These names in the biotech sector are seeing a substantial increase in search activity today, as determined by InvestingChannel. They include:
- Nanostring Tech (NSTG), 2,456% surge in interest
- Allakos (ALLK), 432% surge in interest
- Spero Therapeutics (SPRO), 365% surge in interest
- Adaptimmune (ADAP), 306% surge in interest
- Leap Therapeutics (LPTX), 223% surge in interest
Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:
NanoString Technologies says it offers "an ecosystem of innovative discovery and translational research solutions" to map the universe of biology – including the GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler, the CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager and the AtoMx Spatial Informatics Platform. The CosMx SMI and AtoMx SIP platforms are expected to launch in 2022.
Allakos is developing therapeutics which target immunomodulatory receptors present on immune effector cells involved in allergy, inflammatory and proliferative diseases. The company’s most advanced antibodies are lirentelimab, or AK002, and AK006. Allakos is developing lirentelimab for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, chronic spontaneous urticaria and potentially additional indications. Lirentelimab has received orphan drug designations for eosinophilic gastritis, or EG, eosinophilic duodenitis, or EoD, and eosinophilic esophagitis, or EoE, from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Allakos plans to begin human clinical trials with AK006 in the first half of 2023.
Spero Therapeutics is focused on identifying, developing, and commercializing novel treatments for serious bacterial infections, including MDR bacterial infections and rare diseases. Spero is developing SPR720 as a novel investigational oral candidate antimicrobial for the treatment of a rare, orphan pulmonary disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections. Tebipenem HBr is an investigational oral carbapenem candidate antimicrobial in development for the treatment of cUTI, including pyelonephritis, including infections caused by MDR pathogens in adult patients who have limited oral treatment options; tebipenem HBr is not FDA-approved. Spero Therapeutics is developing SPR206 as an investigational intravenous-administered next-generation polymyxin product candidate developed from its potentiator platform, which is in development to treat MDR Gram-negative infections in the hospital setting.
Adaptimmune is developing a T-cell therapy pipeline in solid tumors. Afamitresgene autoleucel or "afami-cel," formerly ADP-A2M4, is the company’s first-generation TCR T-cell therapy targeting MAGE-A4. Adaptimmune’s plan to submit a BLA for afami-cel for people with synovial sarcoma in late 2022. Adaptimmune is also developing next-generation cell therapies and its first clinical candidate is ADP-A2M4CD8, currently being evaluated in the SURPASS family of trials. Recently, Adaptimmune closed the Phase 1 ADP-A2AFP trial for people with liver cancer and will continue to focus development on new cell therapies for this disease.
Leap Therapeutics is focused on developing targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutics. Leap’s most advanced clinical candidate, DKN-01, is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the Dickkopf-1 protein. DKN-01 is being developed in patients with esophagogastric, gynecologic, and colorectal cancers. Leap has entered into a strategic collaboration with BeiGene (BGNE) for the rights to develop DKN-01 in Asia excluding Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
Recent news on these stocks:
November 10
Allakos announced a poster presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s, SITC, 37th Annual Meeting. The poster presentation highlights pre-clinical data supporting Siglec-10 as a promising myeloid target for enhancing anti-tumor immunity in solid tumors. SITC Poster Details: The poster titled "Antibody blockade of the immunoinhibitory receptor Siglec-10 polarizes tumor-associated myeloid cells and promotes anti-tumor immunity" will be presented on Friday, November 11th, key findings include: Siglec-10 is a myeloid inhibitory checkpoint receptor selectively expressed on tumor associated macrophages and dendritic cells. Siglec-10 expression is upregulated in multiple solid cancers and inversely correlates with patient survival in colon adenocarcinoma. Siglec-10 antagonist mAb monotherapy treatment inhibited tumor growth in a syngeneic colon adenocarcinoma model in Siglec-10 transgenic mice. Reduced tumor growth was associated with an expansion and activation of TAMs, dendritic cells, and T lymphocytes in the tumor, consistent with the mechanism of action.
November 9
NanoString Technologies and Abcam (ABCM) announced the expansion of their long-standing relationship with a new agreement to co-market Abcam antibodies for NanoString’s high-plex spatial multiomic solutions. Under the terms of the agreement, Abcam RabMAb recombinant antibodies will be commercialized as part of the first 64-plex protein panel for NanoString’s CosMx Spatial Molecular Imager. Jointly developed and validated by NanoString and Abcam, the human immuno-oncology panel is the first on the market to combine high-plex spatial proteomic and transcriptomic analyses at single-cell and subcellular resolution. This provides unprecedented insights into immune cells, tumors and their neighborhood and aims to accelerate immune-oncology research supporting a better understanding of clinical response and therapeutic resistance.
Mizuho analyst Mara Goldstein upgraded Adaptimmune Therapeutics to Buy from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $9. Post the Q3 results, the analyst sees improved clarity of afami-cel’s regulatory strategy and the company’s "lengthened runway" from its restructuring. In addition, Adaptimmune’s pipeline reprioritization involves the culling of nonessential candidates, says the analyst. She believes the stock’s overhangs can recede more and that the shares can trade toward the price target.
November 8
Spero Therapeutics announced the closing of its previously announced exclusive license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline Intellectual Property Limited (GSK) for tebipenem HBr, an investigational drug being developed as the potentially first oral carbapenem antibiotic for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis, caused by certain bacteria. Pursuant to the license agreement, Spero will be receiving a $66M upfront payment from GSK and is eligible to receive up to $525M in development, sales, and commercial milestones payments, as well as low-single digit to low-double digit tiered royalties on net product sales. In exchange, GSK has been granted an exclusive license to develop and commercialize tebipenem pivoxil and tebipenem pivoxil HBr in all territories, except Japan, and certain other Asian countries, territories which will be retained by Spero partner, Meiji Seika.
November 7
Leap Therapeutics is presenting updated data from Part B of the DisTinGuish study evaluating DKN-01 in combination with tislelizumab, BeiGene’s anti-PD-1 antibody, in second-line gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma – GEA – cancer patients whose tumors express high levels of DKK1 at the Society of Immunotherapy for Cancer Annual Meeting in Boston on November 8-12. Leap is also presenting preclinical DKN-01 data supporting the DeFianCe study, a Phase 2 study of DKN-01 in combination with bevacizumab and standard of care chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer – CRC – who have received one prior systemic therapy. "The combination of DKN-01 plus tislelizumab continues to demonstrate a well-tolerated and active combination in previously treated, DKK1-high, anti-PD-1/PD-L1 naive GEA cancer patients," said Samuel Klempner, who leads the gastric and esophageal cancer program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and principal investigator on the DisTinGuish study. "The preclinical results in CRC models showed impressive monotherapy and chemotherapy combination activity in multiple xenograft models, including those that are resistant to 5-FU treatment, which is commonly used to treat metastatic disease," said Cynthia Sirard, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Leap Therapeutics.
About “Biotech Alert”
The Fly will report on a selection of biotech stocks seeing a surge in interest from retail and financial professional investors, based on data from InvestingChannel.
This Fly exclusive recap reveals the biotech stocks that are seeing a spike in searches among the 15-plus million retail and financial professional investors through InvestingChannel’s online financial news media ecosystem.
This increased attention from the investors may be in response to, or advance of, outsized moves for stocks in the biotech sector, which tend to be volatile and prone to sharp swings in share price around binary events such as clinical study results and FDA approvals.
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