Oncology

The FDA has OK’d human clinical trials for Anixa Biosciences (NASDAQ: ANIX) and Cleveland Clinic’s novel breast cancer vaccine that immunizes against the alpha-lactalbumin protein.  Within the mammary gland, the alpha-lactalbumin protein is involved in lactose synthase production, which, in turn, is required to make lactose and milk. Typically expressed later in pregnancy and during lactation,…

The FDA has approved Gallium 68 PSMA-11 for patients suspected of having prostate cancer metastasis who are potentially treatable with surgery or radiation therapy. The approval also covers patients with suspected prostate cancer recurrence, given their abnormal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. An intravenous radioactive diagnostic agent, the drug is the first compound supporting positron emission…

Biotechnology traces its roots to the Neolithic era when early civilizations discovered how to ferment grains to prepare alcoholic brews and bread. It wasn’t until genetic engineering became mainstream in the mid-1970s, however, that biotechnology, as we know it today, was launched. The field continues to evolve today. The advent of new technology has revolutionized the market…

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) has expanded its SureSeq line of next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels to detect genetic variants associated with breast and ovarian cancer and myeloid disorders. One of the offerings is a myeloid panel that can detect abnormalities in 70 genes associated with a range of diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and…

For the past 18 years, the Cleveland Clinic has predicted what the top 10 medical disruptors will be for the following year. The list of technologies, cultivated by a panel of physicians and scientists at the clinic, was led by Dr. Will Morris, executive medical director of Cleveland Clinic Innovations, and Dr. Akhil Saklecha, managing…

Mission Bio has secured $70 million in Series C financing to scale its single-cell multi-omics technology, according to the company. Novo Growth, the growth equity of Novo Holdings, led the round that included new investor Soleus Capital. Previous investors Mayfield, Cota, and Agilent also participated in the financing, which brings the company’s total funding to…

The Galien Foundation recently announced nominees for most innovative pharmaceutical agents for its 14th Annual Prix Galien USA Awards. The foundation bestows the Prix Galien Award annually to examples of outstanding biomedical, pharmaceutical drugs and medical technology products that are designed to improve the human condition. “As we celebrate 50 years of the Prix Galien…

PerkinElmer (NYSE:PKI) is under federal scrutiny for alleged involvement in a scam to bill Medicare for tens of thousands of unnecessary genetic cancer tests, according to a report by Reuters. The news agency cited three unidentified sources and government documents linking the Waltham, Mass.-based diagnostic and scientific instrument company to the probe. PerkinElmer acknowledged that it…

Phase 3 cancer immunotherapy company Cel-Sci (NYSE:CVM) announced today that it priced an underwritten public offering of common stock with expected gross proceeds of $5.5 million. Vienna, Va.–based Cel-Sci is offering 606,395 shares of common stock at a price of $9.07 per share to total the $5.5 million before deducting underwriting discounts and other estimated expenses. The…

Retrogenix and Resonant Therapeutics recently announced a non-exclusive strategic partnership that will help identify the targets of Resonant antibodies that are targeting tumor microenvironment. Resonant uses its IMPaCT tumor microenvironment models and data platform to discover targets and functionally active anti-tumor antibodies to treat more difficult tumors. Through the agreement, Retrogenix will perform targeted screening…

ArQule, Inc. announced preliminary results from the company’s phase 1/2 study of its pan-AKT inhibitor, miransertib (ARQ 092), in patients with PIK3CA-related Overgrowth Spectrum (PROS) and Proteus syndrome (PS) in an oral presentation at the European Society of Human Genetics Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden. “The results presented from our ongoing phase 1/2 study highlight the potential…

An unhealthy, inflamed gut causes breast cancer to become much more invasive and spread more quickly to other parts of the body, new research from the University of Virginia Cancer Center suggests. Melanie Rutkowski, PhD, of UVA’s Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, found that disrupting the microbiome of mice caused hormone receptor-positive breast…

A UCLA-led study has found that using a drug called ribociclib in combination with a common hormone therapy may help premenopausal women with the most common type of breast cancer live longer than if they only receive the hormone therapy. Ribociclib is considered a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor that works by blocking the activity of proteins…

Canadian researchers have discovered a molecular indicator of a mechanism that drives cancer progression, giving doctors the possibility of using precision medicine, that is, choosing which patients will respond to a particular anticancer drug. In a study published in Cancer Research, a team of biochemists at Université de Montreal found that a group of enzymes…

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) have found a way to target drug-resistant esophageal cancer cells by exploiting the different energy needs of cancerous versus healthy cells. This breakthrough is now opening the doorway to new treatments for an otherwise lethal cancer. The findings of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study…

EPFL researchers have discovered that cancer cells use exosomes to communicate with each other and send information through the bloodstream. This breakthrough opens up new possibilities for the use of cancer immunotherapy techniques. “It was a huge surprise, we didn’t expect to find so many melanoma cancer cell markers in blood exosomes,” explains Hubert Girault,…

Normal cells have a complex system of checks and balances that regulate cell division. In cancer, the balance is tipped in favor of cell proliferation. This imbalance arises from increased levels or activity of oncoproteins (proteins that promote cell growth) or decreased levels or activity of tumor suppressors (proteins that limit cell growth). For example,…