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IDEAYA Biosciences and Cancer Research UK Announce Partnership Agreement to Develop Small Molecule Inhibitors of PARG

On March 13, 2018 IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc., an oncology-focused biotechnology company committed to the discovery of breakthrough synthetic lethality medicines and immuno-oncology therapies, reported that it has entered into a partnership agreement with Cancer Research UK’s (CRUK) Commercial Partnerships Team and the Drug Discovery Unit at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, part of the University of Manchester, UK, to develop small molecule inhibitors of Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) (Press release, Ideaya Biosciences, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234525131]). PARG is a cellular enzyme that breaks down Poly(ADP-ribose), a post-translational modification that modulates protein function required for DNA repair. Inhibition of PARG in cancer cells with highly-active PARP results in depletion of cellular NAD. NAD is an essential cofactor in cellular respiration, and its depletion results in a dramatic decrease in cellular ATP and cancer cell death.

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"We are thrilled to be able to partner with one of the leading cancer research institutions in CRUK, who has had a prolific history in the space of DNA repair, including its scientific contributions to PARP biology and its associated biomarker BRCA," said Yujiro S. Hata, chief executive officer of IDEAYA. "We look forward to collaborating with this exceptional organization as we advance novel, small molecule inhibitors of PARG towards the clinic."

"The Drug Discovery Unit at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute are delighted to be working alongside IDEAYA to further develop our PARG inhibitor program," said Allan Jordan, head of chemistry in the Drug Discovery Unit. "Stemming from fundamental biological discoveries made in our own Institute, PARG inhibitors offer a new way of compromising the ability of cancer cells to survive and resist treatment. We believe that these agents will offer a truly novel and clinically meaningful therapy for patients fighting against cancer.

"This new collaboration with IDEAYA, a leading biotechnology company, will accelerate the translation of discoveries from one of our major drug discovery units," said Iain Foulkes, Ph.D., Cancer Research UK’s executive director of research and innovation. "We’re excited to focus our combined expertise on this unique program of research. This is one of several partnerships in our growing portfolio of projects that we hope will result in vital new treatments for cancer patients."

IDEAYA and Cancer Research UK also announced today that data from the PARG program will be presented at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting to be held April 14-18, 2018 in Chicago, IL. The presentation details are as follows:

Title: PARG inhibitors exhibit synthetic lethality with XRCC1 deficiency and a cellular mechanism of action that is distinct from PARP inhibition
Date and Time: Monday, April 16, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM CDT
Abstract Number: 1943
Presenting author: Lisa Belmont, Ph.D.
Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

IDEAYA Biosciences Appoints Julie Hambleton, M.D., as Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Head of Development

On March 13, 2018 IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc., an oncology-focused biotechnology company committed to the discovery of breakthrough synthetic lethality medicines and immuno-oncology therapies, reported the appointment of Julie Hambleton, M.D., as senior vice president and chief medical officer, head of development (Press release, Ideaya Biosciences, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234525130]). Dr. Hambleton brings more than 20 years of experience in clinical drug development, ranging from pre-clinical studies through Phase 4 and post-marketing studies. She has extensive experience working with regulatory agencies, including the U.S. FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and in filing of investigational new drug applications (INDs), biologics license applications (BLAs), and special protocol assessments (SPAs).

"Dr. Hambleton is an accomplished industry executive and a leading oncology drug developer, and we welcome her to the leadership team at IDEAYA," said Yujiro S. Hata, chief executive officer of IDEAYA. "Dr. Hambleton’s unique clinical background in both immuno-oncology and synthetic lethality will strengthen our organization’s capabilities as we advance multiple first-in-class programs into the clinic, leveraging our clinical strategy in patient selection and combinations."

Julie Hambleton, M.D.

"Over the past two decades, I have been involved in the development of numerous targeted and biomarker enabled therapies, including Avastin and Rubraca, and first-in-class immuno-oncology agents that have been developed in combination with checkpoint inhibitors," said Dr. Hambleton. "IDEAYA’s diverse pipeline of biomarker enabled synthetic lethality programs and immunotherapies targeting immuno-metabolism and innate immunity have the potential to transform oncology care and deliver on our mission to bring innovative personalized therapies to cancer patients."

Dr. Hambleton was previously vice president, head of US medical at Bristol-Myers Squibb, overseeing medical & health economic and outcomes research activities in support of the oncology, immuno-oncology, specialty and cardiovascular marketed portfolios. From 2012 to 2016, she was executive vice president and chief medical officer at Five Prime Therapeutics, where she led clinical, clinical operations, regulatory, preclinical and translational and process development and was a member of the executive committee. From 2010 to 2012, Dr. Hambleton was vice president, clinical development, at Clovis Oncology, where she oversaw clinical development programs and managed clinical and pharmacokinetic functions, including the development of Rubraca, a PARP inhibitor, developed with a diagnostic for BRCA and HRD. From 2003 to 2010, she was at Genentech, most recently as group medical director, global clinical development, leading a cross-functional group conducting multiple Phase 2 and 3 trials of Avastin.

Prior to joining industry, Dr. Hambleton served from 1993 to 2003 in academic positions in the division of hematology-oncology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), most recently as associate professor of clinical medicine. She completed post-graduate training at UCSF, where she served as medical resident, chief medical resident and fellow in the division of hematology-oncology. She received a B.S. from Duke University in nursing, an M.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and was board-certified in hematology and internal medicine.

Checkpoint Therapeutics to Participate in March Investor Conferences

On March 13, 2018 – Checkpoint Therapeutics, Inc. ("Checkpoint") (NASDAQ: CKPT), a
clinical-stage, immuno-oncology biopharmaceutical company focused on the acquisition, development
and commercialization of novel treatments for patients with solid tumor cancers, reported that
James F. Oliviero, President and Chief Executive Officer, will participate in two investor conferences in
March (Press release, Checkpoint Therapeutics, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234525086]).

• Oppenheimer’s 28th Annual Healthcare Conference: Checkpoint will host one-on-one meetings
on Wednesday, March 21, 2018, at the Westin New York Grand Central in New York City
• The Wall Street Investor Forum 26th Annual Growth Conference: Checkpoint will present a
company overview on Thursday, March 22, 2018, at 11:50 a.m. EDT at The University Club of New
York in New York City

A live webcast of The Wall Street Investor Forum presentation will be available on the Events page of the
Investors & Media section of Checkpoint’s website: www.checkpointtx.com. An archived replay of the
webcast will be available for approximately 30 days following the presentation.

Avelas Biosciences to Present at Oppenheimer 28th Annual Healthcare Conference

On March 13, 2018 Avelas Biosciences, Inc., a clinical stage oncology-focused platform technology company that is developing products to advance a new standard-of-care for cancer surgery and therapeutic intervention, reported that Carmine N. Stengone, President and Chief Executive Officer, will present at the Oppenheimer 28th Annual Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at 4:10 p.m. EDT (1:10 p.m. PDT) in New York City (Press release, Avelas Biosciences, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234525081]).

Heat Biologics to Present at the BIO-Europe Spring Conference, March 12-14, 2018, in Amsterdam

On March 13, 2018 Heat Biologics, Inc. ("Heat") (NASDAQ: HTBX), a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs designed to activate a patient’s immune system against cancer,.reported that it will present at the BIO-Europe Spring Conference in Amsterdam (Press release, Heat Biologics, MAR 13, 2018, View Source [SID1234524969]). Jeff Hutchins, Ph.D., and Chief Scientific and Operating Officer for Heat, will present at 9:30 a.m. CET/3 p.m. ET, on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. Dr. Hutchins will also be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with biotech/pharmaceutical executives registered to attend the conference.

BIO-Europe brings together some of the world’s most innovative leaders across biotech, finance and pharma for high-level networking, partnering meetings, strategic panels discussions and more