RESEARCH, PHARMA TECH
Ambrx | February 21, 2023
Ambrx Biopharma Inc., recently released positive preliminary results from its current Phase 1 trial, APEX-01 (NCT04662580), which is examining ARX517, Ambrx's patented anti-PSMA ADC, in patients with prostate cancer.
Patients with advanced prostate cancer who have progressed on at least two prior FDA-approved treatments are enrolled in the Phase 1, first-in-human, open label dose escalation and dose expansion experiment known as APEX-01. In the US, APEX-01 is the only clinical trial that uses an ADC to treat PSMA. The trials revealed
• No grade ≥3 treatment-related adverse events (AEs) or drug-related serious adverse events (SAEs) have been reported in the 22 individuals who were evaluable for safety. ARX517 was well-tolerated otherwise with grade 1 or 2 treatment-related adverse events were observed. It is yet to reach the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) • Starting with the second to lowest dose of 0.64 mg/kg, PSA reductions of > 30% have been seen in Cohorts 2-5 • 3 (100%) patients in Cohort 6 (2.0 mg/kg dosage) had a PSA level reduction of at least 50%. PSA levels were reduced by more than 90% in 2 out of 3 patients. At the initial on-treatment scan, soft tissue measurable disease was found in 1 of the 3 patients, and showed a partial RECIST v1.1 response • In Cohort 7, three patients received doses with no DLTs
Daniel J. O’Connor, CEO of Ambrx, said, “While recent advances have considerably reduced the number of men who die from prostate cancer, it remains the second-most common form of death from cancer in the United States. Approximately 1 man in 41 will die of prostate cancer. Thus, there remains an urgent need for better treatments, in particular for men with advanced prostate cancer.” He further added, “We are very pleased to see a significant reduction of greater than 50% in PSA levels in the first three patients at 2.0 mg/kg, two of which went on to see a greater than 90% PSA level reduction, without any serious drug-related adverse events.”
(Source – Business Wire)
About Ambrx
Ambrx Inc., is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. It develops precision biologics using an extended genetic code. Synthetic amino acids are incorporated into proteins using Ambrx technology, which is carried out entirely within a living cell. Precision Biologics, a novel therapeutic class with significant potential uses these synthesized amino acids.
Read More
BUSINESS INSIGHTS, VIEWS AND ANALYSIS
Rancho BioSciences | February 02, 2023
On February 1, 2023, Rancho Biosciences, a leading provider of data sciences services, announced that BenevolentAI has joined the SCDS consortium as its fifth member. Rancho Biosciences launched its Single Cell Data Science (SCDS) pre-competitive consortium on February 26, 2022, with four Charter Members: Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen Research & Development LLC, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson's Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, Novartis, and Vesalius Therapeutics.
The consortium's mission is to establish a uniform industry standard for creating and formatting single-cell datasets through a systematic effort to build data models and ensure that public data are curated consistently. Due to the evident impact of single-cell transcriptomics technology on drug discovery, pharmaceutical firms continue to adopt single-cell sequencing techniques at an exponential rate.
The availability of ever-increasing volumes of single-cell datasets in the public domain enables pharmaceutical companies to vastly increase their universe of single-cell experiments over those generated internally. However, harnessing this enormous public data lake by locating, downloading, and curating single-cell data is difficult and time-consuming compared to the resources required for scientists to analyze data to derive value for biomedical research collectively.
To date, Rancho has provided 83 analysis-ready datasets by using its extensive curation knowledge and expertise. Each dataset contains 79 columns of curated metadata that have been verified against a 4-entity data model developed by Rancho for SCDS. Based on member priorities, Rancho will continue to contribute a steady stream of harmonized single-cell datasets to the consortium. With this shared cost model, these may be supplied at a far higher throughput and much more cost-effectively than a single company could do.
About Rancho BioSciences
Founded in 2012, Rancho BioSciences is a global fee-for-service data curation firm that provides analysis and development services to clients, including pharma, foundations, government, and biotech. With a global team of qualified Ph.D. and Ph.D./MD scientists that provide high-quality work based on their expertise and domain knowledge in biology, diseases, and clinical data, it strives to find cures for diseases by serving its clients and saving lives through Data. It aims to be the world's leading provider of data services and harness domain skills and expertise to address complex problems.
Read More
BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH
ClinChoice | March 03, 2023
ClinChoice, a leading global clinical CRO, recently announced that it has acquired CROMSOURCE S.r.l., an ISO-certified full-service contract research organization. CROMSOURCE has its corporate headquarters in Verona, Italy, its US headquarters in Cary, NC, and subsidiaries in the US and seven countries throughout eastern and western Europe.
With a proven track record of providing excellent clinical research and staffing services to multinational pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device clients, CROMSOURCE's acquisition will strengthen ClinChoice's global network and further enhance its full-service capabilities.
ClinChoice is known for its commitment to providing high-quality services and timely delivery, resulting in the successful completion of clinical trials and functions, including regulatory, biometrics, safety, medical, and clinical operations across various sectors such as drug, medical devices, vaccines, cosmetics, and consumer health using both project-based and FSP models.
The company offers services covering the development lifecycle for biotechnology, pharmaceutical, consumer products and medical device companies worldwide. With a broad clientele ranging from the largest multinationals to startup and emerging companies, ClinChoice has completed over 1,500 clinical studies in various therapeutic areas such as CNS, oncology, ophthalmology, rare disease, respiratory and metabolic.
CROMSOURCE's acquisition was advised by Fairmount Partners, while Crosstree Capital represented ClinChoice.
About ClinChoice
ClinChoice is a leading global clinical CRO that provides comprehensive services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and consumer products clients worldwide. With a successful 25-year track record, it is considered the standard for excellence in clinical operations, biostatistics, data management, CDISC, statistical programming, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and pharmacovigilance. The company has established major delivery centers in Europe, the US, Canada, China, India, Japan, and the Philippines, employing over 3,000 people worldwide. ClinChoice has a strong and talented team and is expanding its clinical operations in seven countries across North America, Asia, and Europe.
Read More