The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Awards $15.6 Million to Help Advance Research from Lab to Clinic The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is awarding $15.6 million in academic grants to 26 scientists who have proposed innovative laboratory research that shows promise in leading to new treatments for blood cancer patients. [The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society] Press Release UT Arlington Researcher Uses Microscaffolding Injections to Mend Cartilage, Prevent Osteoarthritis A UT Arlington bioengineering professor has received a $1.04 million grant from the U.S. Army that aims to regenerate cartilage tissue and reduce osteoarthritis using a patient’s own stem cells, spurred through the injection of microscaffolding made of biodegradable polymers. [The University of Texas at Arlington] Press Release OncoSec Medical Receives Phase I SBIR Funding for Development of Novel Electroporation Technologies OncoSec Medical Inc., a company developing DNA-based intratumoral cancer immunotherapies, received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institute of Health. The grant will fund collaborative research between OncoSec and Old Dominion University to evaluate and develop novel electroporation technologies. [OncoSec Medical Inc. (Business Wire)] Press Release Merck Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for KEYTRUDA® (Pembrolizumab) in Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Merck announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to KEYTRUDA®, the company’s anti-PD-1 therapy, for the treatment of patients with epidermal growth factor receptor mutation-negative, and anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement-negative non-small cell lung cancer whose disease has progressed on or following platinum-based chemotherapy. [Merck & Co., Inc.] Press Release City of Hope Announces New Hematologic Malignancies and Stem Cell Transplantation Institute Cancers of the blood and immune system are considered to be among the most difficult-to-treat cancers. City of Hope is launching an institute specifically focused on researching and treating lymphoma, leukemia and myeloma, as well as other serious blood and bone marrow diseases. [City of Hope] Press Release FDA Grants Kamada Orphan Drug Designation for the Treatment of Graft versus Host Disease Kamada Ltd. announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Orphan Products Development has granted orphan drug designation for Glassia®, the company’s proprietary human alpha-1 antitrypsin, to treat graft-versus-host-disease. [Kamada Ltd.] Press Release Compugen Discloses Successful Validation Results for Novel B7/CD28-Like Cancer Immunotherapy Target Candidate Compugen Ltd. disclosed successful experimental data for CGEN-15027, a Compugen-discovered immune checkpoint target candidate. The experimental results include its expression in the cancer microenvironment, both on cancer cells derived from lung, breast, and liver cancer patients, and on tumor infiltrating immune cells. [Compugen Ltd.] Press Release Positive Phase II Preliminary Results of Validive® for the Prevention of Severe Oral Mucositis in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Onxeo S.A. announced positive preliminary top-line results from its Phase II clinical trial of Validive® for prevention of severe oral mucositis. [Onxeo S.A.] Press Release ViaCyte’s VC-01™ Investigational Stem Cell-Derived Islet Replacement Therapy Successfully Implanted into First Patient ViaCyte, Inc. announced that the first patient in its Phase I/II study was successfully implanted with VC-01™, its embryonic stem cell-derived islet replacement product candidate being developed as a treatment for type 1 diabetes. [ViaCyte, Inc.] Press Release HEMACORD®, the First FDA-Licensed Stem Cell Product, Wins Prix Galien USA “Best Biotechnology Product” Award The New York Blood Center’s Milstein National Cord Blood Program announced that HEMACORD®, the first FDA-licensed hematopoietic stem cell product, has been awarded the prestigious “Best Biotechnology Product” Award by Prix Galien USA. [New York Blood Center] Press Release Kiadis Pharma’s Lead Product ATIR™ Granted Orphan Drug Designation by EMA for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Kiadis Pharma, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing T-cell immunotherapy treatments for blood cancers, announced that its lead product ATIR™ has been granted orphan drug designation by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. [Kiadis Pharma] Press Release Stanford Launches New Online Course: Principles and Practices of Gene Therapy A new Stanford online course, Principles and Practices of Gene Therapy, offers students a fundamental overview of gene therapy and an in-depth look at important trends, research and advances in the field. Students will gain a clear understanding of how gene therapy works, how it has developed and advanced, and how much potential it has. [Stanford Center for Professional Development (PR Newswire Association LLC)] Press Release |