ImmunityBio Inc (IBRX)

[General_Sevier]

Today's news is massive for Nantkwest (NK). This brings all the tidbit together and one can expect NK cells to be use in many significant Phase II trials through 2020 ---- ALL FUNDED LARGELY by THIRD PARTIES. This is on top of other specific trials NK will run on their own. This also ties their NK cells into numerous or the largest Bio/Pharma companies in the world. NK had previously disclosed that a large number of these has samples they were testing in connection with their compounds.

Here is a write-up covering today's news and relating it to the Baron's statements form late last year.
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Today’s Dr. SS related PR is pretty stunning and could be a “moon shot” for NK as they are part of a very powerful team and their NK-92 cells will be involved in many if not all of these. The PR also brings together the NK strategy we have heard general pieces of.

NK has disclosed the application of NK-92 as a standalone treatment and in combination with other drug compounds. The Barron’s piece late last year discussed the use of “sponsored trials” on combinations including their cell lines. The stories today show where this came from and that “sponsors” will be insurers and other drug companies or institutions.
This also explains why NK was so bold in claiming their stock was undervalue for the long-term and would buy back shares.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160111006094/en/Historic-National-Coalition-Formed-Accelerate-Generation-Immunotherapy

Historic National Coalition Formed to Accelerate Next Generation Immunotherapy in Cancer

Today, leaders from large pharma including Celgene and Amgen, biotech including NantWorks, NantKwest, Etubics, Altor Bioscience, and Precision Biologics, major academic cancer centers and community oncologists announced the launch of The National Immunotherapy Coalition (NIC), a historic alliance--in collaboration with Independence Blue Cross, one of the nation’s largest payers and Bank of America, one of the largest self-insured companies in the U.S.--with a singular focus: accelerating the potential of combination immunotherapies as the next generation standard of care in patients with cancer.
Both academic cancer centers and community oncologists will participate in the QUILT Program to enroll 20,000 patients by 2020. The QUILT Program will be stratified across multiple Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials, addressing up to 20 tumor types including breast, lung, prostate, ovarian, brain, head and neck, multiple myeloma, sarcoma, pancreatic cancer, among others. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology partners have made an unprecedented commitment to make more than 60 novel immunotherapy, targeted therapy and chemotherapeutic agents available to be combined across multiple tumor types.

In this historic collaboration, large pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies --NantWorks, NantKwest, Etubics, Precision Biologics, and Altor Bioscience—along with others, have agreed to contribute their novel immunotherapy molecules, including adenovirus vaccines, neoepitopes antibodies, and natural killer cells, to accelerate the development of next generation immunotherapy combination cancer therapies across all tumor types.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-11/billionaire-pulls-together-drugmakers-for-cancer-collaboration

A Billionaire's Cancer Moonshot

--- Amgen, Celgene, GSK, Independence Blue Cross join coalition
--- `Moonshot' group aims for trials in 20,000 patients by 2020

The group aims to complete clinical trials for up to 20 tumor types in as many as 20,000 patients by the year 2020, according to a statement issued at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Participating drugmakers include Amgen Inc., Celgene Corp., GlaxoSmithKline Plc and NantWorks LLC, as well as health insurer Independence Blue Cross and Bank of America Corp., which is self-insured, according to the statement

Biden Meeting

Members of the coalition met with U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden, who said in a November speech that a “moonshot" was needed to cure cancer. Biden’s speech came after meeting with Soon-Shiong, the billionaire said. The coalition hasn’t asked the Obama administration for financial support, according to NantWorks.

Independence Blue Cross will cover patient costs related to trials for its members, and will also cover genomic sequencing performed by Soon-Shiong’s company NantHealth, according to spokeswoman Elizabeth Sell. The Philadelphia-based health insurer covers 10 million people in 34 states and Washington, D.C., according to its website.

Barons from October 27, 2015

http://www.barrons.com/articles/nantkwest-shares-could-more-than-double-1446205912

NantKwest Shares Could More Than Double

The biotech is developing several immuno-oncology therapies and a potential Ebola treatment

Specifically, the company is developing three natural killer-cell therapies utilizing its NK-92 cell line. The NK-92 cell line is different from traditional natural killer (NK) cell lines because it carries only killer activating receptors (KARs) and not killer inhibitory receptors (KIRs) to determine whether to induce cell death.

We believe these activated NK (aNK) cells could potentially be used as an off-the-shelf therapy for many cancers or infections. The off-the-shelf nature of the product allows for lower manufacturing costs and potentially lower consumer costs (we estimate $100,000 per course of therapy) than other immune-oncology treatments, a positive in the current Affordable Care Act (ACA) environment. NantKwest’s high-affinity natural killer (haNK) cells that can bind to monoclonal antibodies to enhance their cancer-killing effect and its target-activated NK (taNK) also holds much potential in both solid and liquid tumors. In our view, a better side effect profile thus far versus other immune therapies could make aNK a treatment of choice for combination therapy in the future.

NantKwest is currently conducting a Phase 2 trial assessing aNK in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). This cancer, while only seen in a small population of patients, is associated with polyoma virus and immunocompromised patients. We expect this trial to serve as a proof-of-concept for other indications with much larger addressable markets. NantKwest also plans to access the aNK platform to potentially treat pancreatic and metastatic breast cancers.

NantKwest is set for a busy 2016. We expect to see data from the first 12 patients in the MCC Phase 2 study in fourth-quarter 2016. The company expects a Phase 1 investigator-initiated study for HER2.taNK in patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) to start by the end of 2015 with some data in 2016. It also expects to initiate trials with aNK in breast cancer and pancreatic cancer in 2016. Several haNK studies could be initiated in second-half 2016, with one-third expected to be investigator-sponsored and two-thirds company-run studies at well-recognized centers. We also expect the company to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for a Phase 1 study with aNK in Ebola in second-half 2016.