Biotech Strategy Blog

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

Posts tagged ‘KRAS’

Time for some new directions in lung cancer?

It seems only a few months ago we covered WCLC20 and here we are again with another lung cancer conference.  This is because the pandemic certainly made an impact last year in more ways than one since the meeting was split into two, with the second half of the sessions being showcased in January.

This time around we highlight quite a few presentations on the IO and KRAS related pathway fronts, as well as some updates on various targeted therapies – with a few unexpected surprises in store.

There are also some important genomic and biomarker presentations to watch out for…

BSB subscribers can read more on our latest cancer conference preview  – you can log-in or click to access our latest expert interview.

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Have you ever wondered where the ideas and new molecules come from in terms of oncology drug discovery platforms?

New York, New York!

Why are young biotechs often prolific at generating novel approaches while big Pharmas are slow with a tendency to follow the crowd?

Much of the answer lies in a combination of nimbleness, focus, and flexibilty – not just in terms of fresh ideas, but also a willingness to tackle the difficult targets requiring deeper knowledge and problem solving.

In order to generate these targets and molecules, however, you need a consistent platform to test and predict how the scaffolds and targets might integrate.

Here we look at a company with a solid reputation in this space and also hihghlight how they are emerging as a biotech company in their own right with an interesting and diverse pipeline focused on a variety of different targets…

BSB subscribers can read more on our latest look at an intriguing company active in the AI and machine learning space in terms of drug discovery – you can log-in or click to access our ongoing oncology coverage.

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A bright future ahead or early warning signs?

It’s time for another update on the KRAS and SHP2 niches… it seems this space is much faster moving than our previous quarterly rolling updates in the past on other areas such as T70M in EGFR mutant lung cancers, checkpoint blockade in NSCLC, or new developments in CAR-T or CLL/iNHL.

It’s a sign of the modern times.

There’s always new entrants, new science and new clinical data to learn more about so without much further ado, let’s roll…

To learn more about our ongoing reporting on the KRAS niche to get a heads up on key oncology commentary and insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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The annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is an event we at Biotech Strategy Blog really enjoy writing about due to the outstanding depth and breadth of the scientific content.

The 2021 organizers led by program committee chair Prof Charles Swanton FRS are to be congratulated in putting together a meeting that has something for everyone involved with cancer research, whether you’re in academia, industry, or clinical practice.

While we may miss the personal contact of real life meetings there are many advantages to the virtual format, including the avoidance of scheduling conflicts, the ease of hearing and seeing presentations without worrying about the person in front or poor room audio quality, not to mention the ability to stop and rewind a presentation if you didn’t quite catch what was said. The virtual format definitely improves accessibility for those who are disabled or for whom English may be a second or third language.

When the world moves on to hybrid virtual/live meetings as looks likely in 2022 then we hope we won’t lose all the advantages of the virtual meeting concept. It’s outside the scope of BSB, but there is an opportunity to reimagine the medical/scientific meeting rather than simply go back to what we had before.

Spring flowers herald the start of a new cancer conference season

In this preview post we’re taking a look at the “on-demand” sessions available starting on April 9, 2021 – we’ve selected fifteen presentations which caught our attention. Some are by researchers we’ve interviewed on BSB, others are stories we’ve been following around a particular topic or target.

If you’re looking to go outside your own area of interest at AACR21 and are overwhelmed with choice then this post offers a few suggestions and explains why they should be worth watching.

To learn more about the hot topics at AACR21 and get a heads up on our oncology commentary and insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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It feels weird to be covering the WCLC from Singapore remotely after remembering the rain in Spain at WCLC19!

If we look at the more mature phase 2 data now available for Amgen’s sotorasib (AMG 510) in KRAS G12C driven lung cancers, we learn there are quite a few nuances and subtleties at play. These aren’t always obvious in top line press releases or even in presentations until we consider the broader niche in which they are competing.

Amgen submitted the sotorasib applications to both the US and EMA health authorities in December.  With breakthrough designation status and clinical evidence of activity in an area of high unmet medical need, it’s hard to believe the approval won’t be forthcoming sooner rather than later, at least in the US.

Mirati is expected to showcase their phase 2 data later this year, so I would highly encourage people to hold off with cross-trial comparisons until we see how their more robust data look at the RP2D.

In the meantime, we can take a careful look at the latest Amgen data.  We do those not only from a BSB review but also through the lens of a company perspective and consider some of the key strategic issues we need to start thinking about…

To learn more about the WCLC20 data and get a heads up on our latest oncology insights, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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The first day of ASH oral presentations brought some unexpected surprises from several quarters, both good and not so good.

In this second review of the highlights, we cover some important translational research, as well as various clinical studies in both AML and multiple myeloma.

The latter focuses on discussing some subtleties and nuances to watch out for in the BCMA CAR T cell space.  A number of people have been declaring ‘wins’ to different products across the board, but it’s way too early to call at this stage given phase 1 trials do not always predict what will happen in pivotal registration trials.  There are also some challenges to address along the way so we put these findings in context.

To learn more from our oncology analysis and get a heads up on the latest insights and commentary pertaining to the ASH meeting — subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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A look at upregulated targets outside of the BCR signalling pathway and what small molecules are looking promising

In our final preview of ASH 2020 exploring key abstracts and what to watch out for this weekend, we offer the second half of our discussion around small molecules in early stage development.

There’s always a roller coaster ride in any early stage drug development and small molecule inhibitors are no different from antibodies, bispecifics, or even immunotherapies in this respect.

There are certainly some unexpected and surprising overlaps discussed and uncovered here plus also some novel combination approaches either being considered or which may potentially need to be considered in the future.

So what’s in store this time around?

To learn more from our oncology analysis and get a heads up on the latest insights and commentary pertaining to the ASH meeting — including our final Preview ahead of the meeting this weekend, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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Gaudi Cathedral, Barcelona

It seems oddly surreal of my photo editor to remind me that on this day in the past we were in Barcelona (right) for some conference or other and this year’s EORTC-NCI-AACR Molecular Targets meeting (aka the Triple in industry parlance) was cancelled in Spain in favour of a virtual meeting, thanks to the ongoing pandemic.

There is no doubt that thinking big in cancer research is vitally important, but sometimes we have to consider the difference between building cathedrals for the long-term rather than building simple walls as short-term fixes.

Here we consider some examples in the context of oncology drug development and also open the monthly October BSB mailbag…

To learn more from our oncology analysis and get a heads up on the latest insights and commentary pertaining to the EORTC-NCI-AACR Triple meeting, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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What’s the elephant in the KRASi room?

It’s time to look at the latest update on KRAS mutation specific agents in clinical development as we turn the spotlight from the Amgen sotorasib data at ESMO to Mirati’s G12C selective agent, MRTX849, now known as adagrasib.

At the Targets meeting last year in Boston, Dr Pasi Jänne presented the initial findings from phase 1/1b the lung cancer cohort.  This time around we get to hear him provide an update on the combined phase 1/1b plus phase 2 results, plus there’s an additional presentation from Dr Melissa Johnson on the non-lung cancer cohort i.e. GI and other cancers.

Ahead of the presentation this morning (US east coast time), BSB caught up with Dr Jänne for his perspectives on the progress made and where things are headed in the near-term.  He offers a thoughtful and candid approach to tackling a hard to treat cancer subset with targeted therapy.

To learn more from our oncology analysis and get a heads up on the latest insights and commentary pertaining to the EORTC-NCI-AACR Triple meeting, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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We have two stories to share today from the EORTC-NCI-AACR Molecular Targets conference, which are posted separately owing to different embargo times.

The second posting later focuses exclusively on KRAS and Mirati’s turn in the spotlight.

Due to the embargo, it will not be available until 1545 hrs CET (1045 hrs ET) and will include some thought leader perspectives on the data.  I’ll add the link here in due course.

Developmental Therapeutics is often a cases of sunny days or stormy waters ahead…

Meanwhile, in the first post (below) we take a keen look at some of the new developmental therapeutics approaches coming through company pipelines.

Which ones shine might brightly and which ones lose their lustre?

As is often the case with early stage trials, translating rational science in preclinical setting doesn’t always translate well into the clinic when humans receive a therapy or particular combination of agents.

To this end, you might be surprised at how much PK/PD issues, half life, dosing/scheduling and other many other factors can severely impact the therapeutic window.

In this post, we look carefully at several targets we have been following preclinically for a while and finally initial clinical is either available or they are heading into the clinic – what can we learn from the presentations?

To learn more from our oncology analysis and get a heads up on the latest insights and commentary pertaining to the EORTC-NCI-AACR Triple meeting, subscribers can log-in or you can click to gain access to BSB Premium Content.

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