of 2016, revenue from collaborative and licensing agreements was mainly composed of research services and royalties.

As of March 31, 2016, government financing for research expenditures mainly consisted of 25% of the research tax credit expected for 2016 (€1.6 million in the first quarter of 2016 versus €2.0 million over the same period in 2015). This decrease was due to lower eligible research and development expenses, explained by the restructuring of the Company.

Cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale financial assets and other financial assets:

Cash, cash equivalents, available-for-sale financial assets and other financial assets stood at €23.5 million as of March 31, 2016, compared to €31.7 million as of December 31, 2015. Cash burn was €8.2 million in the first quarter of 2016, versus €8.9 million for the same quarter last year. Net cash outflows linked to the restructuring plan amounted to €2.0 million over the period. Excluding the above disbursements, cash burn stood at €6.2 million in the first quarter of 2016, reflecting the first positive effects of the reorganization plan.

As a reminder, Transgene secured up to €30 million of new funding in January 2016, to be drawn within the fiscal year. This consisted of a loan facility of €20 million from the EIB (European Investment Bank), and the commitment by its major shareholder, Institut Mérieux, to provide additional funding of approximately €10 million.

Key achievements of the first quarter of 2016:

Pexa-Vec: first patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated in the Phase 3 trial conducted by Transgene’s partner, SillaJen, Inc.
Loan agreement of €20 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB), under the IDFF (Infectious Diseases Finance Facility) program
Finalization of the restructuring plan and sale of the production asset to ABL Europe for an amount of €3.5 million
Management team strengthened: Maud Brandely, MD, PhD appointed Chief Medical Officer, and John Felitti, JD, LLM appointed as General Counsel & Corporate Secretary
Outlook:

Transgene confirms that it expects 2016 cash burn to be around €35 million, which includes the development plan as currently programmed, as well as extraordinary items such as restructuring expenditures (€6 million) and a milestone payment to SillaJen, Inc. Projected cash burn excludes the impact of the possible Conditional Marketing Approval submission in Europe for TG4010 and the associated Phase 3 trial initiation, which is currently being evaluated.