Replies to post #284721 on Avid Bioservices Inc (CDMO)

[cheynew]

This is the best un-PR'd news we have had in a very long time. Now, if the company would announce a lucrative partnership, maybe we can gain some traction. What is going on with Betabodies? Will Hutchins' leaving mean this is on the back burner without a partner for the program? Will we find that those new trademarks a few months ago will be utilized for something? So many questions met with stony silence by Tustin.

[asmarterwookie]

I quickly looked through that paper. exosomes are a hot topic now-- though I know a lot of folks who either don't like that field, or think that there isn't much functional biology associated with them.

Also any claim of 100% accuracy (which they say in the discussion) is really suspect. as much as we scientists want it to work out... biology is not binary.

The presentation for some of the figures is sloppy -- and oncotarget is a mid-low tier journal.... If this group really had a 100% accurate, inexpensive, non-invasive, biomarker test for ovarian cancer it would have been much bigger news.

A quote from a friend of mine.

I take it as, more testing required. Hence, the muted presentation/reaction. I suppose.

I sure hope they have a plan for a more definitive trial with 10X the patients. Peregrine did say they have access to 1000s of samples...right?

wook

[cjgaddy]

“NO INTENTION of conducting further [Exosomes] dev. work beyond the proof-of-concept stage...”

7-14-16-CC/J.Hutchins: “We have no intention of conducting further [Exosomes] development work beyond the proof-of-concept stage. Rather, we expect to initiate partnering discussions for commercialization of this pgm in 2017. We're very excited to begin this work on this new program and we'll have more details to offer in the coming months.” http://tinyurl.com/jg2k8pt

7-14-16-CC/S.King: “Our goal is not to become a diagnostics company, but to put this [Exosomes] in the hands of a good organization that's already established in the diagnostics area and then have them finish up the commercialization and expansion of the utility of the actual assay itself.” http://tinyurl.com/jg2k8pt

1-22-17: 1-22-17/Oncotarget: “Detection Of Phosphatidylserine-Positive Exosomes as a Diagnostic Marker for Ovarian Malignancies: A Proof of Concept Study” http://tinyurl.com/jg2k8pt

[cjgaddy]

Dr. Bruce Freimark (Res.Dir./Preclin.Oncology) speaks today: GTC/I-O/SanDiego

Feb6-7 2017: “GTCbio’s 9th Immunotherapeutics & Immunomonitoring Conf.”, SanDiego
“Leading scientific & clinical experts from academia and industry will present the latest findings and developments in the exciting area of immunotherapeutics & immunomonitoring. New immunological concepts with clinically translational implications will be discussed, along with evaluations of novel drug targets & therapeutic approaches, the role of biomarkers in immunomonitoring, and the latest data on combinatorial treatments in the clinic.”
https://www.gtcbio.com/conferences/immunotherapeutics-immunomonitoring-overview
AGENDA: https://www.gtcbio.com/conferences/immunotherapeutics-immunomonitoring-agenda
2-7-17 TRACK: Combination Immunotherapy
2:05pm: “Tipping the Balance: Overriding Phosphatidylserine-mediated Tumor Immune Suppression to Enhance Immune Checkpoint Therapies”
Dr. Bruce Freimark (Res.Dir./Preclin.Oncology), Peregrine
Phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure in tumors induces non-inflammatory signals via multiple specific receptors for PS on tumors and immune cells, which contribute to immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Antibody blockade of PS engages with innate immune responses and activates adaptive immune responses by promoting M1 macrophages, maturation of dendritic cells and tumor specific T-cell responses. Combinations of PS with CTLA-4, PD-1 and LAG-3 immune checkpoint antibodies have been shown to induce high levels of tumor regression and long-term anti-tumor immunity in models of breast and melanoma. These immune responses correlate with an overall increase in TILs, including CD8+ T cells with a reduction in suppressive Tregs and MDSCs, and tumor gene expression signatures indicating enhanced antigen presentation. Overall, PS blockade can complement immune checkpoint therapy by promoting a localized anti-tumor response and represents a promising strategy to enhance cancer immunotherapy.