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SOTIO Biotech Appoints Amy Jensen-Smith as CSO and Ulrich Moebius as CDO to Advance ADC Pipeline

Oncology
  • SOTIO Biotech has appointed Amy Jensen-Smith as Chief Scientific Officer and Ulrich Moebius as Chief Development Officer to strengthen its leadership team and advance its pipeline of antibody-drug conjugates and immunotherapies.
  • Dr. Jensen-Smith has been instrumental in developing SOTIO's lead preclinical ADC candidates SOT106 and SOT109, which target mesenchymal tumors and colorectal cancer respectively.
  • Dr. Moebius brings over 25 years of experience in drug development and previously served as SOTIO's chief of preclinical development from 2017 to 2024.
  • The appointments support SOTIO's focus on next-generation ADCs targeting solid tumors and its ongoing Phase 1 VICTORIA-01 study of SOT201 immunocytokine.

START and Minerva Imaging Expand Partnership to Create Integrated Radiopharmaceutical Development Platform

Oncology
  • The START Center for Cancer Research, XenoSTART, and Minerva Imaging have expanded their decade-long partnership to establish an integrated platform for radiopharmaceutical drug development.
  • The collaboration combines XenoSTART's clinically annotated patient-derived xenograft models with Minerva Imaging's molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy expertise.
  • The partnership targets the rapidly growing radiopharmaceutical sector, particularly in metastatic prostate cancer and other high-burden indications like breast and neuroendocrine tumors.
  • The integrated platform aims to accelerate development timelines and reduce risk by providing a single-source solution spanning discovery, translational research, and manufacturing.

Cartography Biosciences Raises $67M Series B to Advance Novel T-Cell Engager for Colorectal Cancer

Oncology
  • Cartography Biosciences secured $67 million in Series B funding led by Pfizer Ventures to advance its lead T-cell engager CBI-1214 targeting colorectal cancer into Phase 1 trials.
  • The company's lead program CBI-1214 targets LY6G6D, a tumor antigen uniquely expressed in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer, which represents the vast majority of patients with limited treatment options.
  • CBI-1214 is designed to treat the most common form of colorectal cancer by recruiting immune cells to tumors, potentially turning immunologically "cold" tumors into "hot" ones.
  • The funding will support clinical trial enrollment beginning in early 2026 and expand development of additional programs from Cartography's ATLAS and SUMMIT drug discovery platforms.

Race Oncology Discovers Novel Mechanism for Cancer Drug Targeting Previously "Undruggable" MYC Pathway

Oncology
  • Race Oncology has identified that its lead cancer drug bisantrene (RCDS1) works by binding to G-quadruplex DNA and RNA structures, offering a novel approach to target the MYC oncogene.
  • The discovery addresses a decades-old challenge in oncology, as MYC is abnormally activated in over 70% of human cancers but has been considered "undruggable" due to its lack of conventional binding sites.
  • Understanding the precise mechanism of action significantly improves the drug's development outlook, regulatory approval chances, and commercial partnership potential.
  • The breakthrough enables Race Oncology to design more targeted clinical trials and identify cancer types most likely to respond to treatment.

Vidac Pharma Secures Broad U.S. Patent Protection for Novel Mitochondria-Targeted Cancer Therapy

Oncology
  • Vidac Pharma received USPTO Notice of Allowance for patent claims covering HK2-detaching compounds that restore mitochondrial function in cancer cells.
  • The patent provides broad protection for compounds, compositions, and methods treating any cancer expressing Hexokinase 2 (HK2), a key tumor metabolism driver.
  • The technology aims to reverse the Warburg effect by detaching HK2 from mitochondrial pores, restoring normal cellular metabolism and driving cancer cell death.
  • This milestone strengthens Vidac's intellectual property portfolio and positions the company as a leader in metabolism-based cancer therapeutics.

Phase III BART Trial Shows Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Significantly Reduces Pelvic Recurrence in High-Risk Bladder Cancer

Oncology
  • The BART trial demonstrated that post-operative radiation therapy reduced locoregional recurrence rates from 26% to 8% in patients with high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
  • Two-year locoregional recurrence-free survival improved significantly from 76.4% with observation alone to 91.2% with adjuvant radiation therapy (p=0.004).
  • The treatment showed minimal toxicity with severe late side effects occurring in only 8.5% of radiation patients versus 10.5% in the observation group.
  • Subgroup analyses revealed particular benefit for patients with larger tumors (T3-4) and node-positive disease, suggesting potential for personalized treatment approaches.

Bladder Cancer Adjuvant Radiotherapy Trial

NCT02951325Active, Not RecruitingPhase 3
Tata Memorial Centre
Posted 6/2/2016

Sutro Biopharma Cuts 33% of Workforce to Extend Cash Runway Through ADC Development Milestones

Oncology
  • Sutro Biopharma announced a major organizational restructuring that will reduce its workforce by approximately one-third to focus resources on advancing its three antibody-drug conjugate programs.
  • The restructuring, combined with expected milestone payments, extends the company's cash runway into at least mid-2027, providing funding through key clinical milestones for its ADC portfolio.
  • The company remains on track to advance STRO-004, its next-generation Tissue Factor-targeting exatecan ADC, into clinical trials this year with initial data expected in 2026.
  • Sutro's cell-free platform produces single- and dual-payload ADCs engineered to improve drug exposure, reduce side effects, and expand treatable tumor types for cancer patients.

Phase III Trial Shows Five-Treatment Radiation Regimen Improves Quality of Life for Prostate Cancer Patients

Oncology
  • The NRG Oncology GU-005 phase III trial demonstrated that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) delivered in five treatments over two weeks provides superior quality of life outcomes compared to standard 20-28 treatment regimens for intermediate-risk prostate cancer patients.
  • SBRT patients showed significantly better preservation of bowel function (35% vs. 44% decline, p=0.034), sexual function (34.3% vs. 43.9% decline at one year, p=0.026), and urinary control (25.9% vs. 34.7% incontinence at two years, p=0.023).
  • Disease-free survival rates remained comparable between treatment groups at three years (88.6% with SBRT vs. 92.1% with standard radiation), supporting SBRT as an effective alternative that reduces treatment time by more than 80%.
  • The findings are expected to establish five-treatment SBRT as the new standard of care for men with localized, intermediate-risk prostate cancer, benefiting tens of thousands of patients annually.

Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy or Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage IIA-B Prostate Cancer

NCT03367702Active, Not RecruitingPhase 3
NRG Oncology
Posted 2/1/2018

Gilead Sciences Secures Exclusive Global Rights to First-in-Class P-Glycoprotein Inhibitor Encequidar

Oncology
  • Health Hope Pharma and Hanmi Pharm have granted Gilead Sciences exclusive global licensing rights to encequidar, a first-in-class P-glycoprotein inhibitor, specifically for virology applications.
  • The licensing agreement includes upfront payments, development and regulatory milestones, plus low single-digit royalties on net sales for both HHP and Hanmi.
  • Health Hope Pharma is advancing its most promising program combining oral paclitaxel with encequidar for metastatic breast cancer treatment, targeting Phase III trial initiation in Q4 2025.
  • The collaboration validates the potential of encequidar to enable oral drug formulations across multiple therapeutic fields, representing a significant milestone for Hong Kong's biotech industry.

Revolution Medicines Appoints Alan Sandler as Chief Development Officer to Advance RAS-Targeted Cancer Pipeline

Targeted TherapyOncology
  • Revolution Medicines has appointed Alan Sandler, M.D. as chief development officer to lead development of RAS(ON) inhibitors for RAS-addicted cancers.
  • The company also named regional general managers Alicia Gardner for the U.S. and Gerwin Winter for Europe to prepare for potential commercial launches.
  • Dr. Sandler brings extensive oncology drug development experience from ALX Oncology, Mirati Therapeutics, and Genentech to advance the company's clinical-stage pipeline.
  • The leadership additions support Revolution Medicines' preparation for potential approvals of daraxonrasib and other RAS-targeted therapies.

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