Tagged News
FDA's Approval of MRD as End Point Transforms Multiple Myeloma Research and Treatment
• The FDA's Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee unanimously approved minimal residual disease (MRD) as an end point for accelerated approval of multiple myeloma therapies in April 2024, potentially reducing trial timelines from 10-15 years to just 3 years.
• Pharmaceutical companies have rapidly adapted by implementing MRD as a coprimary end point in new trials and amending existing protocols, with the CEPHEUS trial being the first major study to read out with MRD as a coprimary endpoint.
• Researchers are now exploring MRD applications beyond drug approval, including using MRD status to guide treatment decisions, developing improved blood-based detection technologies, and expanding the approach to other hematologic malignancies.
Related Clinical Trials:
University of Miami
Posted 2/11/2020
Janssen Research & Development, LLC
Posted 11/6/2018
Stichting European Myeloma Network
Posted 12/14/2018
CellCentric Secures $120 Million Series C Funding to Advance Oral Multiple Myeloma Treatment
• CellCentric has raised $120 million in Series C funding to advance inobrodib, a first-in-class oral p300/CBP inhibitor for multiple myeloma treatment.
• The funding will support a Phase II/III study with potential for accelerated approval, as well as trials combining inobrodib with bi-specific antibodies and in maintenance settings.
• Inobrodib has received FDA Fast Track and orphan drug designation, with promising efficacy and safety data presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.
GT Biopharma Advances GTB-3650 Phase 1 Trial to Second Cohort Following Promising Immune Activation Signals
• GT Biopharma has successfully completed dosing in the first cohort of its Phase 1 trial for GTB-3650, a second-generation TriKE immunotherapy, with no safety or tolerability issues observed.
• Both patients in Cohort 1 demonstrated early biological signs of immune activation, including increased natural killer cell activity and expansion, supporting the therapy's mechanism of action.
• The trial, which will evaluate approximately 14 patients across seven dose cohorts, aims to treat relapsed or refractory CD33-expressing hematologic malignancies through enhanced NK cell-mediated cancer destruction.
Related Clinical Trials:
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
Posted 11/19/2024
Eascra Biotech Secures $100,000 MassVentures Grant for Novel Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Platform
• Eascra Biotech has received a $100,000 Stage I SBIR Targeted Technologies grant to advance their Janus Base Nanoparticles (JBNps) delivery platform for hard-to-reach tissues.
• The company has leveraged microgravity research, completing five missions on the International Space Station, becoming the first commercial entity to produce medical nanoparticles in space.
• Eascra's proprietary technology can deliver RNA therapeutics to challenging tissues like cartilage and solid tumors while maintaining mRNA stability at room temperature, eliminating cold chain requirements.
Fujifilm Validates Novel Peptide-Oligonucleotide Conjugates for Targeted Cancer Cell Delivery
• Fujifilm has successfully validated peptide-oligonucleotide conjugates that selectively target cancer cells, utilizing cyclic peptides from their proprietary library containing trillions of variants.
• The company developed a cyclic peptide that binds strongly to integrins overexpressed on cancer cell surfaces with a low dissociation constant of 1.6 nM, enabling higher cellular uptake compared to non-conjugated oligonucleotides.
• This breakthrough addresses delivery challenges in oligonucleotide-based therapies and will be presented at TIDES USA 2025 in San Diego, highlighting Fujifilm's expansion of global drug discovery services for peptide therapeutics.
Gustave Roussy Launches UMBRELLA Trial: Using Blood-Based Tumor DNA to Revolutionize Cancer Follow-Up Care
• Gustave Roussy has initiated UMBRELLA, a groundbreaking phase III trial that personalizes post-treatment cancer monitoring based on minimal residual disease (MRD) detected through blood-based circulating tumor DNA analysis.
• The trial will evaluate two strategies: pre-emptive immunotherapy (tislelizumab) for MRD-positive patients and reduced follow-up schedules for MRD-negative patients with non-metastatic lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and soft tissue sarcomas.
• UMBRELLA represents the first French multi-cancer trial using MRD status for therapeutic stratification, aiming to enroll over 700 patients across 10-11 centers in a collaborative effort involving Veracyte, IntegraGen, and BeiGene.
Related Clinical Trials:
Gustave Roussy, Cancer Campus, Grand Paris
Posted 4/16/2025
Surgical Robotics Advance: EndoQuest and Virtuoso Begin First Human Trials for Minimally Invasive Procedures
• EndoQuest Robotics has initiated its pivotal Paradigm trial for an endoluminal robotic system designed to perform endoscopic submucosal dissection for colorectal lesions through natural body openings.
• Virtuoso Surgical has successfully completed first-in-human procedures using its robotic endoscopy system with needle-sized manipulators to perform en bloc bladder tumor resections at The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
• Both robotic systems aim to address technical challenges in minimally invasive procedures, potentially reducing the need for more invasive surgeries and improving patient outcomes.
CytomX Doses First Patient in Combination Trial of CX-801 with Keytruda for Metastatic Melanoma
• CytomX Therapeutics has dosed the first patient in a Phase 1 trial combining its masked interferon alpha-2b (CX-801) with Merck's Keytruda in patients with metastatic melanoma.
• The novel combination aims to address the high unmet need in PD-1 refractory melanoma by localizing interferon's potent immune-stimulating effects to tumors while minimizing systemic toxicities.
• Initial Phase 1a translational and biomarker data from this study are expected in the second half of 2025, potentially advancing a new approach in combination immuno-oncology therapy.
Related Clinical Trials:
CytomX Therapeutics
Posted 8/30/2024
Astellas to Present New Long-Term Survival Data for Cancer Therapies at ASCO 2025
• Astellas will showcase 16 abstracts at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting, including two oral presentations highlighting long-term survival data for its oncology portfolio.
• New post-hoc analyses will feature five-year overall survival data for XTANDI (enzalutamide) in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and exploratory analyses for PADCEV (enfortumab vedotin) in urothelial cancer.
• The presentations underscore Astellas' commitment to delivering meaningful clinical outcomes for patients with advanced prostate and bladder cancers through innovative treatment approaches.
Related Clinical Trials:
Astellas Pharma Global Development, Inc.
Posted 3/9/2016
University of Sydney
Posted 3/1/2014
Evolving Treatment Landscape for Metastatic Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer: Beyond ADT Monotherapy
• Current 2025 guidelines for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) recommend androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with intensification, marking a significant shift from ADT monotherapy.
• Multiple evidence-based intensification options including abiraterone, darolutamide, and docetaxel have demonstrated survival benefits and delayed disease progression in key clinical trials such as ARANOTE, ARASENS, and TITAN.
• Treatment selection can now be tailored based on individual patient characteristics and preferences, with all intensification approaches showing superior outcomes compared to ADT alone.