A multi-center research effort has created an immune-infiltrated kidney tissue model that can be used to study on-target, off-tumor effects of T cell bispecific antibodies (TCBs) and potentially other immunotherapies. TCBs are an emerging class of drugs that attach to tumor cells with one end and attract immune cells with…

Loxo Oncology, Eli Lilly’s oncology focused division it created in 2019 with the $8 billion acquisition of the company, announced it will partner with Merus to develop up to three CD3-engaging T-cell re-directing bispecific antibody therapies, through a research collaboration and exclusive licensing agreement that could generate up to $1.6…

Antibody therapies called bispecific T cell engagers (BTEs) have emerged as effective treatments for some blood cancers but have been more difficult to develop for solid tumors. While clinically successful, first-generation BTEs suffer a short half-life. Now, Wistar scientists have built upon bispecific T cell engagers (BTEs) technology to develop…

Roche announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted conditional marketing approval for its bispecific antibody (bsAb) glofitamab, sold under the trade name Columvi, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy. The EC…

Depending on which research report is referenced, there are anywhere from a couple hundred to more than 600 bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) in preclinical and clinical development by pharma and biotech companies around the world. Nine of the 12 bsAbs that have received approval globally target cancer. But after the first…

A new multi-center study has found that therapies which engage T cells such as bispecific antibodies and CAR-T cell therapies exhibit the most durable response in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma following BCMA-directed CAR-T cell therapy. The study, published in the journal Blood,  was led by Sham Mailankody, MBBS, medical…

Timberlyne Therapeutics launched last week with the close of a $180 million Series A financing to advance CM313, a potentially best-in-class monoclonal antibody targeting CD38, for immune thrombocytopenic purpura. CD38 (cluster of differentiation 38) is a glycoprotein found on the surface of many immune cells, including CD4+, CD8+, B lymphocytes…

Vienna-based OncoOne is taking aim at developing highly tumor-targeted radioimmunotherapy (RIT) treatments against a range of solid tumors using its proprietary PreTarg-it platform. The two-step process of delivering bispecific antibodies directly to the tumor site shows potential to significantly reduce the side effects associated with treating solid tumors with RIT.…

Having recently finalized its blockbuster acquisition of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) pioneer Seagen, Pfizer is tidying up its oncology house and making a conspicuous shift towards more biologics. The oncology market  is expected to reach $500B by 2030, and Pfizer wants a big piece of it. Especially as the U.S. is making…

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) released its annual Cancer Progress Report on Wednesday that highlighted advances in cancer treatments and survival while also advocating for continued funding by the US government to sustain progress. “The advances in cancer research, particularly in the last two decades, have been breathtaking,”…

Q: When did you first become interested in immunology? Ivana Djuretic: I always had science in my sights in my academic pursuits. I left my native Montenegro in 1998 to finish my last year of high school in the U.S. During that time, I looked for a university that would…

The biotech company Aethon Therapeutics has launched in New York to develop antibody immunotherapies for tumors that have developed resistance to current cancer drugs. The company is funding its work with a $30 million Series A round. Aethon is the result of an alliance between the life sciences venture capital…

Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have developed a nanotechnology platform that can enhance the antitumor effect of immunotherapy in solid tumors by attaching an immune activation molecule to the surface of the tumors. The universal nanobioconjugate platform, termed bispecific tumor-transforming nanoparticles (BiTNs) is the work…

Bill Lundberg, MDpresident and chief executive officer, Merus. Bill Lundberg, MD., is president and chief executive officer of Merus, a clinical-stage oncology company developing bispecific and trispecific antibody therapeutics. Prior to joining Merus, Lundberg served as chief scientific officer of CRISPR Therapeutics, as head of translational…

A droplet-based microfluidic technology produces micro-organospheres (MOSs) from cancer patient biopsies within an hour, according to a new report led by researchers at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI). They detail how patient tumor, immune, and connective tissue cells quickly form miniature tumors that retain the original microenvironment within…