On June 13, 2018 Sun BioPharma, Inc. (OTCQB:SNBP) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Sun BioPharma Australia Pty Ltd, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing disruptive therapeutics for the treatment of patients with pancreatic diseases, reported that on June 4, 2018 the first patients were enrolled in a Phase 1a/1b study of SBP-101 in combination with gemcitabine and nabpaclitaxel for front-line treatment of patients with metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) (Press release, Sun BioPharma, JUN 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234527299]). Sun BioPharma Australia Pty Ltd, is the sponsor of this study. The Phase 1a portion of this study will treat up to 18 PDA patients in three cohorts in order to determine a recommended dose of SBP-101 to be given in combination with standard treatment. The Phase 1b portion will be an expansion at the recommended dose of SBP-101, and will guide SBP-101’s subsequent development for patients with PDA. This multi-center, front-line study has 3 sites in Australia, The Austin Health Cancer Trials Centre in Melbourne, The Adelaide Cancer Centre in Adelaide, The Blacktown Cancer and Haematology Centre in Sydney and one site in the United States, The University of Florida Health Cancer Center in Gainesville, Florida. The first patients have been enrolled at the Adelaide Cancer Centre in Adelaide, Australia under the direction of Associate Professor Dusan Kotasek and at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center in Gainesville, Florida under the direction of Thomas J. George, MD, F.A.C.P.

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Dr. Kotasek received his medical degree at the University of Adelaide and specialty training in Haemotology and Oncology at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital followed by a Fellowship at the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, MN, USA. A Co-Founder of the Adelaide Cancer Centre, Dr. Kotasek has published over 60 scientific papers in oncology, and he is one of Australia’s leading cancer clinical research experts. Dr. Kotasek, the Principal Investigator for this study at the Adelaide Cancer Centre commented, "Pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease with few significant options available with a meaningful impact on response rates and progression free survival. We are excited to participate in this clinical study, and to continue our evaluation of SBP-101 as front-line combination treatment for previously untreated patients with metastatic PDA."

Dr. George is a medical oncologist having graduated with honors from the University of Florida College of Medicine. He is the Director of the GI Oncology Program at the University of Florida and Associate Director of Clincial Investigation at the UF Health Cancer Center. He is the Principal Investigator for this study at the University of Florida Health Cancer Center and he commented, "We are extremely honored to be participating in this important study that was born from the discoveries made by Dr. Raymond Bergeron here at the University of Florida. Pancreatic cancer
requires us to think outside the box which is exactly what this treatment has the potential to offer our patients with PDA."

"Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths in both Australia and the United States, currently being the 3rd most common cause of cancer deaths in the US. It represents a significant unmet medical need, with most patients having a poor prognosis and limited life expectancy," said Suzanne Gagnon, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Sun BioPharma. "Our recently completed safety study in heavily pre-treated PDA patientssuggested SBP-101 could be a promising addition to current front-line treatment regimens. The Data Safety Monitoring Board, Principal
Investigators and our clinical team agreed to move directly to front-line for our second trial and we are excited to study SBP-101 in combination with standard of care chemotherapy for previously untreated metastatic PDA patients."

About SBP-101
SBP-101 is a first-in-class, proprietary, polyamine compound designed to exert therapeutic effects in a mechanism specific to the pancreas. Sun BioPharma originally licensed SBP-101 from the University of Florida Research Foundation in 2011. The molecule has been shown to be highly effective in preclinical studies of human pancreatic cancer models, demonstrating superior activity to existing FDA-approved chemotherapy agents. Combination therapy potential has also been shown for pancreatic cancer. SBP-101 is expected to differ from current pancreatic cancer
therapies in that it specifically targets the exocrine pancreas and has shown efficacy against primary and metastatic disease in animal models of human pancreatic cancer. Therefore management believes that SBP-101 may effectively treat both primary and metastatic pancreatic cancer, while leaving the insulin-producing islet cells and non-pancreatic tissue unharmed. The safety and metabolic profile demonstrated in our first-in-human safety study further supports
evaluation of the potential for additive or synergistic effects in combination with current standard pancreatic cancer treatment

On June 13, 2018 Nordic Nanovector ASA (OSE: NANO) reported that it has received approval from the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) in Norway with regard to the Clinical Trial Application (CTA) for the Archer-1 Phase 1b trial with Betalutin (177Lu-satetraxetan-lilotomab) in combination with rituximab in second-line follicular lymphoma patients (2L FL) (Press release, Nordic Nanovector, JUN 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234553498]).

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Nordic Nanovector has now received all necessary approvals to begin Archer-1 in Norway and will commence start-up activities immediately. Archer-1 is a Phase 1b clinical trial designed to investigate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and preliminary efficacy of the Betalutin/rituximab combination in approx. 20 2L FL patients, and the study will initially be conducted in Norway. Further countries are expected to be added later. The first patient is expected to be dosed in the second half of 2018.

On June 13, 2018 TRACON Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:TCON), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel targeted therapeutics for cancer, wet age-related macular degeneration and fibrotic diseases, reported that positive preclinical data from TRC105, TRACON’s endoglin antibody, in combination with a PD-1 antibody, were discussed in an oral presentation at the 2018 International Cancer Microenvironment Society meeting (Press release, Tracon Pharmaceuticals, JUN 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234527300]).

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Dr. Mark Schoonderwoerd of Leiden University presented data from multiple murine models assessing the activity of TRC105 in combination with a PD-1 antibody. The individual antibodies as well as the combination were studied in two separate models. In the first, immunocompetent mice were implanted with a syngeneic colorectal cancer subcutaneously to mimic metastatic colorectal cancer. In the second, immunocompetent mice were implanted orthotopically to mimic advanced colorectal cancer.

In both models, treatment with either TRC105 or a PD-1 antibody alone decreased tumor volume compared to IgG control antibody to a similar degree. However, combined treatment with TRC105 and the PD-1 antibody significantly reduced tumor volume compared to treatment with TRC105 or PD-1 treatment alone.

Treatment with either TRC105 or a PD-1 antibody improved survival to a similar degree compared to control antibody. However, survival was significantly improved with combination treatment versus the individual therapies, with long-term survival demonstrated in 30% to 60% of animals. Combination treatment also increased tumor specific T cells, indicating stimulation of an immune response.

The activity of TRC105 given as a single agent or combined with a PD-1 antibody was diminished following CD8+ T cell depletion, indicating that TRC105 activity was mediated through an immunologic mechanism.
In a separately reported third preclinical study, an endoglin antibody specific for mouse endoglin that mimics TRC105 activity in mice, M1043, was studied in a chemically induced colorectal cancer model of early-stage colorectal cancer.

Combined treatment with M1043 and a PD-1 antibody significantly reduced tumor volume compared to treatment with M1043 or PD-1 treatment alone. Combination treatment also significantly reduced the number of tumors that formed in response to the chemically induced carcinogenesis.
TRC105 is currently being studied in the ongoing pivotal randomized Phase 3 TAPPAS trial in angiosarcoma (NCT02979899), the randomized Phase 2 TRAXAR trial in renal cell carcinoma (NCT01806064), a Phase 1/2 trial in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (NCT02560779), and a Phase 1 trial studying the combination of TRC105 and nivolumab (Opdivo) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NCT03181308).

On June 13, 2018 Quanterix Corporation (NASDAQ:QTRX), a company digitizing biomarker analysis with the goal of advancing the science of precision health, reported that Kevin Hrusovsky, President, Chairman and CEO of Quanterix, and Founder of Powering Precision Health (PPH), has been named by EY as a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2018 Award in the New England program (Press release, Quanterix, JUN 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234527301]). The recognition acknowledges Hrusovsky’s achievements in healthcare technology innovation, Quanterix’ outstanding financial performance, and his personal commitment to improving precision medicine and human health.

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"We are honored to be recognized by EY for this award," said Hrusovsky. "For me, this recognition represents the many people and institutions that we’ve been working with who are driving a precision health vision to eradicate and prevent some of today’s most lethal diseases, namely cancer, Alzheimer’s and infectious disease forward. It’s a privilege for us to be recognized alongside other entrepreneurs and business leaders who are all pioneers in their respective fields."

Hrusovsky has a more than 25 year-long track record commercializing disruptive technologies in the life science industry. His impressive career has been propelled by a unique leadership style marked by transparency, passion, and purpose. Since joining Quanterix less than four years ago, Hrusovsky has transformed the company from one that lacked mission and direction into a successful public entity with industry-leading technology that has the power to transform the way we diagnose and treat disease. The key is his focus on putting science first. With Hrusovsky at the helm, Quanterix now has over 200 peer-reviewed publications backing the abilities of its Simoa technology, a significant industry accomplishment. He’s also expanded the applications for Simoa in the drug development industry, with 18 out of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies having used the technology to date in over 700 clinical trials.

Two years ago, Hrusovsky realized that more needed to be done to drive a true transformation in our healthcare system. As such, he launched PPH as a forum where all key stakeholders, from the world’s leading medical professionals and innovators to patients and patient advocates, could come together to share their latest research and truly revolutionize medicine. Now in its third year, PPH has sparked a true movement, one that puts science before profits and closely examines how we can prevent diseases, not just treat them. Today PPH has more than doubled in size and is considered the leading industry conference focused on advancing precision health.

Hrusovsky also serves on the Board of Directors of several companies shaping the future of precision health, including Quanterix, BioreclamationIVT, Cell Signaling Technology, 908 Devices, SynapDx and Solect Energy. He also serves on the Educational Board of the Massachusetts Biotech Council, the Advisory Committee for the Center for Biomedical Engineering at Brown University, the Association for Laboratory Automation, the JALA Editorial Board, and the Strategy Committee of Children’s Hospital Boston.

Hrusovsky was selected as a finalist by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on June 28, 2018 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. Now in its 32nd year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world.

Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National competition. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 10, 2018. The awards are the culminating event of the Strategic Growth Forum, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by EY, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored in the US by SAP America, the Kauffman Foundation and Merrill Corporation.

In the New England region, gold sponsors also include Boston Private Bank, fama PR, the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Nixon Peabody, True Search, and Woodruff Sawyer. New England silver sponsors include Chatham Financial, Empire Valuation Consultants, Morgan Lewis, Sullivan & Worcester, and T3 Advisors.

TYME has filed a 10-K – Annual report [Section 13 and 15(d), not S-K Item 405] with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Filing, 10-K, TYME, 2018, JUN 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234527293]).

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