Surgical oncology

OncoNano Medicine Announces Positive Phase 2 Data for Pegsitacianine as an adjunct to Cytoreductive Surgery of Peritoneal Carcinomatosis

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 29, 2022

OncoNano Medicine, Inc. today announced positive interim clinical results from an ongoing Phase 2 study of its lead clinical development candidate, pegsitacianine, for the detection of residual disease following cytoreductive surgery (CRS).

Key Points: 
  • OncoNano Medicine, Inc. today announced positive interim clinical results from an ongoing Phase 2 study of its lead clinical development candidate, pegsitacianine, for the detection of residual disease following cytoreductive surgery (CRS).
  • The Phase 2 study ( NCT04950166 ) remains open to enrollment and is designed to evaluate the ability of pegsitacianine, a micellar fluorescence agent, to detect residual malignancies following CRS, an operation to completely resect peritoneal metastases.
  • The data presented revealed that 15 patients (55%) have demonstrated a clinically significant detection of pathology-confirmed residual disease following the completion of intended surgery.
  • Pegsitacianine is an intraoperative fluorescence imaging agent under development by OncoNano Medicine for the detection of cancerous tissue in patients undergoing surgical resection.

With the Establishment of India Entity, Mickey Mikitani, Co-CEO of Rakuten Medical Visits Respected Medical Institutions in India

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, September 29, 2022

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rakuten Medical, Inc. (Rakuten Medical) has newly established its subsidiary in India, Rakuten Medical Private Limited (Rakuten Medical India) to strengthen its position in the country and expand its presence worldwide. The Mumbai-based company plans to develop and commercialize treatments based on the Alluminox™ platform in India, beginning with head and neck cancer. To ensure a strong footprint, Mickey Mikitani, Co-CEO of Rakuten Medical recently visited leading medical institutions in the country to exchange views on the current status and future development of cancer treatment.

Key Points: 
  • SAN DIEGO, Sept. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Rakuten Medical, Inc. (Rakuten Medical) has newly established its subsidiary in India, Rakuten Medical Private Limited (Rakuten Medical India) to strengthen its position in the country and expand its presence worldwide.
  • The Mumbai-based company plans to develop and commercialize treatments based on the Alluminox platform in India, beginning with head and neck cancer.
  • To ensure a strong footprint, Mickey Mikitani, Co-CEO of Rakuten Medical recently visited leading medical institutions in the country to exchange views on the current status and future development of cancer treatment.
  • Rakuten Medical's proprietary technology platform Alluminox combines the power of light with drug, device, and other related components to develop new, innovative therapies.

Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, M.D., FACS, FAAP Appointed First Black Woman Dean of Howard University’s College of Medicine

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Thursday, September 22, 2022

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA announced the appointment of Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, M.D., FACS, FAAP as the Howard University College of Medicine dean.

Key Points: 
  • WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Howard University President Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA announced the appointment of Andrea A. Hayes Dixon, M.D., FACS, FAAP as the Howard University College of Medicine dean.
  • With the appointment, effective October 3, 2022, Hayes Dixon becomes the first Black woman to serve as dean of The Howard University College of Medicine.
  • She will succeed Hugh Mighty, MD, MBA, FACOG, who served as dean of the College of Medicine since 2015.
  • I am truly honored and humbled to lead the outstanding Howard University College of Medicine, said Hayes Dixon.

Annabelle Gurwitch to Emcee Lung Cancer Research Foundation Gala

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Wednesday, September 21, 2022

NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ms. Annabelle Gurwitch, who was diagnosed with Stage IV EGFR non-small cell lung cancer when she went in for a COVID-19 test in 2020, will emcee the Lung Cancer Research Foundation's (LCRF) 2022 Evening of Innovation Gala, honoring Dr. Brendon M. Stiles. Ms. Gurwitch recently shared remarks at the opening plenary session of International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria.

Key Points: 
  • Actor, activist, and author teams up with the Lung Cancer Research Foundation to increase awareness of lung cancer and honor Dr. Brendon M. Stiles for his service to the foundation and the lung cancer community
    NEW YORK, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ms. Annabelle Gurwitch, who was diagnosed with Stage IV EGFR non-small cell lung cancer when she went in for a COVID-19 test in 2020, will emcee the Lung Cancer Research Foundation's (LCRF) 2022 Evening of Innovation Gala, honoring Dr. Brendon M. Stiles.
  • "Dr. Stiles' personal and professional contribution to lung cancer patients and his commitment to accelerating lung cancer research is immeasurable.
  • The Lung Cancer Research Foundation (LCRF) is the leading nonprofit organization focused on funding innovative, high-reward research with the potential to extend survival and improve quality of life for people with lung cancer.
  • LCRF's mission is to improve lung cancer outcomes by funding research for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of lung cancer.

Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Breaks Ground on $225 Million Comprehensive Cancer Center on Livingston Campus

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

LIVINGSTON, N.J., Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, broke ground this week on a five-story, 137,000 square-foot cancer center on its Livingston Campus. The $225 million, freestanding outpatient facility, scheduled for 2025 completion, will serve as the northern hub for the integrated oncology services offered by RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. This innovative care model is transforming the delivery of cancer services across the state, bringing groundbreaking discoveries, clinical research, and expertise from Rutgers Cancer Institute to patients close to home. "The new Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center will be a regional destination for cancer care, building on the medical center's longstanding legacy of clinical expertise and compassionate, patient-centered diagnosis and treatment," said Richard L. Davis, the hospital's President and CEO. "We are celebrating the dawn of a new era in world-class cancer care."

Key Points: 
  • LIVINGSTON, N.J., Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, broke ground this week on a five-story, 137,000 square-foot cancer center on its Livingston Campus.
  • "The new Cancer Center at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center will be a regional destination for cancer care, building on the medical center's longstanding legacy of clinical expertise and compassionate, patient-centered diagnosis and treatment," said Richard L. Davis, the hospital's President and CEO.
  • "Together, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state's only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, are transforming cancer services in the region bringing the latest discoveries and extraordinary, comprehensive cancer care close to home," Dr. Libutti added.
  • Since 1865, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (CBMC), formerly known as Saint Barnabas Medical Center, is New Jersey's oldest nonsectarian hospital.

Coeptis Therapeutics Enters Exclusive License Agreement with University of Pittsburgh for Rights to SNAP-CAR, a "Multi-Antigen" CAR T Technology

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 21, 2022

WEXFORD, Pa., Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Coeptis Therapeutics, Inc. (OTC PINK: COEP) ("Coeptis" or "the Company"), a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative cell therapy platforms for cancer, today announced entry into an exclusive license agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for the rights to a chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR T) technology – SNAP-CAR – designed to target multiple antigens simultaneously and potentially address a range of hematologic and solid tumors, including breast and ovarian cancer. Completion of the exclusive license agreement for SNAP-CAR follows Coeptis' entry into an option agreement with the University of Pittsburgh announced in May 2022.

Key Points: 
  • Completion of the exclusive license agreement for SNAP-CAR follows Coeptis' entry into an option agreement with the University of Pittsburgh announced in May 2022.
  • This approach has proven effective in certain cancer types but limits the applicability of those CAR T therapies.
  • SNAP-CAR is designed to be a "universal" CAR T cell therapy platform that can be adapted to different cancer indications.
  • "SNAP-CAR represents a potential breakthrough in CAR T approaches and a significant addition to Coeptis' expanding cell therapy product portfolio," said Dave Mehalick, President and CEO of Coeptis Therapeutics.

OncoNano Medicine Announces Oral Presentation of Phase 2 Study Data at the World Molecular Imaging Congress 2022

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, September 14, 2022

OncoNanos lead development candidate is pegsitacianine, a novel fluorescent nanoprobe using the ON-BOARD platform, that is currently under study in Phase 2 clinical trials as a real-time surgical imaging agent for use in multiple cancer surgeries.

Key Points: 
  • OncoNanos lead development candidate is pegsitacianine, a novel fluorescent nanoprobe using the ON-BOARD platform, that is currently under study in Phase 2 clinical trials as a real-time surgical imaging agent for use in multiple cancer surgeries.
  • ONM-501, OncoNanos second development program, is a next generation STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) agonist that is advancing towards a first in human trial in the first half of 2023.
  • Pegsitacianine and ONM-501 have been supported by grants received from the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas.
  • View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220914005116/en/

Prana Thoracic Announces That Its Subsidiary Receives $3 Million CPRIT Grant to Develop a Minimally Invasive Device for Early Interception of Lung Cancer

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 22, 2022

Prana Thoracic is a medical device company developing the first minimally invasive lung tissue excision tool for early interception of lung cancer.

Key Points: 
  • Prana Thoracic is a medical device company developing the first minimally invasive lung tissue excision tool for early interception of lung cancer.
  • Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S., making up almost 25% of all cancer deaths.
  • Houston-based medical device startup Prana Thoracic, Inc. is dedicated to developing solutions for the detection and intervention of early-stage lung cancer.
  • Prana Thoracic is developing the first minimally invasive, tissue-sparing nodulectomy tool for early interception of suspicious pulmonary nodules.

DynamiCure Announces IND Clearance to Advance First Antibody Candidate from its DC-6001 Anti-CD93 Program into Clinical Development

Retrieved on: 
Monday, August 22, 2022

The study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DCBY02 in adult patients with a wide range of advanced cancers.

Key Points: 
  • The study is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of DCBY02 in adult patients with a wide range of advanced cancers.
  • DynamiCure plans to submit the IND for the second monoclonal antibody from the DC-6001 program, DCSZ11, in the fourth quarter of 2022.
  • I look forward to continuing to collaborate with the DynamiCure team as they work to advance this and additional internal programs.
  • DynamiCure is employing a platform-agnostic approach to discover and develop therapeutics designed to address significant unmet medical needs in oncology and autoimmune disease.

Leap Therapeutics' Board of Directors Member Dr. Monica Bertagnolli Appointed as the Director of the National Cancer Institute

Retrieved on: 
Friday, August 12, 2022

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Leap Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:LPTX), a biotechnology company focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics today announced that its Board member, Monica Bertagnolli, MD, has been appointed as the 16th Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by the Biden administration. Dr. Bertagnolli becomes the first woman director of the institute since its inception in 1937. Effective with her appointment, Dr. Bertagnolli will transition off Leap's Board of Directors.

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Bertagnolli becomes the first woman director of the institute since its inception in 1937.
  • Effective with her appointment, Dr. Bertagnolli will transition off Leap's Board of Directors.
  • Dr. Bertagnolli is currently a professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School, and an associate surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
  • Dr. Bertagnolli has served on numerous committees and boards including the Board of Directors for ASCO and the National Academy of Medicine's National Cancer Policy Forum.