On June 6, 2018 Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq:MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of oncology drug candidates, all of which are based on license agreements with The University of Texas System on behalf of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, reported that has entered into an agreement with The University of Iowa Pharmaceuticals for the development of a formulation for WP1732 (Press release, Moleculin, JUN 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234527205]).

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"WP1732, which we believe, based on preclinical testing, is a breakthrough discovery, is now advancing to the stage of formulation development," commented Walter Klemp, Moleculin’s Chairman and CEO. "With the demand for clinical testing of WP1066 continuing to grow, it is easy to forget that we believe WP1732 represents a major expansion of our STAT3 inhibition capability by providing a highly soluble alternative that is ideally suited for IV administration. This agreement marks the beginning of our creating a preclinical package to submit to the FDA in order to request Investigational New Drug status."

On June 6, 2018 Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presented the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference presentation of Pieris Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Presentation, Pieris Pharmaceuticals, JUN 6, 2018, View Source [SID1234527206]).

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On June 5, 2018 BeiGene, Ltd. (NASDAQ:BGNE), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing innovative molecularly targeted and immuno-oncology drugs for the treatment of cancer, reported that the company will present at the William Blair 2018 Growth Stock Conference in Chicago (Press release, BeiGene, JUN 5, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2353190 [SID1234527170]). The presentation is scheduled for 10:50 AM CT on Tuesday, June 12, 2018.

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A live webcast can be accessed from the investors section of BeiGene’s website at View Source An archived replay will be available for 90 days following the event.

On June 5, 2018 VBL Therapeutics (NASDAQ:VBLT) reported data on its novel MOSPD2 program in oncology and inflammation at the 2018 BIO International Convention in Boston, Massachusetts (Press release, VBL Therapeutics, JUN 5, 2018, View Source [SID1234527188]).

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"Our research has shown that MOSPD2 plays a key role in the regulation of cell motility," said Dror Harats, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of VBL Therapeutics. "We have generated data indicating that MOSPD2 is required for directional movement, or chemotaxis, of tumor cells and certain immune cells, and therefore appears to play a central role in both oncology and inflammation. We continue to advance our exciting VB-600 series of antibodies as drug candidates for oncology and inflammatory indications."

MOSPD2 can be found in many types of solid tumors, and is highly expressed on tumor cells when they start invading tissues or creating metastatic lesions. VBL’s data indicate that knock-out of MOSPD2 in tumor cells may reduce metastasis by up to 95%. At the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) conference in April this year, VBL presented a late-breaking proof-of-concept study demonstrating antibody-mediated killing of MOSPD2-expressing cancer cells.

VBL research has also shown that knocking-out the MOSPD2 gene in mice could protect the animals from developing some inflammatory diseases. The Company has generated antibodies that block immune cell migration and show efficacy in a model of multiple sclerosis.

VBL is developing the VB-600 platform of biologic drug candidates for oncology and inflammatory indications. The Company plans to file an IND in this program by year-end 2019. For a webcast of VBL’s presentation at BIO see: LINK

On June 5, 2018 Polaris Group, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel drugs for cancer, reported results from a phase 1 clinical study that features Polaris lead therapeutic candidate ADI‑PEG 20 in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin (ADIPEMCIS) in first-line treatment for argininosuccinate synthetase (ASS1) deficient metastatic uveal melanomas (Press release, Polaris Pharmaceuticals, JUN 5, 2018, View Source [SID1234527207]). The results were presented by Dr. Peter Szlosarek from Barts Cancer Center in the UK (abstract No.2589) at the American Society Clinical Oncology’s 2018 annual meeting.

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ADIPEMCIS was well tolerated in a cohort of 10 patients. The best response was stable disease; which was observed in 7 of 10 patients and hence a disease control rate of 70%. The 12-month survival rate was 50% and the median overall survival is 11.5 months, with 1 patient still alive at 27.1 months.

Metastatic uveal melanoma has been resistant to systemic therapies, with low response rates and low overall survival. There is clearly an unmet medical need that requires the development of an effective and safe treatment for these patients. It has been observed previously that ADI‑PEG 20 had efficacy as a monotherapy in several earlier melanoma studies and now the combination with PEM/CIS has further enhanced the activity.

"ADIPEMCIS showed activity in these metastatic uveal melanoma patients," said John Bomalaski, M.D., Executive Vice President, Medical Affairs, of Polaris. "We believe that ADI‑PEG 20 would benefit these patients, for whom there is no established treatment regimen. Based on this encouraging data as well as for ADI‑PEG 20 monotherapy in uveal melanoma, a trial of ADI‑PEG 20 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, including programmed death and CTLA-4 antibodies is planned for uveal melanoma patients."

About ADI-PEG 20

ADI‑PEG 20 is a biologic being developed by Polaris Group to treat cancers carrying a major metabolic defect that renders them unable to internally synthesize arginine. Because arginine is essential for protein synthesis and survival of cells, these cancer cells become dependent upon the external supply of arginine to survive and grow. ADI‑PEG 20 is designed to deplete the external supply of arginine, causing arginine-dependent cancer cells to die while leaving the patient’s normal cells unharmed. Multiple cancers have been reported to have a high degree of arginine-dependency and can potentially be treated with ADI‑PEG 20.