National Cancer Institute

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA I October 30, 2024 I TheRas, Inc. d/b/a BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics (“BBOT” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on RAS-pathway malignancies, has announced that the first patient has been dosed with BBO-10203 in the BREAKER-101 trial. BBO-10203 is a first-in-class orally bioavailable RAS:PI3Ka breaker that blocks the interaction between RAS and PI3Kα to inhibit PI3Kα-AKT signaling in tumors, without directly inhibiting the catalytic activity of PI3Kα. “I am thrilled to partner with BBOT to bring a potentially transformable new therapeutic to the clinic,” said Dr. Minal Barve, Chief Medical Officer and Principal Investigator at Mary Crowley Cancer Research, Dallas, TX. “BBO-10203 represents a first-in-class drug with potential to address high unmet medical needs and change the landscape of cancer care. We look forward to evaluating BBO-10203 in the BREAKER-101 trial.” BBO-10203 was designed to bind covalently and selectively to the RAS-binding domain (RBD) of PI3Kα. This selective inhibition is agnostic to the mutational status of PI3Kα and RAS, and in preclinical models, results in complete inhibition of RAS-driven pAKT signal at single digit nanomolar concentration. Additionally, no hyperglycemia was observed in preclinical species treated with BBO-10203. The discovery of BBO-10203 was the result of a collaboration between the RAS Initiative at Frederick National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and BBOT. “BBO-10203 is a first-in-class program that inhibits the interaction of the two most mutated oncogenes in human cancer, and it will allow us to test, for the first time, the importance of RAS-coordinated activation of the MAPK and AKT signaling pathways,” said Pedro Beltran, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of BBOT. “The discovery of BBO-10203 was made possible by the dedicated collaboration between academic, national laboratory, and industry experts that synergized to advance medicines for patients suffering from cancer.” The BREAKER-101 trial will enroll patients globally with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, HR-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer, KRAS mutant advanced colorectal cancer, and KRAS mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer. “There is a tremendous opportunity to improve the standard of care in oncology by inhibiting oncogenic pAKT signaling without the metabolic side effects observed with kinase inhibitors, and the initiation of the Phase 1 study of BBO-10203 marks an important milestone in this regard,” said Yong (Ben) Ben, MD, Chief Medical and Development Officer of BBOT. “The second IND within six months of establishing BBOT clearly demonstrates our team’s capability in advancing our novel programs into the clinic. This novel mechanism and scientific rationale behind it will allow tremendous combination opportunities that optimally inhibit both pAKT and pERK – an approach we hope will bring unprecedented benefit to patients with RAS-driven cancers.” About TheRas, Inc. d/b/a BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics (BBOT) BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics (BBOT) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing a next generation pipeline of novel small molecule therapeutics targeting RAS and PI3K malignancies. Initially formed as a subsidiary of BridgeBio, BBOT completed a $200M private financing with external investors in 2024 with the goal of improving outcomes for patients with cancers driven by the two most prevalent oncogenes in human tumors. For more information visit bridgebiooncology.com . SOURCE: BridgeBio Oncology Therapeutics

A collection of new papers highlight discoveries from the Human Tumor Atlas Network, a Cancer Moonshot℠ initiative BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- What: New insights from multiple studies provide critical information on how cancer tumors develop, spread, and respond to treatments. The 10 studies from the Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Cancer Moonshot℠ initiative to construct three-dimensional maps of human tumors, will be published Oct. 31, 2024, across several Nature journals. Several studies explore the role of the tumor microenvironment and the immune system in promoting the spread of cancer and its resistance to treatment. Three studies map the trajectory of precancerous colorectal tissues toward cancer by measuring the contributions of multiple molecular and cellular events. Multiple new HTAN papers describe the development of innovative single-cell technology and analysis platforms. An accompanying research briefing by W. Kimryn Rathmell, M.D., Ph.D., director of NIH's National Cancer Institute (NCI), and Dinah Singer, Ph.D., NCI deputy director for scientific strategy and development, discusses the history, progress, and future of HTAN. Launched in 2018, HTAN constructs three-dimensional maps of human tumors that capture their molecular features and surrounding microenvironments over time. The work is being done by teams of investigators from research institutions across the country using a variety of technologies and computational approaches to study tumors at the single-cell level. This comprehensive, publicly available resource aims to help researchers better understand the development and progression of cancer to inform its prevention and treatment. The first tumor atlas studies from this initiative were published in 2020 and 2021. Who: Shannon Hughes, Ph.D., Division of Cancer Biology, NCI; Sean Hanlon, Ph.D., Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, NCI; Sudhir Srivastava, Ph.D., M.P.H., Division of Cancer Prevention, NCI The studies: The collection page is available at . About the National Cancer Institute (NCI): NCI leads the National Cancer Program and NIH's efforts to dramatically reduce the prevalence of cancer and improve the lives of cancer patients and their families, through research into prevention and cancer biology, the development of new interventions, and the training and mentoring of new researchers. For more information about cancer, please visit the NCI website at cancer.gov or call NCI's contact center, the Cancer Information Service, at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237). About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit nih.gov. SOURCE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

Marengo's precision, Vβ chain targeted T cell activator technology reinvigorates anti-tumor immune responses in refractory tumor models Invikafusp alfa is being evaluated as a single-agent in an ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial (STARt-001) to treat PD(L)1 resistant "cold" cancers First disclosure of preliminary Phase 1 clinical results from the STARt-001 study CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Marengo Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering novel approaches to precision T cell activation, today announced first-in-human clinical data for its lead selective T cell activator, invikafusp alfa (STAR0602), will be presented in a late-breaking oral presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer's (SITC) 39th Annual Meeting taking place November 8-10th, 2024 in Houston, Texas. Presentation details: Title: A Phase 1/2 study of Invikafusp alfa (STAR0602), a first-in-class TCR β chain-targeted bispecific antibody, as monotherapy in patients with antigen-rich solid tumors resistant to anti-PD(L)1 Conference: 39th SITC Annual Meeting Abstract Number: LBA-1470 Session Title: Late-Breaking Abstract Session 2 Session Date and Time: Saturday, November 9, 2024, 11:45 AM - 12:15 PM Presenter: James L. Gulley, M.D., Ph.D. (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA) About Marengo Therapeutics Marengo Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biotechnology company advancing innovative T cell-targeting therapies to revolutionize cancer treatment. The company's proprietary Selective T Cell Activation Repertoire (STAR™) platform is designed to selectively engage distinct T cell subsets by targeting the Vβ chain of the T cell receptor (TCR), empowering the immune system to combat cancer. To learn more, visit marengotx.com. About the STAR™ Platform Marengo's STAR™ platform is a multi-specific antibody-fusion technology derived from a proprietary library of antibodies targeting germline-encoded variable Vβ regions of the TCR. These antibodies are fused with T cell co-stimulatory moieties to promote durable anti-tumor immune responses. About Invikafusp alfa (STAR0602) Invikafusp alfa (STAR0602) is the lead candidate from Marengo's STAR™ platform. It is designed to selectively activate a common Vβ T cell subset found in all cancers by combining a non-clonal mode of TCR activation with a T cell co-stimulatory signal in a single molecule. This innovative approach promotes the expansion of clonally diverse, effector memory Vβ T cells, enhancing anti-tumor immunity and enabling durable tumor clearance. Extensive preclinical studies demonstrate STAR0602's potent anti-tumor activity in both mouse and human ex vivo models via a novel mechanism of action. About the STARt-001 Clinical Study STARt-001 is a Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of invikafusp alfa as a monotherapy in biomarker-selected patients with advanced antigen-rich solid tumors, including PD-1 refractory and rare tumor types. The trial consists of two parts: Phase 1 dose escalation and Phase 2 dose expansion. For more information, visit clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05592626). Patients interested in participating in this study at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) can contact NCI's toll-free number: 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237) (TTY: 1-800-332-8615), visit the website at , or email [email protected]. Marengo Contacts: Media: Peg Rusconi | [email protected] Investors: Svetlana Makhni | [email protected] SOURCE Marengo Therapeutics WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED