Avid Bioservices Inc (CDMO)

[biopharm]

The studies at MSK will be performed under the direction of Taha Merghoub, Ph.D., Associate Attending Biologist, Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service, Ludwig Collaborative and the Swim Across America Laboratory, a part of the laboratory of Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., a leader in the field of cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Wolchok serves as the Chief, Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service, Lloyd J. Old Chair for Clinical Investigation as well as an Associate Director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at MSK.

"The phosphatidylserine (PS) signaling pathway is a very interesting target for modulating the immune system's response to cancer. We look forward to exploring the potential of PS-targeting agents alone and with other immune modulators that may lead to novel advances in cancer therapy," said Dr. Wolchok.

So why does MSK/Taha Merghoub/Jedd Wolchok believe in PS Targeting? ... can you tell us more Dr. Jedd Wolchok ??

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Webinar: CRI with Dr. Jedd Wolchok

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Getting to Cures: The Next Five Years in Immunotherapy, with Jedd Wolchok


Cancer Research Institute

Published on Jun 29, 2015

On June 25, 2015, Jedd D. Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D, discussed the current advances in cancer immunotherapy and where he sees us going in the next five years.

Dr. Wolchok is chief of the Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC); an associate director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy at MSKCC, an associate member of Ludwig Cancer Research, and the Lloyd J. Old/Virginia and Daniel K. Ludwig Chair in Clinical Investigation at MSKCC. He is director of the CRI/Ludwig clinical trials network, and is an associate director of the CRI Scientific Advisory Council. He is also the co-director of the Swim Across America laboratory at MSKCC, one of the foremost immunotherapy and melanoma research groups in the country.

This webinar, which is part of the Cancer Research Institute's Breakthroughs in Cancer Immunotherapy Webinar Series, was generously supported by Amgen. It is offered free to the public and feature informative updates from leaders in cancer immunotherapy, followed by a moderated Q&A. For more information on this webinar, or to register for upcoming webinars, please visit www.cancerresearch.org/webinars.

3:40 ..the last few years have witnessed a very, very rapid series of progress and events in the development of effective immunotherapy for cancer

4:10 ...

... discusses CTLA-4 PD-1 PDL-1

12:40 ..this is critically important because it shows that immunotherapy can be relevant in very, very common diseases. In addition to lung cancer, ...we are know learning about the activity of PD-1 and PDL-1 antibodies in many other diseases, which include bladder cancer, kidney cancer, head and neck cancer, liver cancer AND importantly blood cancers ...

13:00 In most of these diseases, the types of responses we are seeing are durable ..... With PD-1 blockade in lung cancer we are seeing 20-30% response "IN SOME STUDIES"... (NEEDS PS TARGETING!!)

13:45 Biomarkers...

25:34 ... to compare with chemotherapy where the side effects take place rather quickly, immunotherapy may take weeks or months before they become apparent and they are different in nature. Chemo typically is thought of as loss of hair, vomiting..etc... vs immunotherapy due to it MOA produces inflammation of different body parts and in some cases is not very serious (itching of skin) but in some cases can be very serious => inflammation of intestines which is not treated properly (presidone..) can actually lead to patients becoming unwell and actually a small number of patients have died due to this....

27:20 talks of thyroid / petuitary glands for immune regulation ....the side effects are reversible for most patients and the patients who do not have reversible side effects => hormone therapy may be required for the life of the patient... (this is why PS Targeting is required!!)

29:20 ...there are other immunotherapies that don't block checkpoints but rather activate positive signaling pathways like stepping on the gas rather than cutting the brakes ...Gitter pathway, OX40 pathway, CD40 pathway, or CD 137 pathway.. (sounds like PS Targeting 100%)

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Sounds like PS Targeting landed as MSK for a very good reason.