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

A new dawn or the sunsetting of cytokines?

Much has been written about cytokines over the last decade in terms of various ways of employing them systematically as cancer therapeutics.

There has been little success reported, however, beyond a small number of patients receiving high dose IL-2 in certain situations such as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma.

What if we take an orthoganal approach to the problem and explore different ways of delivering the desired effects?

Does this change the outcomes, and with it, our thinking?

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Choose wisely

In part two of our mini-series on tulip mania in Pharmaland, where oncology companies are switching their attention and focus from one niche to another, we take a look at how perceptions can change with time.

What looks a wide open landscape may not be all it first appears

Sometimes though, what initially looks like a less crowded space than the original one may rapidly turn out to be quite different than supposed in a very short space of time.

The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for because choosing wisely is just as important as executing, as we learn in this exercise…

To learn more from our latest oncology review and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

The hidden dangers of tulip mania

Dog Drug Heaven high in the hills above Edinburgh

With every new shiny or sparkly category coming through oncology pipelines, there’s nearly always a sense of fervent tulip mania once the niche reaches a certain threshold of new compounds moving into the clinic.

The latest such example is antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).

It’s time to think about some of the practicalities and reality checks because few things in oncology R&D ought to be viewed from the perspective of rose tinted glasses.

Instead of breathless hype, we’re taking a common sense perspective deeply rooted in first principles around targeted therapies.

Look before you leap into the unknown – because there are plenty of clues regarding where this niche is headed for many early stage agents…

To learn more from our latest oncology conference coverage and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Who’s showing a clean set of heels at ASCO24?

Who’s getting away from the competition this year?

One of the many challenges in early stage drug development is figuring out who’s showing the competition a clean set of heels…

Meaning to get ahead of the pack.

In the run-up between AACR and ASCO the chatter starts with ‘oh, but the response rate was 66%!’

Only you look at the small print and realise it was 4/6 responders, half of whom were unconfirmed – and may never be confirmed if the tumours have progressed. Ah.

If we look carefully beyond the breathless hype of press releases and curtain raisers, what stands out as trials worth looking at more carefully, for better or worse?  Here we offer 15 abstracts to watch out for at ASCO in three weeks time…

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Early stage cancers

There has been quite a movement of late in focusing on active treatment of early stage disease rather than watchful waiting under the basic premise the earlier we treat early stage cancers, the better the outcomes.

Is this hypothesis sound given the majority will be benign and can be left alone? Do we really need to over treat many in order to see benefit in just a few individuals?

First, do no harm.

Instead, what if we could select out many of the high risk patients for escalation and leave the rest alone?

Ah, now this is a much more selective strategy I could get on board with.  This then begs the provocative question of how on earth do we go about identifying them?

Last week something novel and intriguing cropped up and captured my attention on this very front…

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Is TGF-β making a comeback in cell therapy?

Will the new developments be the equivalent of walking down the steps rather than the steep climb up of late?

Targeting cytokines – once seen as the next big thing in immuno-oncology (IO) – has been falling by the wayside as researchers and companies alike found them much trickier than expected to incorporate into cancer therapeutics.

Part of the problem lies in their pleiotropic nature – they can have an inhibitory or a stimulatory effect depending on the situation they encounter.

In our latest post on this niche we focus on one particular cytokine, which has long frustrated oncology companies,  regardless of the modality deployed.

With the new round of early data reveals, we take a look at whether several different next generation approaches are harnessing the complicated nuances at play, and in the process changing things for the better…

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

For whom the bell tolls

Yes, it really was sunny in England one fine day in April 2024!

“Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.”

~ John Donne (1572–1631), Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London and poet extraordinaire

Most writers quote the beginning of Donne’s poem and make some point around “No man is an island” and yet, in oncology the latter half of the first verse is a much more apt reminder for us all to ponder.

Few in R&D will forget how patients with advanced solid tumours have precious little time to find the right treatment or regimen to help them live another six months in comfort – in order to put their affairs in order or say goodbye to their loved ones.

It behooves us all to work smarter and find new solutions to move the needle while reducing the incidence of severe adverse events. There is also a responsibility inherent in the process to improve on what’s gone before.

While targeted protein degradation (TPD) is still in its infancy, there is quiet hope for the future versions that we may be on the right track to making a difference to the lives of people with cancer.

In our latest company interview, we chat with a thoughtful company researcher who is leading from the front in developing novel approaches to tackling advanced cancers…

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Another bite at the cherry

Cherry Blossom at the Edinburgh Meadows

It is very rare indeed to see first generation anti-cancer molecules hit the sweet spot against any given novel target. Those following in their wake can often learn from the experiences of their forebears and adjust accordingly.

In our latest story, we look at one such IO target with a chequered history and highlight the next generation agents coming through.

Sometimes simply switching modalities or aiming at different cells/compartments is enough to do the trick. Other times a completely different strategy is needed to unlock the riches hoped for.

With a raft of new data coming soon at ASCO, are their some new diamonds in the rough this time around?

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

An innovative approach to tackling KRAS

Viva San Diego!

Not all inhibitors – even in the same class – are equal.

As the flood of KRAS directed agents into the clinic continues, so too does scrutiny on the selection criteria and baseline characteristics.

After all, a less heavily pretreated population can influence the activity and safety profiles reported.

Inreasingly we are seeing more data emerge looking at the resistance mechanisms occuring in reponse to various therapies. There are a number of important emerging questions begining to arise.

For example, if we only target the OFF or ON states, will this leave more opportunities for early escape on the other side?  What if we target both OFF and ON states as well as wild-type KRAS – will this lead to delayed resistance and improved outcomes for patients with KRAS mutated cancers?

It was only just a couple of years ago when G12C inhibitors were all the rage and few observers paid any real attention to drugging additional mutations beyond the initial target.

In the latest report on this niche we’re mostly going to focus on a couple of different mutations not named G12C – including an expert interview with a promising up and coming biotech – as we continue to segue our coverage between AACR and ASCO…

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

Bridging the gap between AACR and ASCO

We’re at the time of year where we can cheerfully draw on numerous lessons learned from preclinical research and start applying them to the clinic.

Today’s adventure in the time and space continuum takes us on a brief journey from one solid tumour to potentially several others.

This is an emerging new niche with both small and large players already actively conducting R&D with implications for some interesting future combinations…

To learn more from our latest oncology expert interview and get a heads up on key cancer research insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

This content is restricted to subscribers

error: Content is protected !!