Biotech Strategy Blog

Commentary on Science, Innovation & New Products with a focus on Oncology, Hematology & Immunotherapy

About MaverickNY

Here are my most recent posts

Posts by MaverickNY

Cracking the Code on a Novel Cancer Target

One of the challenging and frustrating aspects of oncology drug development is in knowing a target is tractable, yet the results with multiple early stage products are disappointing.

Yes, this really was August weather…

What I mean by this is we may see a few partial responses here and there, but nothing substantial (except toxicities) and minimal clues as to why, despite several variations on a theme being tried in the clinic.

It can look pretty bleak out there for a while, much like Scottish locks in dreary August drizzle until the sun comes out and shines a light of hope.

It can take a long slog in the basic/translational biology coupled with medicinal chemistry efforts to figure out the clues and see where a fresh can lead.

Today it’s time for one of those sort of what I call Finding Nemo kind of stories where scientists identify the right cell/right compartment to start a new tranche of compounds ready for clinical assessment.  Those phase 1/2 trials are now ongoing, but what was the mystery issue and how did they solve for it?

The added bonus is there are three or four companies already ahead in the latest rollercoaster race…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Playing with fire

Are we playing with fire – again?

A few years ago, Dr Philippe Armand at Dana Farber used this very colourful phrase accompanied by ‘rip roaring toxicities’ when describing autoimmune type reactions his institution had seen in patients with hematologic malignancies who had received prior allo SCT (see more here).

Now we’re starting to see more evidence emerge for improved activity with next generation bispecifics accompanied by lethalities.

Finding the balance between the two is proving to be something akin to a tightrope across the Niagara Falls without a safety net.

With so many runners and riders in the IO niche, it’s often hard to tell who will be the winner

Checkpoint blockade, CAR-T cells and fusion proteins haven’t been the only ones to struggle with this challenge, since bispecifics are also an immunotherapy approach capable of inducing some potent, if unwanted immune effects.

Here we look at the challenge in the bispecific arena with a focus on some recent events…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Opening the solid tumour CAR-T treasure chest

Yokohama, Japan

Who wants to get the inside scoop on emerging CAR-T cell therapies for solid tumours such as lung cancer?

In our latest post you can learn how scientists in China are engineering innovative multi-functional CAR-T cells to overcome challenges.

These include tumour heterogeneity and an immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment.

This cutting edge research could promise to open new frontiers in solid tumour treatment and offer some directions for further advances.

Don’t miss this sneak peek on early clinical trial data…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Wow, just wow!

Across the Puget Sound, Seattle

Yesterday we highlighted an emerging CAR-T cell therapy company in China with a different approach to hematologic malignancies.

We now turn our attention Stateside to focus on another biotech company who are parlaying solid academic research into more robust CAR-T cell therapies for solid tumours.

For too long researchers have struggled with a number of challenges in this setting from too many toxicities, lack of specificity, to too little activity or persistence.

It’s about time we changed this negative perception.

Here we look at some impressive work presented by a go-getting researcher and his lab who have some cool ideas and are quietly taking on the obstacles by storm.  He also happens to be a co-founder of an emerging biotech who benefit from their creativity…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

An emerging opportunity in the CAR-T cell therapy space

Our latest conference coverage this week comes from Seattle, which is hosting the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) Spotlight on Immuno-Oncology event.

Yesterday’s sessions generated quite a few thoughts about some of the new directions the field is headed in, some of which may turn out to be more surprising than others.

While there were a few snippy comments and illusions flying around, there was also some interesting data being presented.

Here we take a look at one unexpected potential growth area, which might well throw some shade on allogeneic CARs…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

What’s hot in lung cancer?

Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

With the abstract titles now available for the World Congress in Lung Cancer (WCLC), it’s time to take a look at what we can expect for the meeting coming up in early September.

In our latest conference Preview, we have highlighted several education sessions to look at, as well as ten key oral presentations to watch out for…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Important and novel research to be inspired by

It’s time for our latest Journal Club edition for July 2023!

The good news is this volume it is full of some really good research coming out lately.

Some of these ideas may well have important therapeutic implications since these are not dusty old ideas rehashed and thrashed about.

Instead, they offer some fresh hints of emerging trends and where we might see some novel pipeline approaches coming out in due course…

When it comes to summer science reading, what’s not to like?

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Summer Shorts

The united colours of healthcare

As we continue our summer shorts series – quick looks at topics we don’t usually cover you can read in a jiffy – be aware not all of these pieces will be light hearted in nature…

A few posts will tackle some serious issues the industry is facing, requiring serious people to step up and solve them.

It’s interesting being on the other side of the fence where you can see trends and challenges more clearly than within.

There are also sides of Pharmaland I really dislike – this is one of them…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Digging deep for answers

Imagine walking through some delightful countryside or along the coastal headlands…

Suppose you are then informed somewhere in this vicinity is a small patch – just one – of bright purple thistles in full bloom and your job is to find them as quickly and expeditiously as possible.

This is one challenge facing Pharmaland on a daily basis and while it sounds easy in theory, it often is more time consuming to answer than many may realise, including analysts chasing their colour commentary.

Today’s story explains the problem and illustrates how it might be tackled…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Summer fun with AI

It’s the time of the year when many BSB readers will be taking time off to renew and recuperate before the hurly burly of the Fall cancer conference season begins.

This gives us a wonderful opportunity to offer some lighter fare to inspire and stimulate tired brains.

In the first example we are offering a ‘how-to’ to demonstrate what readers can do with a publicly available AI tool to make their own workflow easier and more efficient through the lens of some case examples.

Whether you are a translational scientist, oncologist, or financial analyst the examples will have some applicability to your daily lives.

After all, many of us has to write about science in some shape or form regularly, so why not make it more fun and enjoyable as well…

To continue reading our latest highlights on oncology new product development including commentary and analysis, BSB subscribers can log-in or you can click to access the content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

error: Content is protected !!