Biotech Strategy Blog

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

About MaverickNY

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Posts by MaverickNY

Finding achilles heels to tackle cancer head on

In oncology R&D we often see a lot of companies going after well established targets trying to find new angles on an old story, but what if turn things around and ask some critical questions around exactly what is driving cancer forward in the first place?

Yes it’s complicated, yet… if we do this and figure out the biological processes involved then we may actually be able to uncover key achilles heels or back doors to tackling the cancer in numerous ways that were not apparent before.

In our latest back to basics series, we take a look at some of the key aspects involved and highlight one biotech company’s efforts to address the weaknesses therapeutically…

BSB subscribers can read our latest company interview where we highlight an emerging biotech actively building a pipeline in the synthetic lethal / replication stress niche – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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Important changes to watch out for in the GI cancer landscape

It’s that time of year when the ASCO GI and GU Symposiums come around, with GI up on deck first.

End of a rocky road for some GI cancers

Finally, after what seems like positive trials being few and far between we have a veritable raft of them to highlight, mostly for good reasons instead of bemoaning yet another negative phase 3 study – exciting times!

There’s also some up and coming agents in earlier development to watch out for, as well as the potential for additional indications for established drugs already approved by Health Authorities – what’s not to like?

In our latest conference Preview, we highlight some important trials and discuss them in the context of what’s gone before them to evaluate whether they will make an impact – or not…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the ASCO GI symposium – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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A different IO approach to tackling solid tumours

Time to consider new horizons in the IO niche?

Over the last five years or so we have seen how the immuno-oncology (IO) space has been transformed by both checkpoint blockade and CAR-T cell therapies in solid tumours and hematologic malignancies, respectively.

A raft of other targets are also being tested in various combinations to address additional inhibitory checkpoints, various immune agonists from cytokines, stimulatory checkpoints, TLRs and so on, as well as inhibitory factors inducing a more hostile tumour microenvironment.

What about the quality of the T cells at baseline?

The number of approaches seriously exploring this issue have been surprisingly few and far between, which creates new opportunities for companies seeking to take up this challenge.

In our latest expert interview series, we talk about the science around T cell dysfunction and what a young biotech are doing with some innovative ideas to address a common issue faced by many people with advanced cancer…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the JPM conference – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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Going after intractable cancer targets

At a relatively quiet JPM devoid of the usual intense deal flurry many seem to thrive on, perhaps the biggest news this year has been the Arrakis-Amgen RNA (as opposed to using small molecules) degrader collaboration announced this afternoon. You can check out the published work on their RNA degrader concept here.

Pathway to success for TPD may lie in taking aim at intractable targets

There’s still plenty of mileage to come from the traditional approach though, something we covered yesterday and highlight again today in two very different expert interviews.

For me, regardless of which approach you choose to use, the long term potential of these agents in oncology is in the ability to eliminate targets previously thought to be intractable, thereby expanding the ‘druggable’ proteome.

In our latest expert interview, we highlight one company’s efforts against an array of difficult or intractable targets with their protein degrader platform…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the JPM conference – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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Can C4 take protein degraders to new heights?

Protein degraders and molecular glue degraders have certainly been a very hot topic of late.  One company we have been following for a while in this niche is Watertown, MA based C4 Therapeutics, who have a growing pipeline of early stage agents in development.

Setting sights on new horizons

Last year we talked with them about various strategic topics such as what makes a great target for a protein degrader and other stories.

This time around it’s time to move the discussion along by looking forward to the future and explore why the science behind their pipeline will set them up for future success in the clinic.

Obviously this isn’t guaranteed in oncology R&D and degraders are certainly not the easiest approach technically, yet they do offer a lot of potential.

In our latest expert interview we talk in detail about the C4 degrader pipeline and how they have gone about optimising their molecules for clinical performance…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the JPM conference – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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Oncology trends and directions to watch out for in 2022

Proof that the sun came on a Wednesday in England this winter – hard not to be upbeat on days like this!!

As we continue our journey looking forward in 2022 and beyond, it’s time to start putting some meat on the bones, so to speak, in terms of what specifically we can look forward to hearing more about.

January brings a renewed sense of hope, despite the dreary weather in many places around the world, even in the Blighty the sun sometimes shines (right).

With this uplifting comes a fresh sense of new directions too, which is as true for both life in general as it is for oncology R&D.

With this in mind, in our latest review, we highlight six key areas to watch out for and explain why we are interested in following them with regards to early oncology new product development…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis on oncology new product development – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations!

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A philosophical look ahead

As we kick off a busy new year with plenty of new companies, new themes, new approaches, and new data to think about and synthesise, we decided to reflect, not backwards, but rather forwards in our intentions.

Here we kick off 2022 with a philosophical look at what may be needed if we want to move the chains in a meaningful way.

Think about it – we can just as easily shine the light on a more hopeful future or shutter any aspirational dreams simply by changing the attitude.

Each and every one of us can play a part in this movement – are you one of them?

BSB subscribers can read our latest commentary – you can either log-in or click to access.

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A fine line between failure and success

It’s time for a look at some important Gems from the Poster Halls.

In part 1 of this series, we take a look at some targets where companies have struggled in the past and look at them afresh with new or next generation agents coming down the pike. Where possible we also explain why these compounds might succeed where their earlier competitors did not.

Fond memories of the ASH poster hall in the translational sections before the evening rugby scrum!

What’s in store? In the latest review, some of these compounds are more selective or have improved potency, others take the form of a different modality or formulation, and so on.

Not all compounds are the same, after all, and sometimes choosing an alternative dosing strategy or combination partner can make all the difference between success and failure, as can different PK/PD properties.

A few tweaks here and there and the line between these two extremes is often finer than many outsiders realise.

The second review will follow early in the New Year after the Holidays and highlight completely different targets and agents of interest.

In the meantime, in the first installment here’s nine gems from the ASH poster halls to contemplate…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the ASH annual meeting – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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The CAR-T cell therapy merry-go-round in aggressive lymphomas

The CAR-T cell therapy merry-go-round continues apace…

In this latest company expert interview and discussion, we explore the various challenges and poignant issues around the findings from BELINDA trial and the myriad of trial design aspects presented in the late breaking abstracts at ASH today.

There’s a lot of subtleties and nuances to think about, so who better than the Novartis clinical lead to hear what they thought about their own trial results?

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the ASH annual meeting – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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Kaizen and the art of improving CAR-T cell performance

Next generation CAR-T cell products are likely to be all the rage soon as companies seek enhanced performance of their agents, not just in terms of safety and manufacturing times, but also with regards to long term outcomes for people with various hematologic malignancies.

The various changes being made are not the same since companies in this niche all seek an edge by evaluating different strategies.

Time to wave the flag on traditional CARs and move onto next gen products?

In part one of this mini-series, we explored some of the improvements being investigated with allogeneic CAR-T cell therapy and now it’s the turn of autologous approaches to be put in the spotlight.

It’s easy to think faster manufacturing is all the rage in order to compete with off-the shelf products whether CARs or T cell engagers, but actually the changes being implemented are much more extensive and wide ranging than this.

Here, we turn our attention and offer an in depth look at what’s behind these novel developments and why they matter through the lens of not only the data presented at ASH, but also an expert interview…

BSB subscribers can read up on our ongoing commentary and analysis from the ASH annual meeting – you can either log-in or click to access the back story behind the latest innovations.

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