On December 2, 2021 ImmunoGen Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN), a leader in the expanding field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for the treatment of cancer, reported the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 11,636,364 shares of its common stock at a price of $6.60 per share, before underwriting discounts and commissions, and to certain investors in lieu of common stock, pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 27,363,636 shares of its common stock at a price of $6.59, which represents the per share public offering price for the common stock less the $0.01 per share exercise price for each such pre-funded warrant (Press release, ImmunoGen, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596389]). The offering is expected to close on or about December 6, 2021, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions. ImmunoGen also granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 5,850,000 shares of its common stock at the public offering price, less underwriting discounts and commissions. All of the shares of common stock and pre-funded warrants in the offering are to be sold by ImmunoGen.

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ImmunoGen anticipates the total gross proceeds from the offering (before deducting the underwriting discounts and estimated offering expenses) will be $257.1 million, excluding any exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares.

ImmunoGen intends to use the net proceeds of the offering to fund its operations, including, but not limited to, commercialization activities, clinical trial activities, supply of drug product, business development activities, capital expenditures, and working capital.

Jefferies, Cowen, and Guggenheim Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the proposed offering. Canaccord Genuity is acting as lead manager for the proposed offering.

The securities described above are being offered by ImmunoGen pursuant to a shelf registration statement that was previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and became effective upon filing. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in this offering, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering was filed with the SEC and is available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies of the final prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained by contacting Jefferies LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Prospectus Department, 520 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022, by e-mail at [email protected] or by telephone at (877) 821-7388; Cowen and Company, LLC c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, Attention: Prospectus Department, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY,11717, by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (833) 297-2926; or Guggenheim Securities, LLC, Attention: Equity Syndicate Department, 330 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10017, or by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 518-9544.

On December 2, 2021 Merus N.V. (Nasdaq: MRUS) ("Merus", "the Company", "we", or "our"), a clinical-stage oncology company developing innovative, full-length multispecific antibodies (Biclonics and Triclonics), reported the publication of the abstract highlighting interim data, as of a July 14, 2021 cutoff, from the phase 1/2 trial of bispecific antibody MCLA-145 in patients with solid tumors (Press release, Merus, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596408]). The e-poster will be presented at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Immuno-Oncology (ESMO IO) Congress 2021 being held December 8-11, 2021 in Geneva, Switzerland.

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Presentation Details:

Title: Phase I Dose Escalation Study of MCLA-145, a Bispecific Antibody Targeting CD137 and PD-L1 in Solid Tumors
Poster #: 136P

The e-poster will be available on the virtual platform, in the e-poster section as of Monday, December 6 at 6:00 am ET and on-site at the e-Poster stations starting on Wednesday, December 8. The poster will also be available on the Merus website.

The phase 1, open-label, single-agent clinical trial of MCLA-145 is ongoing. The trial consists of a dose escalation phase, followed by a planned dose expansion phase. MCLA-145 is the first drug candidate co-developed under Merus’ global collaboration and license agreement with Incyte, which permits the development and commercialization of up to 11 bispecific and monospecific antibodies from the Merus Biclonics platform. Merus retains full rights to develop and commercialize MCLA-145, if approved, in the United States; and Incyte holds full rights to develop and commercialize MCLA-145 outside the United States.

About MCLA-145
Discovered through an unbiased functional screening of multiple immunomodulatory target combinations, MCLA-145 is a Biclonics T-cell agonist that binds with high affinity and specificity to human PD-L1 and CD137 in preclinical models. The unique immunostimulatory profile of MCLA-145 derives from the potential to potently activate immune effector cells in the context of the tumor microenvironment while simultaneously blocking inhibitory signals in the same immune cell population.

On December 2, 2021 Acepodia, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) platform technology to address gaps in cancer care, reported the closing of a $109 million Series C financing round led by Digital Mobile Venture and other new and existing investors (Press release, Acepodia, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596391]). The funds will be used to further validate the company’s ACC technology and advance its pipeline of antibody cell effector (ACE) therapies for patients with cancer with limited treatment options. Concurrent with the financing, Samuel Chen, Director at Digital Mobile Venture, will join the Acepodia Board of Directors. Mr. Chen is also the largest shareholder of Polaris Pharmaceuticals.

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"This significant capital raise paves the way for us to deliver on our mission of bringing innovative, effective and affordable cell therapies to the broadest possible population of cancer patients," said Patrick Y. Yang, Ph.D., chairman and co-founder of Acepodia.

Acepodia has raised $166 million to date in venture capital financing, including a $47 million Series B round completed in March 2021. Investors have included Ridgeback Capital Investments, 8VC, DEFTA Partners, CDIB Capital Healthcare, Maxpro, E-Sun Venture, BioEngine Venture, Samuel Chen, Yahoo founder Jerry Yang, and Foxconn founder Terry Gou.

"We are pleased by the strong support and confidence of our investors as we initiate additional research and development programs and continue our clinical trial expansion in the U.S. in the coming years," said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., chief executive officer, president and co-founder of Acepodia. "We are also honored to welcome visionary technology investor Samuel Chen to our board of directors, who shares our mission of building a next-generation platform of cell therapies for cancers with high unmet needs."

Acepodia is developing a first-in-class pipeline of ACE therapies that use its ACC technology to link tumor-targeting antibodies to immune cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells or gamma delta T cells. Unlike CAR-based cell therapies that require viral vector-delivered gene transductions or genetic engineering, this technology combines the precision of targeted monoclonal antibodies and cancer-killing immune cells into a potent cell therapy.

On December 2, 2021 NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), reported that hosted a Key Opinion Leader (KOL) event with Frank A. Giordano, M.D. on November 23, 2021, to discuss the combination of NOX-A12 and radiotherapy in brain cancer (glioblastoma, GBM) (Press release, NOXXON, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596409]). Dr. Giordano is Director and Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Bonn, Germany, and lead investigator of the ongoing NOX-A12 Phase 1/2 study GLORIA in glioblastoma.

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"I have been involved in research and treatment of glioblastoma for many years, and we’ve not seen major changes in the management of this terrible disease for almost two decades. Although the development of an effective treatment for glioblastoma has proved extremely challenging, the data from the GLORIA study are very promising and, if confirmed in a pivotal clinical study, could be transformational for patients affected by this devastating disease," commented Dr. Frank Giordano.

"Dr. Giordano is a research pioneer and expert in precision radiation therapy and intraoperative irradiation of malignant tumors. He has brought together an exceptional team around the GLORIA study which was evident from the data presentation at SNO. His leadership of the trial will ensure that all the insights we can derive will be put to use in future trials of NOX-A12," commented Aram Mangasarian, CEO of NOXXON.

Glioblastoma is a devastating disease affecting 23,000 new patient each year in the US and Europe. The median overall survival for this patient population is only 14 months, and even lower in the MGMT unmethylated (chemotherapy refractory) patient subpopulation. The KOL webinar highlighted data from the Phase 1/2 GLORIA study presented at the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Meeting, where tumor shrinkage for patients in the study was significantly stronger compared to those of a historic matched cohort that received standard of care. Eight of 9 MGMT unmethylated glioblastoma patients (89%) receiving NOX-A12 demonstrated tumor size reductions, while only 1 of 13 patients from a matched cohort (8%) showed any tumor shrinkage.

During the KOL event, Dr. Giordano emphasized several other important points, summarized in the Annex to this press release.

On December 2, 2021 Immutep Limited (ASX: IMM; NASDAQ: IMMP) ("Immutep" or "the Company"), a biotechnology company developing novel LAG-3 related immunotherapy treatments for cancer and autoimmune disease, reported the first five patients have been treated in the INSIGHT-003 study (Press release, Immutep, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596428]).

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No additional safety signals have been observed in the study which is the first time a triple combination therapy consisting of eftilagimod alpha ("efti") and an existing approved standard of care combination of chemotherapy (carboplatin) and an anti-PD-1 therapy has been administered.

Lead investigator, Prof. Dr. Salah-Eddin Al-Batran of the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research IKF said: "The INSIGHT-003 study has commenced well. We are very pleased with the safety of the triple combination so far and all patients are still participating in the study. This is important as it is the first time patients have received a triple combination therapy with efti. Patient recruitment is advancing in line with our projections."

INSIGHT-003 is evaluating a triple combination therapy consisting of efti in conjunction with an existing approved standard of care combination of chemotherapy and anti-PD-1 therapy. The study will continue to recruit up to 20 patients with various solid tumours and additional results are expected in calendar year 2022.

About INSIGHT-003

INSIGHT-003 is an investigator-initiated study conducted by the Institute of Clinical Cancer Research IKF at Krankenhaus Nordwest in Frankfurt. It is being run as the third arm (Stratum C) of the ongoing Phase I INSIGHT trial with Prof. Dr. Salah-Eddin Al-Batran as lead investigator. The study is evaluating a triple combination therapy consisting of efti in conjunction with an existing approved standard of care combination of chemotherapy (carboplatin) and anti-PD-1 therapy.

Up to 20 patients with solid tumours will be recruited to participate in the trial. Patients will receive 30 mg subcutaneous doses of efti every two weeks in conjunction with standard of care chemotherapy plus anti-PD-1 therapy. The trial will assess the safety, tolerability and initial efficacy of the combination.