StemCell Therapy

Since 2006, when Shinya Yamanaka, now the director of the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application at Kyoto University, discovered a method that could guide fully differentiated cells back to their pluripotent state, scientists have been using his recipe to produce induced pluripotent stem cells. The protocol relies on overexpressing the so-called Yamanaka factors, which are four transcription factors: Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and cMyc (OSKM). While the technique reliably creates iPS cells, it can cause unintended effects, some of which can lead to cells to become cancerous. So researchers have worked to adjust the cocktail and understand the function of each factor.

No one had succeeded in creating iPS cells without forcing the overexpression of Oct4. It was thought that this was the most crucial factor of the four. At least until now.

If this works in adult human cells, it will be a huge advantage for the clinical applications of iPS cells.

Shinya Yamanaka, Kyoto University

Four years ago, Sergiy Velychko, a graduate student at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine in Hans Schlers lab, and his team were studying the role of Oct4 in creating iPS cells from mouse embryonic fibroblasts. He used vectors to introduce various mutations of the gene coding for Oct4 to the cells he was studying, along with a negative controlone that didnt deliver any Oct4. He was shocked to discover that even using his negative control, he was able to generate iPS cells.

Velychkos experiment was suggesting that it is possible to develop iPS cells with only SKM.

We just wanted to publish this observation, Velychko tells The Scientist, but he knew hed need to replicate it first because reviewers wouldnt believe it.

He and his colleagues, including Guangming Wu, a senior scientist in the lab, repeated the experiment several times, engineering vectors with different combinations of the four factors. SKMthe combination that didnt include Oct4was able to induce pluripotency in the cells with about 30 percent of the efficiency of OSKM, but the cells were of higher quality, meaning that the researchers didnt see evidence of common off-target epigenetic effects. They reported their results yesterday (November 7) in Cell Stem Cell.

Efficiency is not important. Efficiency means how many colonies do you get, explains Yossi Buganim, a stem cell researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who was not involved in the study. If the colony is of low quality, the chances that eventually the differentiated cells will become cancerous is very high.

Finally, the team employed the ultimate test, the tetraploid complementation assay, in which iPS cells are aggregated with early embryos that otherwise would not have been able to form a fully functional embryo on their own. These embryos grew into mouse pups, meaning that the iPS cells the team created were capable of maturing into every type of cell in the animal.

Whats more is they found that the SKM iPS cells could develop into normal mouse pups 20 times more often than the OSKM iPS cells, suggesting that the pluripotency of iPS cells can be greatly improved by omitting Oct4 from the reprogramming factor cocktail.

The results will need to be verified in human cells, Buganim cautions. His team has developed methods for creating iPSCs that worked well in mouse cells only to be completely ineffective in humans.

Yamanaka himself was enthusiastic about the results, telling The Scientist in an email that his team would definitely try the method in other cell types, especially adult human blood cells and skin fibroblasts. If this works in adult human cells, it will be a huge advantage for the clinical applications of iPS cells.

S.Velychkoet al.,Excluding Oct4 from Yamanaka cocktail unleashes the developmental potential of iPSCs,Cell Stem Cell,doi:10.1016/j.stem.2019.10.002,2019.

Emma Yasinski is a Florida-based freelance reporter. Follow her on Twitter@EmmaYas24.

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Oct4, Considered Vital for Creating iPSCs, Actually Isnt Needed - The Scientist

HOUSTON, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Marker Therapeutics, Inc.(Nasdaq:MRKR), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications, today provided a corporate update and reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

"We continue to make progress in advancing our next-generation T-cell based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors," said Peter L. Hoang, President and CEO of Marker Therapeutics. "Our partner-sponsored MultiTAA T-cell therapy trials at the Baylor College of Medicine continue to show promising results. In addition, we continue to expand our team and build out our infrastructure to support future Marker-sponsored clinical trials. We expect the next 12 to 18 months to be an exciting and productive time for our Company."

Continued Mr. Hoang: "We recently filed an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for our MultiTAA T-cell therapy as part of a planned Marker Phase 2 study in post-allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients with acute myeloid leukemia in both the adjuvant and active disease setting. The FDA reviewed our submission and requested additional information regarding certain quality and technical specifications for two reagents supplied by third party vendors that are used in our manufacturing process. Because the FDA requires these data in order to clear the IND, the Marker AML trial has been placed on clinical hold until our complete response to the technical questions is satisfactory to the FDA. While these reagents are not present in the final product, we worked with respective manufacturers of these reagents to satisfy the FDA's questions and subsequently submitted a complete response to the FDA in late October. We currently project to initiate our Phase 2 trial in 2020 and look forward to providing an update on our clinical path forward upon receiving the FDA's feedback."

PROGRAM UPDATES

Multi-Antigen Targeted (MultiTAA) T-Cell Therapies

Marker Submits Response to FDA Clinical Hold on AML Trial The Company worked with regulatory and quality groups at the respective manufacturers to address the FDA's request and submitted a complete response to the issues raised by the FDA on October 28, 2019. The FDA will respond within 30 daysafter receiving Marker's complete response, indicating whether the hold is lifted and, if not, specifying the reasons the clinical trial remains on hold.Marker expects to initiate its Phase 2 clinical trial of MultiTAA therapy for the treatment of post-transplant AML in 2020.

T Cell-Based Vaccines

Phase 2 Triple Negative Breast Cancer Trial ProgressingMarker continues to advance its T cell-based vaccine program in triple negative breast cancer. To date, results have shown:

Phase 2 Platinum-Sensitive Advanced Ovarian Cancer Trial Update Marker will be discontinuing the development of TPIV200 in patients with platinum-sensitive advanced ovarian cancer based on an unblinded review of interim results from its Phase 2 study conducted by an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB). Although the DSMB did not express any safety concerns with respect to TPIV200, Marker has elected to suspend the trial because it did not meet the threshold for probability of success based upon the Company's pre-specified criteria. Pending full review of the data, Marker anticipates closing the trial in the first quarter of 2020.

CORPORATE UPDATES

THIRD QUARTER 2019 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Net loss for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 was $5.5 million, compared to a net loss of $4.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2018.

Research and development expenses during the three months ended September 30, 2019 were $3.1 million, compared to $1.9 million during the three months ended September 30, 2018. The increase of $1.2 million was primarily attributable to increases in personnel-related expenses, relating to the build-up of Marker's internal infrastructure.

General and administrative expenses were $2.5 million during the three months ended September 30, 2019 as compared to $2.6 million during the three months ended September 30, 2018. The decrease was primarily attributable to $0.6 million of merger-related expenses incurred during the three months ended September 30, 2018, offset by increased expenses in headcount-related and legal and other professional expenses.

CASH POSITION AND GUIDANCE

At September 30, 2019, Marker had cash and cash equivalents of $48.5 million. The Company believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents will fund its current operations through at least the fourth quarter of 2020.

Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will host a webcast and conference call to discuss its third quarter 2019 financial results and provide an update on recent corporate activities today at 5:00 p.m. EST.

The webcast will be accessible in the Investors section of the Company's website at http://www.markertherapeutics.com. Individuals can participate in the conference call by dialing 877-407-8913 (domestic) or 201-689-8201 (international) and referring to the "Marker Therapeutics Third Quarter 2019 Earnings Call."

The archived webcast will be available for replay on the Marker website following the event.

About Marker Therapeutics, Inc.Marker Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company specializing in the development of next-generation T cell-based immunotherapies for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumor indications. Marker's cell therapy technology is based on the selective expansion of non-engineered, tumor-specific T cells that recognize tumor associated antigens (i.e. tumor targets) and kill tumor cells expressing those targets. This population of T cells is designed to attack multiple tumor targets following infusion into patients and to activate the patient's immune system to produce broad spectrum anti-tumor activity. Because Marker does not genetically engineer its T cell therapies, we believe that our product candidates will be easier and less expensive to manufacture, with reduced toxicities, compared to current engineered CAR-T and TCR-based approaches, and may provide patients with meaningful clinical benefit. As a result, Marker believes its portfolio of T cell therapies has a compelling product profile, as compared to current gene-modified CAR-T and TCR-based therapies.

Marker is also advancing a number of innovative peptide and gene-based immuno-therapeutics for the treatment of metastatic solid tumors, including the Folate Receptor Alpha program (TPIV200) for breast cancer and the HER2/neu program (TPIV100/110) for breast cancer, currently in Phase 2 clinical trials.

To receive future press releases via email, please visit:https://www.markertherapeutics.com/email-alerts/

Forward-Looking Statement DisclaimerThis release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release concerning the Company's expectations, plans, business outlook or future performance, and any other statements concerning assumptions made or expectations as to any future events, conditions, performance or other matters, are "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses or current expectations concerning, among other things: our research, development and regulatory activities and expectations relating to our non-engineered multi-tumor antigen specific T cell therapies; our TPIV200 and TPIV100/110 programs; the effectiveness of these programs or the possible range of application and potential curative effects and safety in the treatment of diseases; and, the timing and success of our clinical trials, as well as clinical trials conducted by our collaborators. Forward-looking statements are by their nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Such risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to the risks set forth in the Company's most recent Form 10-K, 10-Q and other SEC filings which are available through EDGAR at http://www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.

Marker Therapeutics, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Unaudited)

September 30,

December 31,

2019

2018

ASSETS

Current assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$ 48,477,670

$ 61,746,748

Prepaid expenses and deposits

1,906,062

141,717

Interest receivable

78,145

108,177

Total current assets

50,461,877

61,996,642

Non-current assets:

Property, plant and equipment, net

438,881

147,668

Right-of-use assets, net

501,714

-

Total non-current assets

940,595

147,668

Total assets

$ 51,402,472

$ 62,144,310

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

Current liabilities:

Accounts payable and accrued liabilities

$ 2,858,808

$ 2,754,572

Lease liability

199,266

-

Warrant liability

129,000

49,000

Total current liabilities

3,187,074

2,803,572

Non-current liabilities:

Lease liability, net of current portion

333,480

-

Total non-current liabilities

333,480

-

Total liabilities

3,520,554

2,803,572

Commitments and contingencies

-

-

Stockholders' equity:

Preferred stock - $0.001 par value, 5 million shares authorized and 0 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively

-

-

Common stock, $0.001 par value, 150 million shares authorized, 45.7 million and 45.4 million shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively

45,723

45,440

Additional paid-in capital

370,290,447

365,400,748

Accumulated deficit

(322,454,252)

(306,105,450)

Total stockholders' equity

47,881,918

See the article here:
Marker Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2019 Operating and Financial Results - P&T Community

Xing-Hua Xiao,* Qi-Yuan Huang,* Xian-Ling Qian,* Jing Duan, Xue-Qiao Jiao, Long-Yuan Wu, Qing-Yun Huang, Jun Li, Xing-Ning Lai, Yu-Bo Shi, Li-Xia Xiong

Department of Pathophysiology, Medical College, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330006, Peoples Republic of China

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Li-Xia XiongDepartment of Pathophysiology, Medical College, Nanchang University, 461 Bayi Road, Nanchang 330006, Peoples Republic of ChinaTel +86-791-8636-0556Email xionglixia@ncu.edu.cn

Purpose: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is characterized by irreversible islet cell destruction. Accumulative evidence indicated that Cdc42 and Wnt/-catenin signaling both play a critical role in the pathogenesis and development of T1DM. Further, bio-molecular mechanisms in adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs)-derived insulin-producing cells (IPCs) remain largely unknown. Our aim was to investigate the underlying mechanism of Cdc42/Wnt/-catenin pathway in ADSC-derived IPCs, which may provide new insights into the therapeutic strategy for T1DM patients.Methods: ADSC induction was accomplished with DMSO under high-glucose condition. ML141 (Cdc42 inhibitor) and Wnt-3a (Wnt signaling activator) were administered to ADSCs from day 2 until the induction finished. Morphological changes were determined by an inverted microscope. Dithizone staining was employed to evaluate the induction of ADSC-derived IPCs. qPCR and Western blotting were employed to measure the mRNA and protein expression level of islet cell development-related genes and Wnt signaling-related genes. The proliferation ability of ADSC-derived IPCs was also detected with a cell counting kit (CCK) assay. The expression and secretion of Insulin were detected with immunofluorescence test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) respectively.Results: During induction, morphological characters of ADSCs changed into spindle and round shape, and formed islet-line cell clusters, with brown dithizonestained cytoplasm. Expression levels of islet cell development-related genes were up-regulated in ADSC-derived IPCs. Wnt-3a promoted Wnt signaling markers and islet cell development-related gene expression at mRNA and protein levels, while ML141 played a negative effect. Wnt-3a promoted ADSC-derived IPC proliferation and glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS), while ML141 played a negative effect.Conclusion: Our research demonstrated that DMSO and high-glucose condition can induce ADSCs into IPCs, and Wnt signaling promotes the induction. Cdc42 may promote IPC induction, IPC proliferation and insulin secretion via Wnt/-catenin pathway, meaning that Cdc42 may be regarded as a potential target in the treatment of T1DM.

Keywords: Cdc42, ML141, ADSCs, IPCs, Wnt signaling, insulin

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Cdc42 Promotes ADSC-Derived IPC Induction, Proliferation, And Insulin | DMSO - Dove Medical Press

VANCOUVER, Washington, Nov. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytoDyn Inc. (OTC.QB: CYDY), (CytoDyn or the Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab (PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, announced today it has received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for leronlimab to be administered to patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) under a compassionate use, which is also known as expanded access program.

This program will allow TNBC patients who are not eligible under the ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial to receive leronlimab (PRO 140). Under this protocol, patients with locally recurrent or metastatic triple-negative breast cancer who had progressed within six months or less on latest chemotherapy will receive leronlimab (PRO 140) combined with a treatment of physicians choice.

The compassionate use or expanded access program is a potential pathway for patients with an immediately life-threatening condition to gain access to an investigational medical product (drug, biologic, or medical device) for treatment outside of clinical trials when no comparable or satisfactory alternative therapy options are available. An IRB is an appropriately constituted group that has been formally designated to review and monitor biomedical research involving human subjects pursuant to regulations of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

We are very pleased with the confidence demonstrated by the IRB to allow access to leronlimab for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. We are dedicated to advancing this therapeutic opportunity to many more patients in our ongoing trials, stated Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of CytoDyn.

Expanded access may be appropriate when all the following apply:

Investigational drugs, biologics or medical devices have not yet been approved or cleared by FDA and FDA has not found these products to be safe and effective for their specific use. Furthermore, the investigational medical product may, or may not, be effective in the treatment of the condition, and use of the product may cause unexpected serious side effects.

About Leronlimab (PRO 140)The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a "Fast Track" designation to CytoDyn for two potential indications of leronlimab for deadly diseases. The first as a combination therapy with highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected patients, and the second is for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Leronlimab is an investigational humanized IgG4 mAb that blocks CCR5, a cellular receptor that is important in HIV infection, tumor metastases, and other diseases, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Leronlimab has successfully completed nine clinical trials in over 800 people, including meeting its primary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients).

In the setting of HIV/AIDS, leronlimab is a viral-entry inhibitor; it masks CCR5, thus protecting healthy T cells from viral infection by blocking the predominant HIV (R5) subtype from entering those cells. Leronlimab has been the subject of nine clinical trials, each of which demonstrated that leronlimab can significantly reduce or control HIV viral load in humans. The leronlimab antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements compared with daily drug therapies currently in use.

In the setting of cancer, research has shown that CCR5 plays a vital role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Increased CCR5 expression is an indicator of disease status in several cancers. Published studies have shown that blocking CCR5 can reduce tumor metastases in laboratory and animal models of aggressive breast and prostate cancer. Leronlimab reduced human breast cancer metastasis by more than 98% in a murine xenograft model. CytoDyn is, therefore, conducting a Phase 2 human clinical trial in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and was granted Fast Track designation in May 2019. CytoDyn is conducting additional research with leronlimab in the setting of oncology and NASH with plans to conduct further clinical studies when appropriate.

The CCR5 receptor appears to play a central role in modulating immune cell trafficking to sites of inflammation. It may be important in the development of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and other inflammatory conditions. Clinical studies by others further support the concept that blocking CCR5 using a chemical inhibitor can reduce the clinical impact of acute GvHD without significantly affecting the engraftment of transplanted bone marrow stem cells. CytoDyn is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical study with leronlimab to support further the concept that the CCR5 receptor on engrafted cells is critical for the development of acute GvHD. Blocking the CCR5 receptor from recognizing specific immune signaling molecules is a viable approach to mitigating acute GvHD. The FDA has granted "orphan drug" designation to leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD.

About CytoDynCytoDyn is a biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications based on leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 appears to play a crucial role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells. The CCR5 receptor also appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as GvHD and NASH. CytoDyn has completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial with leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients. CytoDyn plans to seek FDA approval for leronlimab in combination therapy and plans to complete the filing of a Biologics License Application (BLA) in 2019 for that indication. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 3 investigative trial with leronlimab as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients. CytoDyn plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication, which, if successful, could support a label extension. Clinical results to date from multiple trials have shown that leronlimab can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV with no reported drug-related serious adverse events (SAEs). Moreover, results from a Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that leronlimab monotherapy can prevent viral escape in HIV-infected patients. Some patients on leronlimab monotherapy have viral suppression for more than four years. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 trial to evaluate leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD and has received clearance to initiate a clinical trial with leronlimab in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. More information is at http://www.cytodyn.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates" and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements but, their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The Company's forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i)the sufficiency of the Companys cash position, (ii)the Companys ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations, (iii) the Companys ability to meet its debt obligations, if any, (iv)the Companys ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third parties, (v)the Companys ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion, (vi)the Companys ability to achieve approval of a marketable product, (vii)the design, implementation and conduct of the Companys clinical trials, (viii)the results of the Companys clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results, (ix)the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved, (x)the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Companys products, (xi)regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process, (xii)general economic and business conditions, (xiii)changes in foreign, political, and social conditions, and (xiv)various other matters, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form10-Q or Form8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release.

CONTACTSInvestors: Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D.President & CEOnpourhassan@cytodyn.com

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CytoDyn Receives IRB Approval To Proceed With Compassionate Use Of Leronlimab For Patients With Triple-Negative Breast Cancer - GlobeNewswire

What is flow cytometry and how does it work?Flow cytometry(FCM) is a scientific technique used to measure the physical and biochemical characteristics of cells.1The sample is injected into the flow cytometer instrument, where it is typically focused to flow one cell at a time past light sources and detectors. Tens of thousands of cells can be examined in seconds to determine their morphology, granularity, scattering and transmission of light, or fluorescence of biomarkers, depending on the variation of FCM used.

The first conventional fluorescence-based flow cytometer was developed and commercialized in the late 60s/early 70s in Germany.2 Over the last five decades, FCM has developed rapidly in terms of the number of its applications and the quantity and dimensionality of the data it generates.1,3 Dr. Minh Doan, formerly of the Imaging Platform of the Broad Institute (USA) and now head of Bioimaging Analytics at GlaxoSmithKline in the USA, states, There have been significant advances in all three Vs of flow cytometry data: velocity (throughput/speed of data acquisition), volume (data content), and variety (sample types and signal acquisition technology).

Michael Parsons, manager of the Flow Cytometry Core of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute in Toronto, Canada, agrees. The two biggest trends in flow cytometry are high content data and the merging of technologies from separate disciplines. For example, the last five years or so have seen the emergence of mass cytometry, which merges the disciplines of flow cytometry and mass spectrometry. In its latest iteration, an image cytometry module has been incorporated to generate unprecedented amounts of content (number of measured parameters) from relatively small amounts of patient tissue. Spectral flow cytometry has also established itself as an important emerging technology. Indeed, mass cytometry can now measure up to 50 features on a single cell simultaneously using antibodies tagged with rare earth metals,4 and imaging flow cytometry allows for 1000s of morphological features and multiple fluorescence markers to be analyzed per cell.3Flow cytometry, therefore, has inarguable potential as a clinical tool for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic monitoring. However, some challenges remain in translating the full promise of FCM into clinical practice. Here, some of the current clinical applications of FCM will be discussed, as well as some of the compelling new applications being researched.

Similarly, FCM of liquid biopsies could be used to detect circulating tumor cells in the bloodstream.3 These cells are extremely rare, and with its high sensitivity, FCM is perfectly poised to make a significant impact in this area. This approach has potential for the clinical detection of early-stage cancer as well as the detection of circulating metastatic or drug-resistant cancer cells. For example, a study published earlier this year described label-free liquid biopsy with very high throughput (> 1 million cells/second) for drug-susceptibility testing during leukemia treatment.8

Prior to an organ transplant, FCM can be used to crossmatch the patient's serum with donor lymphocytes to detect antibodies that could result in organ rejection.1 Postoperatively, the analysis of various cell markers on the peripheral blood lymphocytes can indicate early transplant rejection, detect bone marrow toxicity arising from immunosuppressive therapies, and help differentiate infections from organ rejection. For blood transfusions, FCM can be used to detect contamination of blood with residual white blood cells, which can have adverse effects such as pulmonary edema.9Groups such as Dr. Roshini Abrahams at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Ohio, USA, are using FCM to diagnose primary immunodeficiency disorders with the use of immunophenotyping and functional assays.10 These disorders are caused by genetic mutations that result in defects in the immune system, such as X-linked (Brutons) agammaglobulinemia and X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome. Over 300 of these disorders have been identified thus far, and the causative mutations lower immune defense against the attack of infections.

HIV is, of course, an example of a secondary (acquired) immunodeficiency disorder. FCM analysis of CD4 and other markers on lymphocytes in the peripheral blood is used to monitor the treatment of HIV patients, and a CD4 count <200 cells/mL together with a positive antibody test for HIV is used as a diagnostic for AIDS.1 Secondary immunodeficiencies can also be caused by e.g., substance abuse, malnutrition, other medical conditions, and certain medical treatments. FCM of a panel of markers can be used to confirm suspected cases.1In pregnancy, when a Rhesus blood group D-negative mother carries a D-positive fetus, fetal-maternal bleeding can sensitize the mother to the D-positive blood cells from the fetus and this can be fatal to subsequent D-positive newborns.11 FCM is used to measure the degree of fetal-maternal hemorrhage to determine the correct dose of prophylactics to be administered shortly after delivery.

In addition to oncology and immunology applications, FCM is also used to diagnose a variety of rare hematologic disorders12 as well as autoimmune/autoinflammatory disorders such as spondylarthritis (arthritis of the spine).13 Another area of research that is likely to give rise to increasing clinical applications in the future is that of platelet activity, which is important in many clinical conditions.1,14

Experts suggest that it may be possible to overcome this data analysis hurdle by applying machine learning approaches coupled with further standardization of FCM workflows.3,15 The most exciting applications of high content data revolve around the use of machine learning, in particular, deep learning, to extract relevant meaning from large data sets. Machine learning, coupled with big data, has the potential for driving diagnosis and treatment options tailored to the patients disease in a timely manner, says Dr. Parsons. In addition, Prof. Sadao Ota of RCAST at the University of Tokyo, Japan, points out, We still need to figure out how to design a workflow that convincingly validates diagnostic results, especially if the diagnosis employs the power of machine learning. Such developments are necessary before the rich information content of advanced FCM technology can be fully applied in the clinic.

In terms of other future advances in the field, Prof. Ota specifically makes mention of the potential of cell sorters combined with FCM.16 There are exciting and unique applications of sorters in fields such as cell therapy and regenerative medicine. Also, creating key applications of imaging cell sorters in pharmaceutical fields may accelerate global drug discovery. Dr. Doan concurs, Disease heterogeneity makes it hard to validate findings. Perhaps the use of flow cytometry with sorting capability can help such validation, where events-of-interest collected by flow cytometry can be validated with other downstream assays. Finally, as Dr. Doan notes, With multiple layers of data(types) incorporated altogether, there are now possibilities to do more with less, i.e., label-free sample measurement, which could lead to more direct, faster, and smarter diagnoses. Rare events (e.g., metastatic cancer cells) may soon be detected better than before.References1.Bakke A.C. Clinical Applications of Flow Cytometry. Laboratory Medicine. 2000; 31(2): 97104. doi: 10.1309/FC96-DDY4-2CRA-71FK.2.Herzenberg L.A., Parks D., Sahaf B., Perez O., Roederer M., Herzenberg L.A. The history and future of the fluorescence activated cell sorter and flow cytometry: a view from Stanford. Clinical Chemistry. 2002;48(10):181918273.Doan M., Vorobjev I., Rees P., Filby A., Wolkenhauer O., Goldfeld A.E., Lieberman J., Barteneva N., Carpenter A.E., Hennig H. Diagnostic potential of imaging flow cytometry. Trends in Biotechnology. 2018;36(7):649652. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.12.008.4.Olsen L.R, Leipold M.D., Pedersen C.B., Maecker H.T. The anatomy of single cell mass cytometry data. Cytometry Part A. 2019;95(2):156172. doi: 10.1002/cyto.a.23621.5.Laerum O.D., Farsund T. Clinical application of flow cytometry: a review. Cytometry. 1981;2(1):113. doi: 10.1002/cyto.990020102.6.Li J., Wertheim G., Paessler M., Pillai V. Flow cytometry in pediatric hematopoietic malignancies. Clinics in Laboratory Medicine. 2017;37(4):879893. doi: 10.1016/j.cll.2017.07.009.7.Gupta S., Devidas M., Loh M.L., Raetz E.A., Chen S., Wang C., Brown P., Carroll A.J., Heerema N.A., Gastier-Foster J.M., Dunsmore K.P., Larsen E.C., Maloney K.W., Mattano L.A. Jr., Winter S.S., Winick N.J., Carroll W.L., Hunger S.P., Borowitz M.J., Wood B.L. Flow-cytometric vs. -morphologic assessment of remission in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a report from the Childrens Oncology Group (COG). Leukemia. 2018;32(6):13701379. doi: 10.1038/s41375-018-0039-7.8.Kobayashi H., Lei C., Wu Y., Huang C-J., Yasumoto A., Jona M., Li W., Wu Y., Yalikun Y., Jiang Y., Guo B., Sun C-W., Tanaka Y., Yamada M., Yatomi Y., Goda K. Intelligent whole-blood imaging flow cytometry for simple, rapid, and cost-effective drug-susceptibility testing of leukemia. Lab on a Chip. 2019;19(16):26882698. doi: 10.1039/c8lc01370e.9.Castegnaro S., Dragone P., Chieregato K., Alghisi A., Rodeghiero F., Astori G. Enumeration of residual white blood cells in leukoreduced blood products: Comparing flow cytometry with a portable microscopic cell counter. Transfusion and Apheresis Science. 2016;54(2):266270. doi: 10.1016/j.transci.2015.10.001.10.Abraham R.S., Aubert G. Flow cytometry, a versatile tool for diagnosis and monitoring of primary immunodeficiencies. Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. 2016;23(4):254271. doi: 10.1128/CVI.00001-16.11.Kim Y.A., Makar R.S. Detection of fetomaternal hemorrhage. American Journal of Hematology. 2012;87(4):417423. doi: 10.1002/ajh.22255.12.Bn M.C., Le Bris Y., Robillard N., Wuillme S., Fouassier M., Eveillard M. Flow cytometry in hematological nonmalignant disorders. International Journal of Laboratory Hematology. 2016;38(1):516. doi: 10.1111/ijlh.12438.13.Duan Z., Gui Y., Li C., Lin J., Gober H.J., Qin J., Li D., Wang L. The immune dysfunction in ankylosing spondylitis patients. Bioscience Trends. 2017;11(1):6976. doi: 10.5582/bst.2016.01171.14.Pasalic L. Assessment of platelet function in whole blood by flow cytometry. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2017;1646:349367. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7196-1_27.15.Doan M., Carpenter A.E. Leveraging machine vision in cell-based diagnostics to do more with less. Nature Materials. 2019;18(5):414418. doi: 10.1038/s41563-019-0339-y.16.Ota S., Horisaki R., Kawamura Y., Ugawa M., Sato I., Hashimoto K., Kamesawa R., Setoyama K., Yamaguchi S., Fujiu K., Waki K., Noji H. Ghost cytometry. Science. 2018;360(6394):12461251. doi: 10.1126/science.aan0096.

Excerpt from:
The Value and Versatility of Clinical Flow Cytometry - Technology Networks

VANCOUVER, Washington, Nov. 11, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CytoDyn Inc. (OTC.QB: CYDY), (CytoDyn or the Company"), a late-stage biotechnology company developing leronlimab (PRO 140), a CCR5 antagonist with the potential for multiple therapeutic indications, announced today encouraging initial results from the first patient in a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (mTNBC). Circulating tumor cells (CTC) in the patients blood decreased significantly after leronlimab therapy at both two-week and five-week time points. Furthermore, a reduction in CCR5 expression on presumed metastatic tumor cells was evident.

We are excited to be involved with CytoDyn in evaluating the efficacy of leronlimab in mTNBC," stated IncellDx CEO, Bruce Patterson, M.D. These results at both two-week and five-week time intervals post-leronlimab therapy indicate initial efficacy against this most aggressive tumor type. Moreover, the reduction of CCR5 expression on EMT cells may prove to be significant, as high CCR5 expression is believed to be crucial for metastases.

The treatment of mTNBC with leronlimab in this Phase 1b/2 trial is in addition to metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients treated with leronlimab under an emergency use IND. Results from both of the ongoing trials in MBC will dictate the Companys regulatory pathway, including the potential to seek Breakthrough Therapy designation and accelerated approval with the U.S. FDA for the use of leronlimab in MBC. Leronlimab has been granted Fast Track designation for mTNBC by the FDA based on a greater than 98% reduction of metastatic tumor volume in a murine xenograft model.

Today marks yet another significant milestone in our Companys history, advancing CytoDyns clinical development in oncology. Although these are early results in our first patient, we are encouraged by the reduction in both CTC and tumor size. Our safety record with leronlimab, and preclinical results in multiple oncology trials in various cancer indications, solidifies our vision to explore oncology indications. We are optimistic about the opportunity to provide a potential new therapeutic option for the women that are diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year in the United States. We wish to thank the women who have agreed to participate in our trials and will endeavor to provide each of them with clinical benefit," stated CytoDyn President and CEO, Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D.

About Leronlimab (PRO 140)The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a "Fast Track" designation to CytoDyn for two potential indications of leronlimab for deadly diseases. The first as a combination therapy with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected patients, and the second is for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. Leronlimab is an investigational humanized IgG4 mAb that blocks CCR5, a cellular receptor that is important in HIV infection, tumor metastases, and other diseases, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Leronlimab has successfully completed nine clinical trials in over 800 people, including meeting its primary endpoints in a pivotal Phase 3 trial (leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients).

In the setting of HIV/AIDS, leronlimab is a viral-entry inhibitor; it masks CCR5, thus protecting healthy T cells from viral infection by blocking the predominant HIV (R5) subtype from entering those cells. Leronlimab has been the subject of nine clinical trials, each of which demonstrated that leronlimab can significantly reduce or control HIV viral load in humans. The leronlimab antibody appears to be a powerful antiviral agent leading to potentially fewer side effects and less frequent dosing requirements compared with daily drug therapies currently in use.

In the setting of cancer, research has shown that CCR5 plays a vital role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Increased CCR5 expression is an indicator of disease status in several cancers. Published studies have shown that blocking CCR5 can reduce tumor metastases in laboratory and animal models of aggressive breast and prostate cancer. Leronlimab reduced human breast cancer metastasis by more than 98% in a murine xenograft model. CytoDyn is, therefore, conducting a Phase 2 human clinical trial in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer and was granted Fast Track designation in May 2019. CytoDyn is conducting additional research with leronlimab in the setting of oncology and NASH with plans to conduct further clinical studies when appropriate.

The CCR5 receptor appears to play a central role in modulating immune cell trafficking to sites of inflammation. It may be important in the development of acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and other inflammatory conditions. Clinical studies by others further support the concept that blocking CCR5 using a chemical inhibitor can reduce the clinical impact of acute GvHD without significantly affecting the engraftment of transplanted bone marrow stem cells. CytoDyn is currently conducting a Phase 2 clinical study with leronlimab to support further the concept that the CCR5 receptor on engrafted cells is critical for the development of acute GvHD. Blocking the CCR5 receptor from recognizing specific immune signaling molecules is a viable approach to mitigating acute GvHD. The FDA has granted "orphan drug" designation to leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD.

About CytoDynCytoDyn is a biotechnology company developing innovative treatments for multiple therapeutic indications based on leronlimab, a novel humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the CCR5 receptor. CCR5 appears to play a crucial role in the ability of HIV to enter and infect healthy T-cells. The CCR5 receptor also appears to be implicated in tumor metastasis and immune-mediated illnesses, such as GvHD and NASH. CytoDyn has completed a Phase 3 pivotal trial with leronlimab in combination with standard anti-retroviral therapies in HIV-infected treatment-experienced patients. CytoDyn plans to seek FDA approval for leronlimab in combination therapy and plans to complete the filing of a Biologics License Application (BLA) in 2019 for that indication. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 3 investigative trial with leronlimab as a once-weekly monotherapy for HIV-infected patients. CytoDyn plans to initiate a registration-directed study of leronlimab monotherapy indication, which, if successful, could support a label extension. Clinical results to date from multiple trials have shown that leronlimab can significantly reduce viral burden in people infected with HIV with no reported drug-related serious adverse events (SAEs).Moreover, results from a Phase 2b clinical trial demonstrated that leronlimab monotherapy can prevent viral escape in HIV-infected patients. Some patients on leronlimab monotherapy have viral suppression for more than four years. CytoDyn is also conducting a Phase 2 trial to evaluate leronlimab for the prevention of GvHD and has received clearance to initiate a clinical trial with leronlimab in metastatic triple-negative breast cancer. More information is at http://www.cytodyn.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism, satisfaction or disappointment with current prospects, as well as words such as "believes," "hopes," "intends," "estimates," "expects," "projects," "plans," "anticipates" and variations thereof, or the use of future tense, identify forward-looking statements but, their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. The Company's forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and actual results could vary materially from those contained in or expressed by such statements due to risks and uncertainties including: (i)the sufficiency of the Companys cash position, (ii)the Companys ability to raise additional capital to fund its operations, (iii) the Companys ability to meet its debt obligations, if any, (iv)the Companys ability to enter into partnership or licensing arrangements with third parties, (v)the Companys ability to identify patients to enroll in its clinical trials in a timely fashion, (vi)the Companys ability to achieve approval of a marketable product, (vii)the design, implementation and conduct of the Companys clinical trials, (viii)the results of the Companys clinical trials, including the possibility of unfavorable clinical trial results, (ix)the market for, and marketability of, any product that is approved, (x)the existence or development of vaccines, drugs, or other treatments that are viewed by medical professionals or patients as superior to the Companys products, (xi)regulatory initiatives, compliance with governmental regulations and the regulatory approval process, (xii)general economic and business conditions, (xiii)changes in foreign, political, and social conditions, and (xiv)various other matters, many of which are beyond the Companys control. The Company urges investors to consider specifically the various risk factors identified in its most recent Form10-K, and any risk factors or cautionary statements included in any subsequent Form10-Q or Form8-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update any forward-looking statements to take into account events or circumstances that occur after the date of this press release.

CONTACTSInvestors: Nader Pourhassan, Ph.D.President & CEOnpourhassan@cytodyn.com

Link:
First Patient in CytoDyn's Triple-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer Trial Shows Significant Reduction in Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) and Reduced...

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It should not surprise us that even in parts of the genome where we dont obviously see a functional code (i.e., one thats been evolutionarily fixed as a result of some selective advantage), there is a type of code, but not like anything weve previously considered as such. And what if it were doing something in three dimensions as well as the two dimensions of the ATGC code? A paper just published in BioEssays explores this tantalizing possibility

Isnt it wonderful to have a really perplexing problem to gnaw on, one that generates almost endless potential explanations. How about what is all that non-coding DNA doing in genomes?that 98.5% of human genetic material that doesnt produce proteins. To be fair, the deciphering of non-coding DNA is making great strides via the identification of sequences that are transcribed into RNAs that modulate gene expression, may be passed on transgenerationally (epigenetics) or set the gene expression program of a stem cell or specific tissue cell. Massive amounts of repeat sequences (remnants of ancient retroviruses) have been found in many genomes, and again, these dont code for protein, but at least there are credible models for what theyre doing in evolutionary terms (ranging from genomic parasitism to symbiosis and even exploitation by the very host genome for producing the genetic diversity on which evolution works); incidentally, some non-coding DNA makes RNAs that silence these retroviral sequences, and retroviral ingression into genomes is believed to have been the selective pressure for the evolution of RNA interference (so-called RNAi); repetitive elements of various named types and tandem repeats abound; introns (many of which contain the aforementioned types of non-coding sequences) have transpired to be crucial in gene expression and regulation, most strikingly via alternative splicing of the coding segments that they separate.

Still, theres plenty of problem to gnaw on because although we are increasingly understanding the nature and origin of much of the non-coding genome and are making major inroads into its function (defined here as evolutionarily selected, advantageous effect on the host organism), were far from explaining it all, andmore to the pointwere looking at it with a very low-magnification lens, so to speak. One of the intriguing things about DNA sequences is that a single sequence can encode more than one piece of information depending on what is reading it and in which direction viral genomes are classic examples in which genes read in one direction to produce a given protein overlap with one or more genes read in the opposite direction (i.e., from the complementary strand of DNA) to produce different proteins. Its a bit like making simple messages with reverse-pair words (a so-called emordnilap). For example: REEDSTOPSFLOW, which, by an imaginary reading device, could be divided into REED STOPS FLOW. Read backwards, it would give WOLF SPOTS DEER.

Now, if it is of evolutionary advantage for two messages to be coded so economically as is the case in viral genomes, which tend to evolve towards minimum complexity in terms of information content, hence reducing necessary resources for reproductionthen the messages themselves evolve with a high degree of constraint. What does this mean? Well, we could word our original example message as RUSH-STEM IMPEDES CURRENT, which would embody the same essential information as REED STOPS FLOW. However, that message, if read in reverse (or even in the same sense, but in different chunks) does not encode anything additional that is particularly meaningful. Probably the only way of conveying both pieces of information in the original messages simultaneously is the very wording REEDSTOPSFLOW: thats a highly constrained system! Indeed, if we studied enough examples of reverse-pair phrases in English, we would see that they are, on the whole, made up of rather short words, and the sequences are missing certain units of language such as articles (the, a); if we looked more closely, we might even detect a greater representation than average of certain letters of the alphabet in such messages. We would see these as biases in word and letter usage that would, a priori, allow us to have a stab at identifying such dual-function pieces of information.

Now lets return to the letters, words, and information encoded in genomes. For two distinct pieces of information to be encoded in the same piece of genetic sequence we would, similarly, expect the constraints to be manifest in biases of word and letter usagethe analogies, respectively, for amino acid sequences constituting proteins, and their three-letter code. Hence a sequence of DNA can code for a protein and, in addition, for something else. This something else, according to Giorgio Bernardi, is information that directs the packaging of the enormous length of DNA in a cell into the relatively tiny nucleus. Primarily it is the code that guides the binding of the DNA-packaging proteins known as histones. Bernardi refers to this as the genomic codea structural code that defines the shape and compaction of DNA into the highly-condensed form known as chromatin.

But didnt we start with an explanation for non-coding DNA, not protein-coding sequences? Yes, and in the long stretches of non-coding DNA we see information in excess of mere repeats, tandem repeats and remnants of ancient retroviruses: there is a type of code at the level of preference for the GC pair of chemical DNA bases compared with AT. As Bernardi reviews, synthesizing his and others groundbreaking work, in the core sequences of the eukaryotic genome, the GC content in structural organizational units of the genome termed isochores increased during the evolutionary transition between so-called cold-blooded and warm-blooded organisms. And, fascinatingly, this sequence bias overlaps with sequences that are much more constrained in function: these are the very protein-coding sequences mentioned earlier, and theymore than the intervening non-coding sequencesare the clue to the genomic code.

Protein-coding sequences are also packed and condensed in the nucleus particularly when theyre not in use (i.e., being transcribed, and then translated into protein) but they also contain relatively constant information on precise amino acid identities, otherwise they would fail to encode proteins correctly: evolution would act on such mutations in a highly negative manner, making them extremely unlikely to persist and be visible to us. But the amino acid code in DNA has a little catch that evolved in the most simple of unicellular organisms (bacteria and archaea) billions of years ago: the code is partly redundant. For example, the amino acid Threonine can be coded in eukaryotic DNA in no fewer than four ways: ACT, ACC, ACA or ACG. The third letter is variable and hence available for the coding of extra information. This is exactly what happens to produce the genomic code, in this case creating a bias for the ACC and ACG forms in warm-blooded organisms. Hence, the high constraint on this additional codewhich is also seen in parts of the genome that are not under such constraint as protein-coding sequencesis imposed by the packaging of protein-coding sequences that embody two sets of information simultaneously. This is analogous to our example of the highly-constrained dual-information sequence REEDSTOPSFLOW.

Importantly, however, the constraint is not as strict as in our English language example because of the redundancy of the third position of the triplet code for amino acids: a better analogy would be SHE*ATE*STU* where the asterisk stands for a variable letter that doesnt make any difference to the machine that reads the three-letter component of the four-letter message. One could then imagine a second level of information formed by adding D at these asterisk points, to make SHEDATEDSTUD (SHE DATED STUD). Next imagine a second reading machine that looks for meaningful phrases of a sensitive nature containing a greater than average concentration of Ds. This reading machine carries a folding machine with it that places a kind of peg at each D, kinking the message by 120 degrees in a plane. a point where the message should be bent by 120 degrees in the same plane, we would end up with a more compact, triangular, version. In eukaryotic genomes, the GC sequence bias proposed to be responsible for structural condensation extends into non-coding sequences, some of which have identified activities, though less constrained in sequence than protein-coding DNA. There it directs their condensation via histone-containing nucleosomes to form chromatin.

Figure. Analogy between condensation of a word-based message and condensation of genomic DNA in the cell nucleus. Panel A: Information within information, a sequence of words with a variable fourth space which, when filled with particular letters, generates a further message. One message is read by a three-letter reading machine; the other by a reading machine that can interpret information extending to the 4thvariableposition of the sequence. The second reader recognizes sensitive information that should be concealed, and at the points where a D appears in the 4th position, it folds the string of words, hence compressing the sensitive part and taking it out of view. This is an analogy for the principle of genomic 3D compression via chromatin, as depicted in panel B: a fluorescence image (via Fluorescence In-Situ Hybridization FISH) of the cell nucleus. H2/H3 isochores, which increased in GC content during evolution from cold-blooded to warm-blooded vertebrates, are compressed into a chromatin core, leaving L1 isochores (with lower GC content) at the periphery in a less-condensed state. The genomic code embodied in the high-GC tracts of the genome is, according to Bernardi [1], read by the nucleosome-positioning machinery of the cell and interpreted as sequence to be highly compressed in euchromatin. Acknowledgements: Panel A: concept and figure production: Andrew Moore; Panel B: A FISH pattern of H2/H3 and L1 isochores from a lymphocyte induced by PHAcourtesy of S. Sacconeas reproduced in Ref. [1].]

These regions of DNA may then be regarded as structurally important elements in forming the correct shape and separation of condensed coding sequences in the genome, regardless of any other possible function that those non-coding sequences have: in essence, this would be an explanation for the persistence in genomes of sequences to which no function (in terms of evolutionarily-selected activity), can be ascribed (or, at least, no substantial function).

A final analogythis time much more closely relatedmight be the very amino acid sequences in large proteins, which do a variety of twists, turns, folds etc. We may marvel at such complicated structures and ask but do they need to be quite so complicated for their function? Well, maybe they do in order to condense and position parts of the protein in the exact orientation and place that generates the three-dimensional structure that has been successfully selected by evolution. But with a knowledge that the genomic code overlaps protein coding sequences, we might even start to become suspicious that there is another selective pressure at work as well

Andrew Moore, Ph.D.Editor-in-Chief, BioEssays

Reference:

1. G.Bernardi. 2019. The genomic code: a pervasive encoding/moulding ofchromatin structures and a solution of the non-coding DNA mystery. BioEssays41:12. 1900106

Here is the original post:
That Junk DNA Is Full of Information! - Advanced Science News

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (Rocket), a leading U.S.-based multi-platform clinical-stage gene therapy company, today announces presentations at the upcoming 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting being held December 7-10, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. The two poster presentations will highlight clinical data from the Phase 1 study of RP-L102 utilizing Process B for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), as well as long-term follow-up data from the Phase 1/2 EUROFANCOLEN trial.

Details for Rockets poster presentations are as follows:Title: Changing the Natural History of Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group-A with Gene Therapy: Early Results of U.S. Phase I Study of Lentiviral-Mediated Ex-Vivo FANCA Gene Insertion in Human Stem and Progenitor CellsSession Title: Gene Therapy and Transfer: Poster IIPresenter: Sandeep Soni, M.D.Session Date: Sunday, December 8, 2019Session Time: 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. ESTLocation: Orange County Convention Center, Hall B

Title: Hematopoietic Engraftment of Fanconi Anemia Patients through 3 Years after Gene TherapySession Title: Gene Therapy and Transfer: Poster IIIPresenter: Paula Ro, Ph.D.Session Date: Monday, December 9, 2019Session Time: 6:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. ESTLocation: Orange County Convention Center, Hall B

The Sunday poster session will be followed by a breakout session to give investors and analysts the opportunity to ask questions and discuss the data. The breakout session, hosted by Rocket management, will be held on Sunday, December 8th at 8:30 p.m. EST, directly after Dr. Sonis presentation. At the event, Dr. Soni, Clinical Associate Professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine and principal investigator of the U.S. Phase 1 trial of RP-L102 and Paula Ro, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Divisin de Terapias Innovadoras en el Sistema Hematopoytico, CIEMAT/CIBERER Unidad Mixta de Terapias Avanzadas CIEMAT/IIS Fundacin Jimnez Daz will be participating in a Q&A panel. For further information, please contact investors@rocketpharma.com.

About Fanconi Anemia

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare pediatric disease characterized by bone marrow failure, malformations and cancer predisposition. The primary cause of death among patients with FA is bone marrow failure, which typically occurs during the first decade of life. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when available, corrects the hematologic component of FA, but requires myeloablative conditioning. Graft-versus-host disease, a known complication of allogeneic HSCT, is associated with an increased risk of solid tumors, mainly squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck region. Approximately 60-70% of patients with FA have a FANC-A gene mutation, which encodes for a protein essential for DNA repair. Mutation in the FANC-A gene leads to chromosomal breakage and increased sensitivity to oxidative and environmental stress. Chromosome fragility induced by DNA-alkylating agents such as mitomycin-C (MMC) or diepoxybutane (DEB) is the gold standard test for FA diagnosis. Somatic mosaicism occurs when there is a spontaneous correction of the mutated gene that can lead to stabilization or correction of a FA patients blood counts in the absence of any administered therapy. Somatic mosaicism, often referred to as natures gene therapy provides a strong rationale for the development of FA gene therapy because of the selective growth advantage of gene-corrected hematopoietic stem cells over FA cells1.

1Soulier, J.,et al. (2005) Detection of somatic mosaicism and classification of Fanconi anemia patients by analysis of the FA/BRCA pathway. Blood 105: 1329-1336

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (Rocket) is an emerging, clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing first-in-class gene therapy treatment options for rare, devastating diseases. Rockets multi-platform development approach applies the well-established lentiviral vector (LVV) and adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) gene therapy platforms. Rocket's clinical programs using LVV-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia. Rockets first clinical program using AAV-based gene therapy is for Danon disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. Rockets pre-clinical pipeline program is for Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO), a bone marrow-derived disorder. For more information about Rocket, please visit http://www.rocketpharma.com.

Rocket Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Various statements in this release concerning Rocket's future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket's expectations regarding the safety, effectiveness and timing of product candidates that Rocket may develop, to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO) and Danon disease, and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "will give," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "suggest" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket's ability to successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of such products and pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, its gene therapy programs, the pre-clinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development and marketing approval, the potential advantages of Rocket's product candidates, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket's and its licensors ability to obtain, maintain and protect its and their respective intellectual property, the timing, cost or other aspects of a potential commercial launch of Rocket's product candidates, Rocket's ability to manage operating expenses, Rocket's ability to obtain additional funding to support its business activities and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives, Rocket's dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Rocket's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

The rest is here:
Rocket Pharmaceuticals to Present Preliminary Phase 1 Data of RP-L102 Process B for Fanconi Anemia at the 61st American Society of Hematology Annual...

12 November 2019

Imagine a place where it's not one baby born every minute, it's 4 every second.

Parenting on Female First

You don't need to imagine too hard, that's the world we live in. The popular TV show has it firmly ingrained into the nation's conscious that there's only "one born every minute". But did you know it's more like 4 born every second around the globe, that's 265 every minute?

The global population currently stands at 7.7 billion, and were adding to it by around 265 babies per minute. At this rate, the population is expected to continue to rise and to hit 8 billion in 2023 and 10 billion by 2050. There are around 130 million babies born every year around the globe. A big number like that means very little to most people; when you watch the global birth rate counter designed by cord blood collection and storage company Smart Cells, the number is far easier to visualise.

On opening the page, a counter starts charting birth rates on each continent by the second in real time, highlighting how in some areas, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, there is one baby born more frequently than every second: 72 per minute. The continent with the lowest birth rate might surprise you: North Americas total population is a figure not to be laughed at - almost 362 million - yet its birth rate is surprisingly small: just 11.64 babies are born to every 1000 members of the population, compared to 22.22 in the Middle East and North Africa, whose population numbers 444 million, the next closest population size.

These figures might be of interest to many, but what is more likely to be a shock is the impact that numbers like these have on pregnant women and new mothers around the world. Access to prenatal care and skilled staff present at births is dwindling in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, where just 58% of births in the latter are attended by skilled healthcare professionals and only 79% of women in the former receive prenatal care. This compares to 99% and 100% respectively in North America. This accounts to millions of pregnant women around the world who do not have access to suitable care for their needs, and 50% of women globally who do not receive the level of care that is recommended during pregnancy. It is suggested that, partly due to inadequate care during delivery, an estimated 303,000 mothers and 2.5 million newborns died in the first month of life in 2017.

Highlighting these figures is real time is important in helping people understand the effect that the disparity in healthcare has in less developed countries. One of the most shocking figures the counter presents is how closely the percentage of children with anaemia seems to relate to lack of access to prenatal healthcare. In areas like Sub-Saharan Africa where 60% of children under 5 suffer from anaemia, just 58% of these births were attended by skilled health staff; in South Asia, the number stands at 55% of children with anaemia and only 79% of pregnant women having access to prenatal care. Anaemia is the most common all blood conditions but Shamshad Ahmed, CEO at Smart Cells, explains, Stem cell therapy can help alleviate the symptoms of anaemia by boosting the production of healthy red blood cells.

He continues:

Advances in medicine, sanitation, and food production, has helped population numbers increase faster from the 1900s onwards. However, experts do believe population growth will peak in the next 100 years. Recently the negative effect that higher population has on our planet has been highlighted by campaigners, celebrities and the Royal Family. Experts believe limiting your family to only one or two children can help stabilise population growth to a level that wont put as much strain on our planets natural resources. It's hard to imagine the global population and births until you see it in numbers.

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Watch the numbers rise - four babies born every second! - FemaleFirst.co.uk

-- On-Track to Initiate Potential Registration-Enabling Trials in MDS and DLBCL in 1Q 2020 ---- Entered into Collaboration with bluebird bio to Evaluate Antibody-Based Conditioning Regimen in Combination with LentiGlobin ---- Management to Host Conference Call at 8:00 a.m. ET Today --

MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 12, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Forty Seven, Inc. (Nasdaq:FTSV), a clinical-stage, immuno-oncology company focused on developing therapies to activate macrophages in the fight against cancer, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 and provided a business update.

In the third quarter, we continued to enroll patients in our Phase 1b clinical trial of magrolimab in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), while preparing to initiate potential registration-enabling trials in MDS and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the first quarter of 2020, said Mark McCamish, M.D., Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Forty Seven. We have plans in place for both programs that we believe could enable us to pursue accelerated paths to approval and to address the unmet needs of substantial patient populations in need of safe, well-tolerated and effective new options.

Dr. McCamish continued, We also made important progress with our preclinical candidates, FSI-174 and FSI-189, and remain on track to advance both into clinical testing next year. This morning, we announced a new collaboration with bluebird bio to evaluate our antibody-based conditioning regimen, comprised of magrolimab and FSI-174, in combination with LentiGlobin. We believe this partnership will allow us to accelerate and expand our efforts to provide an alternative, antibody-only conditioning regimen that avoids chemotherapy/radiation exposure for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. We are excited to work with the bluebird team as we continue our efforts to fully exploit the CD47 pathway as a novel therapeutic target.

Third Quarter and Recent Business Highlights:

Magrolimab Clinical Programs:Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL)

Solid Tumors

FSI-174:

Key Upcoming Milestones:

Forty Seven will present expanded efficacy and durability data from the Phase 1b trial of magrolimab in combination with azacitidine in patients with MDS and AML in an oral presentation at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting, which will be held December 7-10, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. Also at ASH, Forty Seven will present a poster detailing preclinical data for FSI-174.

Additionally, the company expects to complete investigational new drug (IND)-enabling studies for both FSI-174 and FSI-189 before year-end.

Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results:

Conference Call Information:

Forty Sevenwill host a live conference call and webcast at8:00 a.m. ET today to discuss third quarter 2019 financial results and recent business activities. The conference call may be accessed by (866) 953-0780 (domestic) or (630) 652-5854 (international), and by referring to conference ID 7667736. A webcast of the conference call will be available in the Investors section of theForty Sevenwebsite at https://ir.fortyseveninc.com. The archived webcast will be available onForty Sevenswebsite approximately two hours after the conference call and will be available for 30 days following the call.

About Forty Seven, Inc.Forty Seven, Inc. is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company that is developing therapies targeting cancer immune evasion pathways based on technology licensed from Stanford University. Forty Sevens lead program, magrolimab, is a monoclonal antibody against the CD47 receptor, a dont eat me signal that cancer cells commandeer to avoid being ingested by macrophages. This antibody is currently being evaluated in multiple clinical studies in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, ovarian cancer and colorectal carcinoma.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as believe, continue, could, expect, "may," plan, potential, predict, "will," and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions, or circumstances) are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements include those related to the timing of potential registration-enabling trials in MDS and DLBCL; the potential to pursue accelerated paths to approval of Forty Sevens clinical programs; the potential for Forty Sevens clinical programs to address unmet needs of patient populations; the timing of potential clinical trials in FSI-174 and FSI-189; the timing, acceleration and outcome of Forty Sevens collaboration with bluebird bio to provide an alternative, antibody-only condition regimen; the presentation of, timing of and outcome of results from thePhase 1b clinical trial evaluating magrolimab as a monotherapy and in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of MDS and AML; the timing of complete enrollment and acceleration in the Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating magrolimab as a monotherapy and in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of MDS and AML; the timing and outcome of a BLA filing; the Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of magrolimab in combination with rituximab for patients with relapsed/refractory NHL, including DLBCL;the timing of, enrollment in and outcome of the Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of magrolimab in combination with rituximab for patients with r/r NHL, DLBCL; the outcome of the evaluation of biomarkers for potential predictive value and the advancement into earlier lines of treatment; the timing of initial results from the Phase 1b trial of magrolimab in combination with avelumab in patients with ovarian cancer; the timing of initial results from the Phase 1b trial of magrolimab in combination with cetuximab in patients with colorectal cancer; the timing of a clinical trial to evaluate Forty Sevens antibody-based conditioning regimen, comprised of FSI-174 and magrolimab, with bluebirds LentiGlobin gene therapy platform for the treatment of beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease; the sufficiency of a single-arm trial evaluating efficacy and durability to support the registration of magrolimab in combination with azacitidine in patients with MDS and AML; the timing of and quality of results from investigational new drug-application enabling studies for FSI-174 and FSI-189 and their respective potential for approval by the FDA; the sufficiency of a single-arm pivotal study evaluating ORR and durability to support the registration of magrolimab in combination with rituximab in patients with r/r DLBCL; Forty Sevens ability to fund its clinical programs and the sufficiency of its cash and short-term investments; and Forty Sevens financial outlook.

Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. The potential product candidates that Forty Seven develops may not progress through clinical development or receive required regulatory approvals within expected timelines or at all. In addition, clinical trials may not confirm any safety, potency or other product characteristics described or assumed in this press release. Such product candidates may not be beneficial to patients or successfully commercialized. The failure to meet expectations with respect to any of the foregoing matters may have a negative effect on Forty Seven's stock price. Additional information concerning these and other risk factors affecting Forty Seven's business can be found in Forty Seven's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and speak only as of the date hereof, and, except as required by law, Forty Seven disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

For more information please visit http://www.fortyseveninc.com or contactinfo@fortyseveninc.com.

For journalist enquiries please contact Sarah Plumridge atfortyseven@hdmz.comor phone (312) 506-5218.

For investor enquiries please contact Hannah Deresiewicz at Stern Investor Relations Inc. athannah.deresiewicz@sternir.comor phone (212) 362-1200.

Forty Seven Inc.Condensed Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss(Unaudited)(In thousands, except share and per share data)

Forty Seven Inc.Condensed Balance Sheets(in thousands)

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Forty Seven, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Recent Business Highlights - GlobeNewswire

NEW YORK / ACCESSWIRE / November 11, 2019 / Kadmon Holdings, Inc. (KDMN) today announced positive topline results from the planned interim analysis of ROCKstar (KD025-213), the fully enrolled pivotal trial evaluating KD025 in patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) who have received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy. The trial met the primary endpoint of Overall Response Rate (ORR) at the interim analysis, which was conducted as scheduled two months after completion of enrollment.

KD025 showed statistically significant ORRs of 64% with KD025 200 mg once daily (QD) (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 51%, 75%; p<0.0001) and 67% with KD025 200 mg twice daily (BID) (95% CI: 54%, 78%; p<0.0001). KD025 has been well tolerated and adverse events have been consistent with those expected in the patient population.

"We are extremely pleased with the outcomes of the interim analysis, which showed that KD025 has already greatly exceeded the threshold for success in this pivotal trial," said Harlan W. Waksal, M.D., President and CEO of Kadmon. "We look forward to sharing these results with the FDA at a pre-NDA meeting, where we will also discuss the timing for a regulatory filing for KD025 in cGVHD, which we expect to occur in 2020, subject to FDA input."

"KD025 was shown to be a highly active and well-tolerated therapy across the spectrum of this complex, multi-organ disease," said Corey Cutler, MD, MPH, FRCPC, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Medical Director, Adult Stem Cell Transplantation Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a KD025-213 study investigator and Steering Committee member. "The response rates observed are particularly impressive since this study is being conducted in a real-world population with severe disease, supporting the potential role of KD025 in cGVHD patients who are in need of effective and well-tolerated therapies."

"It is highly encouraging to see the positive results from the pivotal trial are in line with those observed in the earlier Phase 2 study of KD025 in this difficult-to-treat disease," said Madan Jagasia, MD, Vanderbilt University, an investigator of the KD025-208 and KD025-213 studies and the KD025-213 Steering Committee chair. "These latest KD025 data continue to underscore the value that KD025 may offer to cGVHD patients."

KD025-213 is an ongoing open-label trial of KD025 in adults and adolescents with cGVHD who have received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy. Patients were randomized to receive KD025 200 mg QD or KD025 200 mg BID, enrolling 66 patients per arm. Statistical significance is achieved if the lower bound of the 95% CI of ORR exceeds 30%, which was achieved in both arms of the trial at the interim analysis.

While the ORR endpoint was met at the interim analysis, the primary analysis of the KD025-213 study will occur in the first quarter of 2020, six months after completion of enrollment. This analysis will include updated safety data and efficacy data, including ORRs and secondary endpoints, such as duration of response, changes in corticosteroid dose and changes in quality of life. Kadmon plans to submit results from the KD025-213 study for presentation at an upcoming scientific meeting.

Conference Call and Webcast

Kadmon will host a conference call and webcast on Monday, November 11, 2019, at 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, to discuss the topline results of the interim analysis of the KD025-213 study.

To participate in the conference call, please dial (866) 762-3021 (domestic) or (703) 925-2661 (international) and reference the conference ID: 6468498. The accompanying slides will be available for download on Kadmon's website beginning at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time.

To listen online via webcast, please visit: https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/9b9w8p38. The webcast will be archived and will be available at http://investors.kadmon.com/presentations-and-events.

About KD025

KD025 is a selective oral inhibitor of Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase 2 (ROCK2), a signaling pathway that modulates inflammatory response. In addition to cGVHD, KD025 is being studied in an ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial in adults with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (KD025-209). KD025 was granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Orphan Drug Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with cGVHD who have received at least two prior lines of systemic therapy.

Story continues

About cGVHD

cGVHD is a common and often fatal complication following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In cGVHD, transplanted immune cells (graft) attack the patient's cells (host), leading to inflammation and fibrosis in multiple tissues, including skin, mouth, eye, joints, liver, lung, esophagus and gastrointestinal tract. Approximately 14,000 patients in the United States are currently living with cGVHD, and approximately 5,000 new patients are diagnosed with cGVHD per year.

About Kadmon

Kadmon is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative products for significant unmet medical needs. Our product pipeline is focused on inflammatory and fibrotic diseases as well as immuno-oncology.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Such statements may be preceded by the words "may," "will," "should," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "could," "intends," "targets," "projects," "contemplates," "believes," "estimates," "predicts," "potential" or "continue" or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. We believe that these factors include, but are not limited to, (i) the initiation, timing, progress and results of our preclinical studies and clinical trials, including KD025-213, and our research and development programs; (ii) our ability to advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials; (iii) our reliance on the success of our product candidates, including KD025; (iv) the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, including in connection with KD025-213; (v) our ability to expand our sales and marketing capabilities; (vi) the commercialization of our product candidates, if approved; (vii) the pricing and reimbursement of our product candidates, if approved; (viii) the implementation of our business model, strategic plans for our business, product candidates and technology; (ix) the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and technology; (x) our ability to operate our business without infringing the intellectual property rights and proprietary technology of third parties; (xi) costs associated with defending intellectual property infringement, product liability and other claims; (xii) regulatory developments in the United States, Europe and other jurisdictions; (xiii) estimates of our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; (xiv) the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and our ability to enter into strategic arrangements; (xv) our ability to maintain and establish collaborations or obtain additional grant funding; (xvi) the rate and degree of market acceptance of our product candidates; (xvii) developments relating to our competitors and our industry, including competing therapies; (xviii) our ability to effectively manage our anticipated growth; (xix) our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel; (xx) our ability to achieve cost savings and other benefits from our efforts to streamline our operations and to not harm our business with such efforts; (xxi) the use of proceeds from our recent public offerings; (xxii) the potential benefits of any of our product candidates being granted orphan drug designation; (xxiii) the future trading price of the shares of our common stock and impact of securities analysts' reports on these prices; and/or (xxiv) other risks and uncertainties. More detailed information about Kadmon and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in Kadmon's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including Kadmon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Kadmon assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact Information

Ellen Cavaleri, Investor Relations646.490.2989ellen.cavaleri@kadmon.com

SOURCE: Kadmon Holdings, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/566116/Kadmon-Announces-that-KD025-Met-Primary-Endpoint-at-Interim-Analysis-of-Pivotal-Trial-in-Chronic-Graft-Versus-Host-Disease

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Kadmon Announces that KD025 Met Primary Endpoint at Interim Analysis of Pivotal Trial in Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease - Yahoo Finance

JERUSALEM & PARSIPPANY, N.J. & INCHEON, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., a U.S. affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA), Celltrion, Inc., (KRX KRX:068270) and Celltrion Healthcare, Co., Ltd. (KRX KOSDAQ:091990), today announced that TRUXIMA (rituximab-abbs) injection is the first biosimilar to the reference product Rituxan1 (rituximab) now available in the United States with a full oncology label. TRUXIMA is currently indicated for the treatment of adult patients with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL):

We are excited about the first FDA-approved biosimilar to rituximab in the U.S., stated Brendan OGrady, Executive Vice President and Head of North America Commercial at Teva. Tevas commitment to biosimilars is focused on the potential to create lower healthcare costs and increased price competition. This focus is consistent with Tevas mission of making accessible medications to help improve the lives of patients.

TRUXIMA was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first rituximab biosimilar. The approval was based on a review of a comprehensive data package inclusive of foundational and extensive analytical characterization, nonclinical data, clinical pharmacology, immunogenicity, clinical efficacy, and safety data. In May 2019, the FDA approved TRUXIMA to match all of the reference products oncology indications for NHL and CLL. In light of a patent settlement with Genentech, Celltrion and Teva have a pending FDA submission for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and a license from Genentech to expand the TRUXIMA label to include these indications in Q2 2020.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the first rituximab biosimilar, TRUXIMA, with our marketing partner Teva in the U.S. said Mr. Hyoung-Ki Kim, Vice Chairman at Celltrion Healthcare. We believe that the introduction of TRUXIMA into the U.S. market will contribute to addressing unmet needs of U.S. patients as well.

The Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC or list price) for TRUXIMA will be 10 percent lower than the reference product. TRUXIMA is being made available through primary wholesalers at a WAC of $845.55 for 100mg vial and $4227.75 for 500mg vial. Actual costs to individual patients and providers for TRUXIMA are anticipated to be lower than WAC because WAC does not account for additional rebates and discounts that may apply. Savings on out-of-pocket costs may vary depending on the patients insurance payer and eligibility for participation in the assistance program.

Dedicated patient support services are also available from Teva through the Comprehensive Oncology Reimbursement Expertise (CORE) program. CORE is available to help eligible patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals navigate the reimbursement process. CORE offers a range of services, including benefits verification and coverage determination, support for precertification and prior authorization, assistance with coverage guidelines and claims investigation, and support through the claims and appeals process. A savings program is also available for eligible commercially insured patients. To learn more, please visit TevaCORE.com. For healthcare professionals seeking additional information, there is also a dedicated site at TRUXIMAhcp.com.

Celltrion and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. entered into an exclusive partnership in October 2016 to commercialize TRUXIMA in the U.S. and Canada.

Please see the Important Safety Information below including the Boxed Warning regarding fatal infusion-related reactions, severe mucocutaneous reactions, hepatitis B virus reactivation and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. For more information, please visit the full prescribing information.

Important Safety Information

WARNING: FATAL INFUSION-RELATED REACTIONS, SEVERE MUCOCUTANEOUS REACTIONS, HEPATITIS B VIRUS REACTIVATION and PROGRESSIVE MULTIFOCAL LEUKOENCEPHALOPATHY

Infusion-Related Reactions - Administration of rituximab products, including TRUXIMA, can result in serious, including fatal, infusion-related reactions. Deaths within 24 hours of rituximab infusion have occurred. Approximately 80% of fatal infusion-related reactions occurred in association with the first infusion. Monitor patients closely. Discontinue TRUXIMA infusion for severe reactions and provide medical treatment for Grade 3 or 4 infusion-related reactions

Severe Mucocutaneous Reactions - Severe, including fatal, mucocutaneous reactions can occur in patients receiving rituximab products

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) Reactivation - HBV reactivation can occur in patients treated with rituximab products, in some cases resulting in fulminant hepatitis, hepatic failure, and death. Screen all patients for HBV infection before treatment initiation, and monitor patients during and after treatment with TRUXIMA. Discontinue TRUXIMA and concomitant medications in the event of HBV reactivation

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML), including fatal PML, can occur in patients receiving rituximab products

Warnings and Precautions

Infusion-Related Reactions - Rituximab products can cause severe, including fatal, infusion-related reactions. Severe reactions typically occurred during the first infusion with time to onset of 30-120 minutes. Rituximab product-induced infusion-related reactions and sequelae include urticaria, hypotension, angioedema, hypoxia, bronchospasm, pulmonary infiltrates, acute respiratory distress syndrome, myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation, cardiogenic shock, anaphylactoid events, or death.

Premedicate patients with an antihistamine and acetaminophen prior to dosing. Institute medical management (e.g. glucocorticoids, epinephrine, bronchodilators, or oxygen) for infusion-related reactions as needed. Depending on the severity of the infusion-related reaction and the required interventions, temporarily or permanently discontinue TRUXIMA. Resume infusion at a minimum 50% reduction in rate after symptoms have resolved. Closely monitor the following patients: those with pre-existing cardiac or pulmonary conditions, those who experienced prior cardiopulmonary adverse reactions, and those with high numbers of circulating malignant cells (>25,000/mm3)

Severe Mucocutaneous Reactions - Mucocutaneous reactions, some with fatal outcome, can occur in patients treated with rituximab products. These reactions include paraneoplastic pemphigus, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, lichenoid dermatitis, vesiculobullous dermatitis, and toxic epidermal necrolysis. The onset of these reactions has been variable and includes reports with onset on the first day of rituximab exposure. Discontinue TRUXIMA in patients who experience a severe mucocutaneous reaction. The safety of re-administration of rituximab products to patients with severe mucocutaneous reactions has not been determined.

Hepatitis B Virus Reactivation - Hepatitis B virus (HBV) reactivation, in some cases resulting in fulminant hepatitis, hepatic failure and death, can occur in patients treated with drugs classified as CD20-directed cytolytic antibodies, including rituximab products. Cases have been reported in patients who are hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive and also in patients who are HBsAg negative but are hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) positive. Reactivation also has occurred in patients who appear to have resolved hepatitis B infection (i.e., HBsAg negative, anti-HBc positive and hepatitis B surface antibody [anti-HBs] positive).

HBV reactivation is defined as an abrupt increase in HBV replication manifesting as a rapid increase in serum HBV DNA levels or detection of HBsAg in a person who was previously HBsAg negative and anti-HBc positive. Reactivation of HBV replication is often followed by hepatitis, i.e., increase in transaminase levels. In severe cases increase in bilirubin levels, liver failure, and death can occur.

Screen all patients for HBV infection by measuring HBsAg and anti-HBc before initiating treatment with TRUXIMA. For patients who show evidence of prior hepatitis B infection (HBsAg positive [regardless of antibody status] or HBsAg negative but anti-HBc positive), consult with physicians with expertise in managing hepatitis B regarding monitoring and consideration for HBV antiviral therapy before and/or during TRUXIMA treatment.

Monitor patients with evidence of current or prior HBV infection for clinical and laboratory signs of hepatitis or HBV reactivation during and for several months following TRUXIMA therapy. HBV reactivation has been reported up to 24 months following completion of rituximab therapy.

In patients who develop reactivation of HBV while on TRUXIMA, immediately discontinue TRUXIMA and any concomitant chemotherapy, and institute appropriate treatment. Insufficient data exist regarding the safety of resuming TRUXIMA treatment in patients who develop HBV reactivation. Resumption of TRUXIMA treatment in patients whose HBV reactivation resolves should be discussed with physicians with expertise in managing HBV.

Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy (PML) - JC virus infection resulting in PML and death can occur in rituximab product-treated patients with hematologic malignancies. The majority of patients with hematologic malignancies diagnosed with PML received rituximab in combination with chemotherapy or as part of a hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Most cases of PML were diagnosed within 12 months of their last infusion of rituximab.

Consider the diagnosis of PML in any patient presenting with new-onset neurologic manifestations. Evaluation of PML includes, but is not limited to, consultation with a neurologist, brain MRI, and lumbar puncture.

Discontinue TRUXIMA and consider discontinuation or reduction of any concomitant chemotherapy or immunosuppressive therapy in patients who develop PML.

Tumor Lysis Syndrome (TLS) - Acute renal failure, hyperkalemia, hypocalcemia, hyperuricemia, or hyperphosphatemia from tumor lysis, sometimes fatal, can occur within 12-24 hours after the first infusion of rituximab products in patients with NHL. A high number of circulating malignant cells (>25,000/mm3) or high tumor burden, confers a greater risk of TLS.

Administer aggressive intravenous hydration and anti-hyperuricemic therapy in patients at high risk for TLS. Correct electrolyte abnormalities, monitor renal function and fluid balance, and administer supportive care, including dialysis as indicated.

Infections - Serious, including fatal, bacterial, fungal, and new or reactivated viral infections can occur during and following the completion of rituximab product-based therapy. Infections have been reported in some patients with prolonged hypogammaglobulinemia (defined as hypogammaglobulinemia >11 months after rituximab exposure). New or reactivated viral infections included cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, parvovirus B19, varicella zoster virus, West Nile virus, and hepatitis B and C. Discontinue TRUXIMA for serious infections and institute appropriate anti-infective therapy. TRUXIMA is not recommended for use in patients with severe, active infections.

Cardiovascular Adverse Reactions - Cardiac adverse reactions, including ventricular fibrillation, myocardial infarction, and cardiogenic shock may occur in patients receiving rituximab products. Discontinue infusions for serious or life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Perform cardiac monitoring during and after all infusions of TRUXIMA for patients who develop clinically significant arrhythmias, or who have a history of arrhythmia or angina.

Renal Toxicity - Severe, including fatal, renal toxicity can occur after rituximab product administration in patients with NHL. Renal toxicity has occurred in patients who experience tumor lysis syndrome and in patients with NHL administered concomitant cisplatin therapy during clinical trials. The combination of cisplatin and TRUXIMA is not an approved treatment regimen. Monitor closely for signs of renal failure and discontinue TRUXIMA in patients with a rising serum creatinine or oliguria.

Bowel Obstruction and Perforation - Abdominal pain, bowel obstruction and perforation, in some cases leading to death, can occur in patients receiving rituximab in combination with chemotherapy. In postmarketing reports, the mean time to documented gastrointestinal perforation was 6 (range 1-77) days in patients with NHL. Evaluate if symptoms of obstruction such as abdominal pain or repeated vomiting occur.

Immunization - The safety of immunization with live viral vaccines following rituximab product therapy has not been studied and vaccination with live virus vaccines is not recommended before or during treatment.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity - Based on human data, rituximab products can cause fetal harm due to B-cell lymphocytopenia in infants exposed to rituximab in-utero. Advise pregnant women of the risk to a fetus. Females of childbearing potential should use effective contraception while receiving TRUXIMA and for 12 months following the last dose of TRUXIMA.

Most common adverse reactions in clinical trials of NHL (>25%) were: infusion-related reactions, fever, lymphopenia, chills, infection, and asthenia

Most common adverse reactions in clinical trials of CLL (>25%) were: infusion-related reactions and neutropenia

Nursing Mothers - There are no data on the presence of rituximab in human milk, the effect on the breastfed child, or the effect on milk production. Since many drugs including antibodies are present in human milk, advise a lactating woman not to breastfeed during treatment and for at least 6 months after the last dose of TRUXIMA due to the potential for serious adverse reactions in breastfed infants.

About TRUXIMA

TRUXIMA (rituximab-abbs) is a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved biosimilar to RITUXAN (rituximab) for the treatment of adult patients with CD20-positive, B-cell NHL to be used as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy or CLL in combination with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FC).

TRUXIMA has the same mechanism of action as Rituxan and has demonstrated biosimilarity to Rituxan through a totality of evidence.

About Celltrion Healthcare, Co. Ltd.

Celltrion Healthcare conducts the worldwide marketing, sales and distribution of biological medicines developed by Celltrion, Inc. through an extensive global network that spans more than 120 different countries. Celltrion Healthcares products are manufactured at state-of-the-art mammalian cell culture facilities, designed and built to comply with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cGMP guidelines and the EU GMP guidelines.

About Celltrion, Inc.

Headquartered in Incheon, Korea, Celltrion is a leading biopharmaceutical company, specializing in research, development and manufacturing of biosimilar and innovative drugs. Celltrion strives to provide more affordable biosimilar mAbs to patients who previously had limited access to advanced therapeutics. Celltrion received FDA approval for TRUXIMA (rituximab-abbs) and HERZUMA (trastuzumab-pkrb) in 2018.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve peoples lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at http://www.tevapharm.com.

Teva's Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding TRUXIMA, which are based on managements current beliefs and expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from that expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to:

and other factors discussed in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the first and second quarter of 2019 and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, including in the sections captioned "Risk Factors and Forward Looking Statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

1 RITUXAN is a registered trademark of Genentech and Biogen.

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Teva and Celltrion Announce the Availability of TRUXIMA (rituximab-abbs) Injection, the First Biosimilar to Rituxan (rituximab) in the United States -...

Wall Street brokerages expect Crispr Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) to post earnings of $0.04 per share for the current quarter, according to Zacks. Three analysts have issued estimates for Crispr Therapeutics earnings, with the lowest EPS estimate coming in at $0.01 and the highest estimate coming in at $0.07. Crispr Therapeutics reported earnings per share of ($0.92) in the same quarter last year, which suggests a positive year-over-year growth rate of 104.3%. The business is scheduled to report its next quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th.

On average, analysts expect that Crispr Therapeutics will report full year earnings of $0.65 per share for the current financial year, with EPS estimates ranging from $0.58 to $0.71. For the next fiscal year, analysts expect that the company will post earnings of ($4.72) per share, with EPS estimates ranging from ($5.76) to ($3.67). Zacks EPS averages are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that cover Crispr Therapeutics.

Crispr Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CRSP) last issued its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The company reported $2.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.95) by $3.35. Crispr Therapeutics had a negative return on equity of 2.60% and a negative net margin of 5.30%. The company had revenue of $211.93 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.32 million.

CRSP has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Piper Jaffray Companies reiterated an overweight rating on shares of Crispr Therapeutics in a report on Monday, October 21st. Needham & Company LLC reiterated a buy rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Crispr Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, July 31st. TheStreet upgraded Crispr Therapeutics from a d rating to a c rating in a report on Monday, October 28th. Canaccord Genuity initiated coverage on Crispr Therapeutics in a report on Friday, July 26th. They issued a buy rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Zacks Investment Research cut Crispr Therapeutics from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Monday, September 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Crispr Therapeutics has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $57.95.

In other Crispr Therapeutics news, Director Pablo J. Cagnoni sold 7,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.00, for a total transaction of $390,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 7,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $390,000. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 21.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. lifted its stake in Crispr Therapeutics by 48.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nikko Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 2,777,414 shares of the companys stock valued at $113,846,000 after acquiring an additional 906,006 shares in the last quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Crispr Therapeutics by 34.7% during the 2nd quarter. ARK Investment Management LLC now owns 2,724,349 shares of the companys stock valued at $128,317,000 after purchasing an additional 701,332 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Crispr Therapeutics by 19.6% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 738,869 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,801,000 after purchasing an additional 121,176 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its position in shares of Crispr Therapeutics by 23.9% during the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 603,905 shares of the companys stock valued at $28,443,000 after purchasing an additional 116,540 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its position in shares of Crispr Therapeutics by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 284,984 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,423,000 after purchasing an additional 16,361 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 51.09% of the companys stock.

Shares of CRSP traded up $2.67 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $53.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,632,533 shares, compared to its average volume of 619,587. Crispr Therapeutics has a 12 month low of $22.22 and a 12 month high of $56.16. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $42.62 and a 200 day simple moving average of $44.25. The company has a current ratio of 8.32, a quick ratio of 8.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.58 and a beta of 3.15.

Crispr Therapeutics Company Profile

CRISPR Therapeutics AG, a gene editing company, focuses on developing transformative gene-based medicines for the treatment of serious human diseases using its regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated protein-9 (CRISPR/Cas9) gene-editing platform in Switzerland. Its lead product candidate is CTX001, an ex vivo CRISPR gene-edited therapy for treating patients suffering from dependent beta thalassemia or severe sickle cell disease in which a patient's hematopoietic stem cells are engineered to produce high levels of fetal hemoglobin in red blood cells.

Further Reading: Net Income

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$0.04 EPS Expected for Crispr Therapeutics AG (NASDAQ:CRSP) This Quarter - Casper Courier

Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld spoke to Dr Na'eem Sadiq, Medical Director, PLEXUS NEURO and STEM CELL RESEARCH CENTER, Bengaluru to know more about stem cell therapy and the challenges associated with it.

STEM CELL : TRENDSStem cell is a word which evokes lot of responses both positive and negative. Few people know that the origin was in the 1800s. The very first bone marrow transplant happened in the year 1968 and then subsequently stem cells have been used for various diseases and much more in blood cancer. They have also been used in chronic neurological disorders, autoimmune disorders and sports injuries.Globally, its all over the world such as in the US, Canada, Germany, China, Ukraine and of course in India as well. In India there are lots of centers and states who have been practicing stem cell technology for quite some time.

STEM CELLS : MARKETThe market is growing since stems cells promise hope for those who have lost hope, where there is no viable treatment and proper cure available for lots of diseases. Stem cells is emerging as a champion for all these people. It was much more available internationally and in the last decade India has taken up.

PLEXUS NEURO AND STEM CELL RESEARCH CENTER- JOURNEYI have been practicing in the field of neuroscience for the last 30 years. Neurosciences is a field where you see patients suffering from chronic diseases. I have been in this field right from early 90s and have been seeing trends changing, but when it comes to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinsons, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, billions of dollars have been spent, new treatment modalities have been found, but nothing has been found to be successful.

We have very strict and rigid eligibility criteria. Once the patient approaches us, we subject the patient to a thorough clinical examination, which lasts anywhere between 2- 3 hours. Once we find that the patient is clinically treatable, or that the patient can be helped, then we subject the patient to other investigations.

The other major difference we have at Plexus is that we do not do only stem cells. Stem cell therapy is a part of our complete regenerative rehabilitation. The program starts after we do the transplant. The patient undergoes rigorous rehabilitation, which includes the entire gamete of practices such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, hand splinting, cognitive rehabilitation therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, speech therapy etc.

We customize and provide a tailor made program as per the patient's needs, with a goal once the patient joins the program and almost all the patients who are in the program get more than what we had aimed at achieving. At the end of the program we evaluate the goals and find that every single patient achieves them. We train the patients as to what they need to do once they finish the program and insist on regular follow up.

We have a team of learned scientists who are all qualified from the UK and our research is ongoing. We are working exclusively in the field of neurosciences to get the best quality of cells and to make it very affordable. Research is on and our data is huge, we will be publishing the results very soon.

PLEXUS : FUTURE PLANSWe have a complete state of the art rehabilitation center where we have some of the best therapists in the world working with us. In fact a few months back we launched one of its kind, Sensory Gym at Plexus and now we have started virtual and augmented reality.

In the last 4-5 years we have received more than 75 national and international awards and we stand as one of the leading regenerative rehabilitation centers not only in India, but in Asia.Our endeavor here is to make the treatment the best possible, to make the cells much more advanced, affordable to also provide the treatment in the shortest possible time.

Continued here:
Cost is a major challenge in stem cells therapy: Dr Na'eem Sadiq - ETHealthworld.com

Nov. 5, 2019 12:00 UTC

HOUSTON & OSAKA, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centerand Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) (Takeda) today announced an exclusive license agreement and research agreement to develop cord blood-derived chimeric antigen receptor-directed natural killer (CAR NK)-cell therapies, armored with IL-15, for the treatment of B-cell malignancies and other cancers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191105005250/en/

Under the agreement, Takeda will receive access to MD Andersons CAR NK platform and the exclusive rights to develop and commercialize up to four programs, including a CD19-targeted CAR NK-cell therapy and a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted CAR NK-cell therapy. Takeda and MD Anderson will also conduct a research collaboration to further develop these CAR NK programs.

Our vision is to improve upon existing treatments by developing armored CAR NKs that could be administered off-the-shelf in an outpatient settingenabling more patients to be treated effectively, quickly and with minimal toxicities, said Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at MD Anderson. With their expertise in hematologic malignancies and commitment to developing next-generation cell therapies, Takeda is the ideal collaborator to help our team advance CAR NK-cell therapies to patients in need of treatments.

A Novel Approach to Delivering Off-the-Shelf CARs in an Outpatient Setting MD Andersons allogeneic CAR NK platform isolates NK cells from umbilical cord blood and engineers them to express CARs against specified cancer targets. CAR NK cells are modified with a retroviral vector to deliver genes and enhance their effectiveness to attack specific tumors. A CD19 CAR increases the cells specificity for B-cell malignancies while the immunocytokine IL-15 enhances the proliferation and survival of the CAR NK cells in the body.

In contrast to current CAR T-cell therapies that utilize a patients own genetically modified T-cells and require a multi-week manufacturing process, CAR NK cells are intended to be manufactured from a non-related donor source and stored for off-the-shelf use, allowing treatment to be delivered more rapidly.

It is anticipated that the CD19 CAR NK-cell therapy could be administered in an outpatient setting. In an ongoing phase 1/2a clinical study treating patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell malignances, the CD19 CAR NK-cell therapy has not been associated with the severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurotoxicity observed with existing CAR-T therapies.

The development of MD Andersons CAR NK platform is led by Dr. Rezvani and is further supported by the adoptive cell therapy platform, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Moon Shot and B-Cell Lymphoma Moon Shot, all part of the institutions Moon Shots Program, a collaborative effort to rapidly develop scientific discoveries into meaningful clinical advances that save patients lives.

Takeda: Accelerating the Development of Multiple Next-Generation CAR Platforms MD Andersons CAR NK platform represents the curative potential of cell therapies, which is why we are establishing the CD19 CAR NK as our lead cell therapy candidate in oncology, said Andy Plump, M.D., Ph.D., President of Research and Development at Takeda. We need to work swiftly and with purpose, and as such, we intend to initiate a pivotal study of the CD19 CAR NK in 2021.

In addition to CAR NK-cell therapies, Takeda and its partners are investigating multiple approaches to improving the safety, efficacy and accessibility of first-generation CAR T-cell therapies including gamma delta CAR Ts, induced pluripotent stem cell-derived CAR Ts, CAR Ts targeting solid tumors, and other next-generation approaches. Takeda plans to advance five oncology cell therapies to the clinic by the end of FY20.1 These platforms are being developed both with partners and by applying the expertise of Takedas translational cell therapy engine which provides bioengineering, chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC), clinical and translational capabilities in a single footprint to overcome many of the manufacturing challenges experienced in cell therapy development.

Takeda is responsible for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of CAR NK products resulting under the agreement. MD Anderson will receive an upfront payment and is eligible to receive development and commercial milestones for each target as well as tiered royalties on net sales of any such CAR NK product.

MD Anderson and Takeda will continue research for the additional targets and CAR NK platform under the direction of a joint research committee. MD Anderson will implement an Institutional Conflict of Interest Management and Monitoring Plan for this research.

About MD Anderson The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. The institutions sole mission is to end cancer for patients and their families around the world. MD Anderson is one of only 50 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). MD Anderson is ranked No.1 for cancer care in U.S. News & World Reports Best Hospitals survey. It has ranked as one of the nations top two hospitals for cancer care since the survey began in 1990, and has ranked first 15 times in the last 18 years. MD Anderson receives a cancer center support grant from the NCI of the National Institutes of Health (P30 CA016672).

About Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TSE:4502/NYSE:TAK) is a global, values-based, R&D-driven biopharmaceutical leader headquartered in Japan, committed to bringing Better Health and a Brighter Future to patients by translating science into highly-innovative medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on four therapeutic areas: Oncology, Gastroenterology (GI), Rare Diseases and Neuroscience. We also make targeted R&D investments in Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines. We are focusing on developing highly innovative medicines that contribute to making a difference in people's lives by advancing the frontier of new treatment options and leveraging our enhanced collaborative R&D engine and capabilities to create a robust, modality-diverse pipeline. Our employees are committed to improving quality of life for patients and to working with our partners in health care in approximately 80 countries and regions. For more information, visit https://www.takeda.com

Forward-Looking Statements This press release and any materials distributed in connection with this press release may contain forward-looking statements, beliefs or opinions regarding Takedas future business, future position and results of operations, including estimates, forecasts, targets and plans for Takeda. In particular, this press release contains forecasts and management estimates related to the financial and operational performance of Takeda, including statements regarding forecasts for Revenue, Operating profit, Adjusted EBITDA, Profit before income taxes, Net profit attributable to owners of Takeda, Basic earnings per share, Amortization and impairment and other income/expense, Underlying Revenue, Underlying Core Earnings margin, Underlying Core EPS and Net Debt. Without limitation, forward looking statements often include the words such as targets, plans, believes, hopes, continues, expects, aims, intends, will, may, should, would, could anticipates, estimates, projects or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof. Any forward-looking statements in this document are based on the current assumptions and beliefs of Takeda in light of the information currently available to it. Such forward-looking statements do not represent any guarantee by Takeda or its management of future performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including but not limited to: the economic circumstances surrounding Takedas business, including general economic conditions in Japan, the United States and worldwide; competitive pressures and developments; applicable laws and regulations; the success of or failure of product development programs; decisions of regulatory authorities and the timing thereof; changes in exchange rates; claims or concerns regarding the safety or efficacy of marketed products or products candidates; and post-merger integration with acquired companies, any of which may cause Takedas actual results, performance, achievements or financial position to be materially different from any future results, performance, achievements or financial position expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. For more information on these and other factors which may affect Takedas results, performance, achievements, or financial position, see Item 3. Key InformationD. Risk Factors in Takedas Registration Statement on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, available on Takedas website at: https://www.takeda.com/investors/reports/sec-filings/ or at http://www.sec.gov. Neither Takeda nor its management gives any assurances that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements will turn out to be correct, and actual results, performance or achievements could materially differ from expectations. Persons receiving this press release should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Takeda undertakes no obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or any other forward-looking statements it may make. Past performance is not an indicator of future results and the results of Takeda in this press release may not be indicative of, and are not an estimate, forecast or projection of Takedas future results.

1 Takedas 2020 fiscal year begins April 1, 2020 and ends March 31, 2021.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191105005250/en/

Link:
Takeda and MD Anderson Announce Collaboration to Accelerate the Development of Clinical-Stage, Off-The-Shelf CAR NK-Cell Therapy Platform - BioSpace

First Patients Treated with FT516, an Off-the-Shelf NK Cell Cancer Immunotherapy for AML and for B-cell Lymphoma in Combination with Rituximab

Received FDA Clearance of IND Application for FT596, an Off-the-Shelf, Multi-Antigen Targeted CAR NK Cell Product Candidate

Opened State-of-the-art cGMP Facility Dedicated to Manufacturing iPSC-derived Cell Therapies

$303 Million in Cash & Short-term Investments as of September 30, 2019 following Completion of $173 Million Common Stock Offering

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 05, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders, today reported business highlights and financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019.

We achieved several significant clinical milestones over the past three months including treating the first patients with FT516, the first-ever engineered iPSC-derived cellular immunotherapy, and securing FDA clearance to initiate clinical investigation of FT596, the first-ever cellular immunotherapy engineered to express three active anti-tumor modalities. We also successfully opened our new cGMP facility specifically designed to enable consistent, large-scale, and cost-effective manufacture of allogeneic NK cell and CAR-T cell products using clonal master iPSC lines as a starting cell source, said Scott Wolchko, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fate Therapeutics. We look forward to the ASH annual meeting in December, where we have had six abstracts accepted and will be sharing our first-in-human insights into the clinical safety and tolerability of FT500, the first-ever iPSC-derived cell therapy to be administered off-the-shelf in multiple doses over multiple cycles. With the completion of our recent common stock offering in September, we are well-positioned to generate clinical data across our iPSC-derived, cell-based cancer immunotherapy pipeline in 2020.

Clinical Programs

Corporate Highlights

Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Today's Conference Call and WebcastThe Company will conduct a conference call today, Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. ET to review financial and operating results for the quarter ended September 30, 2019. In order to participate in the conference call, please dial 877-303-6235 (domestic) or 631-291-4837 (international) and refer to conference ID 4748666. The live webcast can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors & Media section of the Company's website at http://www.fatetherapeutics.com. The archived webcast will be available on the Company's website beginning approximately two hours after the event.

About Fate Therapeutics iPSC Product PlatformThe Companys proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform enables mass production of off-the-shelf, engineered, homogeneous cell products that can be administered with multiple doses to deliver more effective pharmacologic activity, including in combination with cycles of other cancer treatments. Human iPSCs possess the unique dual properties of unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential into all cell types of the body. The Companys first-of-kind approach involves engineering human iPSCs in a one-time genetic modification event and selecting a single engineered iPSC for maintenance as a clonal master iPSC line. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, clonal master iPSC lines are a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf for patient treatment. As a result, the Companys platform is uniquely capable of overcoming numerous limitations associated with the production of cell therapies using patient- or donor-sourced cells, which is logistically complex and expensive and is subject to batch-to-batch and cell-to-cell variability that can affect clinical safety and efficacy. Fate Therapeutics iPSC product platform is supported by an intellectual property portfolio of over 250 issued patents and 150 pending patent applications.

About FT500FT500 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line. The product candidate is being investigated in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors (clinicaltrials.gov ID number NCT03841110). The study is designed to assess the safety and activity of three once-weekly doses of FT500 as a monotherapy and in combination with one of three FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab in patients that have failed prior ICI therapy. Despite the clinical benefit conferred by approved ICI therapy against a variety of tumor types, these therapies are not curative and, in most cases, patients either fail to respond or progress on these agents. One common mechanism of resistance to ICI therapy is associated with loss-of-function mutations in genes critical for antigen presentation. A potential strategy to overcome resistance is through the administration of allogeneic NK cells, which have the inherent capability to recognize and directly kill tumor cells with these mutations.

About FT516FT516 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered to express a novel high-affinity 158V, non-cleavable CD16 Fc receptor, which has been modified to prevent its down-regulation and enhance its binding to tumor-targeting antibodies. The product candidate is being investigated in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial as a monotherapy for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and in combination with CD20-directed monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of advanced B-cell lymphoma (clinicaltrials.gov ID number NCT04023071). CD16 mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a potent anti-tumor mechanism by which NK cells recognize, bind and kill antibody-coated cancer cells. CD16 occurs in two variants, either with high (158V) or low (158F) affinity for the Fc domain of IgG1 antibodies. Numerous clinical studies with FDA-approved tumor-targeting antibodies, including rituximab, trastuzumab and cetuximab, have demonstrated that patients homozygous for the 158V variant, which is present in only about 15% of patients, have improved clinical outcomes. In addition, ADCC is dependent on NK cells maintaining active levels of CD16 expression, and the expression of CD16 on NK cells has been shown to undergo considerable down-regulation in cancer patients, which can significantly inhibit anti-tumor activity.

About FT596FT596 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered with three anti-tumor functional modalities: a proprietary chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) optimized for NK cell biology, which contains a NKG2D transmembrane domain, a 2B4 co-stimulatory domain and a CD3-zeta signaling domain, that targets B-cell antigen CD19; a novel high-affinity 158V, non-cleavable CD16 Fc receptor that has been modified to augment antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity by preventing CD16 down-regulation and enhancing CD16 binding to tumor-targeting antibodies; and an IL-15 receptor fusion (IL-15RF) that promotes enhanced NK cell activity. The FDA has allowed investigation of FT596 in an open-label Phase 1 clinical trial as a monotherapy, in combination with rituximab for the treatment of advanced B-cell lymphoma, and in combination with obinutuzumab for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In preclinical studies of FT596, the Company has demonstrated that dual activation of the CAR19 and CD16 receptors, in combination with IL-15RF signaling, convey synergistic anti-tumor activity. Increased degranulation and cytokine release were observed upon dual receptor activation in lymphoma cancer cells as compared to activation of each receptor alone, indicating that multi-antigen engagement may elicit a deeper and more durable response. Additionally, in a mixed cellular composition cytotoxicity assay comprised of CD19+ and CD19- tumor cells, FT596 combined with CD20-directed monoclonal antibody therapy effectively eliminated the heterogeneous population of tumor cells, a result that was not observed with single-antigen targeted CAR19 T cells.

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Companys immuno-oncology product candidates include natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell cancer immunotherapies, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The Companys immuno-regulatory product candidates include ProTmune, a pharmacologically modulated, donor cell graft that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease, and a myeloid-derived suppressor cell immunotherapy for promoting immune tolerance in patients with immune disorders. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding the Companys results of operations, financial condition and sufficiency of its cash and cash equivalents to fund its operations, as well as statements regarding the advancement of and plans related to its product candidates, clinical studies and preclinical research and development programs, the Companys progress, plans and timelines for the manufacture and clinical investigation of its product candidates, the timing for the Companys receipt of data from its clinical trials and preclinical studies, the Companys development and regulatory strategy, and the therapeutic and market potential of the Companys product candidates. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that results observed in prior studies of the Companys product candidates, including preclinical studies and clinical trials, will not be observed in ongoing or future studies involving these product candidates, the risk of a delay or difficulties in the manufacturing of the Companys product candidates or in the initiation of, or enrollment of subjects in, any clinical studies, the risk that the Company may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development of any of its product candidates for a variety of reasons (including requirements that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on the initiation or conduct of clinical trials or to support regulatory approval, difficulties or delays in subject enrollment in current and planned clinical trials, difficulties in manufacturing or supplying the Companys product candidates for clinical testing, and any adverse events or other negative results that may be observed during preclinical or clinical development), and the risk that the Companys expenditures may exceed current expectations for a variety of reasons. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Companys actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Companys most recently filed periodic report, and from time to time in the Companys press releases and other investor communications.Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Availability of Other Information about Fate Therapeutics, Inc.Investors and others should note that the Company routinely communicates with investors and the public using its website (www.fatetherapeutics.com) and its investor relations website (ir.fatetherapeutics.com) including, without limitation, through the posting of investor presentations, SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts on these websites. The information posted on these websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, investors, the media, and others interested in Fate Therapeutics are encouraged to review this information on a regular basis. The contents of the Companys website, or any other website that may be accessed from the Companys website, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss(in thousands, except share and per share data)(unaudited)

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets(in thousands)(unaudited)

Contact:Christina TartagliaStern Investor Relations, Inc.212.362.1200christina@sternir.com

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Fate Therapeutics Reports Third Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Highlights Operational Progress - GlobeNewswire

Spero Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SPRO) and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BCLI), both competing one another are Biotechnology companies. We will compare their profitability, analyst recommendations, risk, dividends, earnings and valuation, institutional ownership.

Valuation & Earnings

Table 1 showcases the gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation of Spero Therapeutics Inc. and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Profitability

Table 2 has Spero Therapeutics Inc. and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.s return on assets, return on equity and net margins.

Liquidity

The Current Ratio and Quick Ratio of Spero Therapeutics Inc. are 17.5 and 17.5 respectively. Its competitor Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.s Current Ratio is 1 and its Quick Ratio is 1. Spero Therapeutics Inc. can pay off short and long-term obligations better than Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Analyst Recommendations

Spero Therapeutics Inc. and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. Ratings and Recommendations are available on the next table.

Spero Therapeutics Inc.s average target price is $28, while its potential upside is 166.67%. Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. on the other hand boasts of a $9 average target price and a 134.99% potential upside. The results from earlier shows that analysts opinion suggest that Spero Therapeutics Inc. seems more appealing than Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

Spero Therapeutics Inc. and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. has shares owned by institutional investors as follows: 53.1% and 11.4%. Insiders owned roughly 23.71% of Spero Therapeutics Inc.s shares. Insiders Competitively, owned 0.6% of Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. shares.

Performance

Here are the Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half Yearly, Yearly and YTD Performance of both pretenders.

For the past year Spero Therapeutics Inc. was more bullish than Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

Summary

Spero Therapeutics Inc. beats Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. on 6 of the 11 factors.

Spero Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on identifying, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacterial infections in the United States. It is developing SPR994, an oral carbapenem-class antibiotic for use in adults to treat MDR gram-negative infections; SPR741 that has completed Phase I clinical trial to treat MDR gram-negative infections in the hospital setting; SPR206, an agent that is in preclinical development stage to disrupt the outer membrane of gram-negative bacteria; and SPR720, an oral antibiotic that is in preclinical development stage for the treatment of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company, develops adult stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disorders that include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons disease, and others. The company holds rights to develop and commercialize its NurOwn technology through a licensing agreement with Ramot of Tel Aviv University Ltd. Its NurOwn technology is based on a novel differentiation protocol, which induces differentiation of the bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-supporting cells and secreting cells that release various neurotrophic factors, including glial-derived neurotrophic factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and hepatocyte growth factor for the growth, survival, and differentiation of developing neurons. The company was formerly known as Golden Hand Resources Inc. and changed its name to Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. in November 2004 to reflect its new line of business in the development of novel cell therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Hackensack, New Jersey.

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Contrasting of Spero Therapeutics Inc. (SPRO) and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BCLI) - FinanceMercury

Doctors from the hospital that treated a patient who died after a fecal microbiota transplant published a case study on Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine that offers more details on the case as well as another case in which a patient became severely ill from the procedure.

How to eradicate antibiotic overuse

FDA announced in June that it had become aware that patients who undergo FMT can experience severe or life-threatening bacterial infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. FDA said two patients with weakened immune systems who received FMT developed infections stemming from extended-spectrum-beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli, which is resistant to antibiotics. FDA reported that one of those patients had died.

FDA said both FMTs involved stool from the same donor. The donor's stool had not been tested for ESBL-producing gram-negative organisms before the providers conducted the transplants, according to FDA.

FDA said the donor's stool underwent lab tests after the two patients experienced adverse reactions, and the tests confirmed the stored stool contained ESBL-producingE. coliidentical to the bacteria found in stool used in the two transplants.

As a result of the developments, FDA issued new safety guidelines for FMTs, saying it would now require FMTs to involve:

FDA did not provide many details on the two cases, which led doctors from Massachusetts General Hospital, where the patients were treated, to issue a report detailing the cases. Elizabeth Hohmann, co-author of the report and associate professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Mass General and Harvard Medical School, said, "We wanted to set the record straight."

According to the report, both patients were involved in clinical trials to see if FMTs could be used as a potential therapy for their conditions. One patient was in a trial to learn whether FMTs could help improve brain function in patients with severe liver disease. The other was participating in a trial to see if FMTs could be used to help immune function in leukemia patients who had undergone chemotherapy and stem cell transplants.

Two and a half weeks after doctors administered the final FMT dose to the liver disease patient, a form of E. coli was found in the patient's bloodstream, the report said. The patient recovered after intravenous antibiotics killed the bacteria.

The leukemia patient also developed the same form of drug-resistant E. coli. However, the patient had taken drugs to suppress his immune system as part of a bone marrow transplant and began to decline faster, the report said. Eight days after his last FMT dose, the patient was placed on a ventilator, and two days later the patient died from a severe bloodstream infection, according to the report.

Upon investigation of the liver patient's infection, doctors discovered that the stool sample used for the FMT contained the drug-resistant organism.

According to Hohmann, the stool donor was "what I call a 'screamingly healthy person.' Only about one in 40 people who think they might be healthy enough to [donate stool] actually turn out to meet all of our criteria. [The donor] had none of the 'risk factors' for carrying these organisms. They could not recall the last time they received antibiotics, had zero medical history, no international travel. Plus, they completed all of the other screening tests."

The doctors had been following FDA protocol testing stool donations for infectious bugs, but were not instructed by FDA to test or destroy older stool samples kept in storage, Hohmann said. The stool sample that sickened the two patients in the report had been stored in a freezer for several months.

"It wasn't obvious to a lot of smart people here," Hohmann said. "We didn't think to go back in time."

Hohmann said the report should serve as "a cautionary and sad tale. It points out some of the important medical issues about immune-compromised [patients] and maybe that changing the microbiome is not always a good idea."

Alexander Khoruts, a professor of medicine and medical director of the Microbiota Therapeutics Program at the University of Minnesota who was not involved in the report, said the report should "set off alarm bells for those who thought that [FMTs were] risk free." He added that Mass General "did the right thing" by sharing details and that he hopes the report will lead doctors to be more cautious.

Stuart Johnson, an associate professor of medicine at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine, who specializes in the bacterial gut infection Clostridium difficile, said he thinks the report "points out that we don't know everything that's in someone's feces, and I think widespread adoption of this practice is problematic" (Carroll, NBC News, 10/30; Jacobs, New York Times, 10/30; Smith, Medium, 10/30).

Read more:
In June, FDA announced a patient died from a fecal transplant. Now the doctors are speaking out. - The Daily Briefing

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MEMS for Therapeutic Market Size, Share Analysis by Services, Technique, Design and Application Forecast by 2023 - Health News Office

KENILWORTH, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Merck (NYSE: MRK), known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced financial results for the third quarter of 2019.

We achieved another quarter of strong revenue and earnings growth as we continue to realize the benefits of our sustained investment in research and development and our focus on commercial execution, said Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer, Merck. We are confident that the investments we are making now will allow us to convert cutting-edge science into medicines and vaccines of great benefit to patients and value to shareholders.

Financial Summary

$ in millions, except EPS amounts

Third Quarter

2019

2018

Change

ChangeEx-Exchange

Sales

$12,397

$10,794

15%

16%

GAAP net income1

1,901

1,950

-3%

-3%

Non-GAAP net income that excludes certain items1,2*

3,873

3,178

22%

22%

GAAP EPS

0.74

0.73

1%

1%

Non-GAAP EPS that excludes certain items2*

1.51

1.19

27%

27%

*Refer to table on page 9

GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) earnings per share assuming dilution (EPS) were $0.74 for the third quarter of 2019. Non-GAAP EPS of $1.51 for the third quarter of 2019 excludes a $982 million charge for the acquisition of Peloton Therapeutics, Inc. (Peloton), a $612 million pretax intangible asset impairment charge, other acquisition- and divestiture-related costs, restructuring costs and certain other items. Year-to-date results can be found in the attached tables.

Pipeline Highlights

Oncology

Merck continued to advance the development programs for KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), the companys anti-PD-1 therapy; Lynparza (olaparib), a PARP inhibitor being co-developed and co-commercialized with AstraZeneca; and Lenvima (lenvatinib mesylate), an orally available tyrosine kinase inhibitor being co-developed and co-commercialized with Eisai Co., Ltd. (Eisai).

KEYTRUDA

Lynparza

Lenvima

Other Pipeline Highlights

Third-Quarter Revenue Performance

The following table reflects sales of the companys top pharmaceutical products, as well as sales of animal health products.

Third Quarter

2019

2018

Change

Change Ex-Exchange

Total Sales

$12,397

$10,794

15%

16%

Pharmaceutical

11,095

9,658

15%

16%

KEYTRUDA

3,070

1,889

62%

64%

GARDASIL / GARDASIL 9

1,320

1,048

26%

27%

JANUVIA / JANUMET

1,311

1,490

-12%

-11%

PROQUAD, M-M-R II and

VARIVAX

623

525

19%

19%

BRIDION

284

217

31%

32%

ISENTRESS / ISENTRESS HD

250

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Merck Announces Third-Quarter 2019 Financial Results - Business Wire