Therapy Acceleration Program - Latest News

MEET THE RESEARCHER: CHARLENE LIAO, PHD

By LLS Staff | May, 2021

Our “Meet the Researcher” series on The LLS Blog shares what our outstanding LLS-funded researchers are working on, the incredible impact they’re making in the fight against blood cancers, and what inspires their efforts to find better treatments and cures.

In May, LLS is highlighting the stories of volunteers, healthcare professionals, researchers, patients, survivors, and advocates from across our community in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Recently, we caught up with Charlene Liao, Ph.D., Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Immune-Onc Therapeutics, a new LLS Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP) partner. Dr. Liao also previously received an LLS Career Development Program (CDP) grant, supporting her postdoctoral research in immunology at the University of California, San Francisco in Dr. Art Weiss's laboratory.

News and Information from Current and Former TAP Partners

BioTheryX Announces $92M Series E Financing to Accelerate Develop...

SAN DIEGO, May 20, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical-stage company focused on degrading proteins to create life-saving cancer medicines, today announced a $92 million Series E financing led by Farallon Capital Management, with participation from additional new investors Avidity Partners, Deep Track Capital, Irving Investors, Janus Henderson Investors, Lumira Ventures, Point72, Rock Springs Capital, Surv...

Affimed Announces Publication of Preclinical Data in Clinical Can...

Heidelberg, Germany, May 13, 2021 – Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, announced today the publication of preclinical in vitro and in vivo research of its lead innate cell engager (ICE®), AFM13 (CD16A/CD30), combined with healthy donor-derived NK cells in Clinical Cancer Research. The preclinical da...

LLS TAP Announces Five New Investments Supporting Next Generation...

RYE BROOK, N.Y., April 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP) today announced five new investments aimed at speeding the development of new and improved immunotherapies for the treatment of blood cancers. LLS has dedicated more than $100 million over the past several decades, through both grants and TAP investments, to advancing p...

Kymera Therapeutics Honored by Boston Business Journal as a 2021 ...

WATERTOWN, Mass., April 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kymera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KYMR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing targeted protein degradation to deliver novel small molecule protein degrader medicines, today announced that the Boston Business Journal (BBJ) has named Kymera Therapeutics to its 2021 Best Places to Work, an exclusive ranking of the Massachusetts companies that have bui...

Sanofi completes Kiadis acquisition

April 16, 2021 Sanofi and Kiadis announce today the successful completion of Sanofi’s acquisition of Kiadis, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next generation, ‘off-the-shelf’, NK cell-therapies. Kiadis’ proprietary platform is based on allogeneic or ‘off-the-shelf' NK-cells from a healthy donor. NK-cells seek and identify malignant cancer cells and have broad application acro...

FDA Approves Vyxeos for Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Child...

DUBLIN, March 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: JAZZ) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a revised label for Vyxeos® (daunorubicin and cytarabine) to include a new indication to treat newly-diagnosed therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) in pediatric pa...

Immune-Onc Therapeutics Announces $73 Million Financing to Advanc...

PALO ALTO, CA, March 30, 2021 / Business Wire / -- Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”), a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company developing novel biotherapeutics targeting immunosuppressive myeloid checkpoints today announced the closing of a $73 million Series B1 and B2 financing. The round was led by Oceanpine Capital with participation from additional new investors including Octagon Capital and S...

CARISMA Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Landmark Cl...

PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CARISMA Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company spun out of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) and focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, announced that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase 1 multi-center clinical trial for CT-0508, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) target...

PUBLICATION OF CPX-351 CLINICAL DATA IN 'BLOOD ADVANCES': PHASE 3...

CPX-351 (Vyxeos, daunorubicin and cytarabine liposome for injection) is a dual-drug liposomal encapsulation of daunorubicin and cytarabine approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 2017 and the European Medicines Agency in 2018 for the treatment of adults with newly diagnosed t-AML or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC).  CPX-351 was designed to improve efficacy versus convention...

Affimed Announces Continuation of REDIRECT, a Registration-direct...

Heidelberg, Germany, March 10, 2021 – Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, announced today its decision to continue enrollment in the REDIRECT trial (NCT04101331), which is evaluating AFM13 as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory CD30-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma (P...

Immune-Onc Building Broad Pipeline of Myeloid Checkpoint Inhibito...

Congrats to new TAP partner, Immune-Onc for being featured in BioCentury as an Emerging Company. Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”) is a clinical-stage cancer immunotherapy company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel myeloid checkpoint inhibitors for cancer patients. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Immune-Onc has assembled a diverse team with deep expertise in drug de...

Caribou Biosciences Raises $115M Series C Financing to Advance Ne...

Berkeley, CA, March 3, 2021 – Caribou Biosciences, Inc., a leading clinical-stage CRISPR genome editing biotechnology company, announced today the successful completion of an oversubscribed $115 million Series C financing. Proceeds from the financing will be used to further develop the Company’s proprietary, next-generation CRISPR technology platform and to advance the Company’s pipeline of wholly-owned allogen...

CARISMA Therapeutics Completes Series B Financing Totaling $59 Mi...

PHILADELPHIA, March 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CARISMA Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative immunotherapies, announced today the second closing of its Series B equity financing, bringing the total amount raised in this round to $59 million and CARISMA's total capital raised to date to nearly $121 million. The second closing of th...

Kymera Therapeutics Initiates Dosing in Phase 1 Trial of KT-474, ...

WATERTOWN, Mass., March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kymera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KYMR), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing targeted protein degradation to deliver novel small molecule protein degrader medicines, today announced that the Company recently initiated dosing in the single ascending dose (SAD) portion of the Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating KT-474 in adult healthy volunteers and p...

NexImmune Announces Closing of Upsized Initial Public Offering

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Feb. 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NexImmune, Inc. (Nasdaq: NEXI), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a novel approach to immunotherapy designed to employ the body’s own T cells to generate a specific, potent and durable immune response, today announced the closing of its previously announced upsized initial public offering of 7,441,650 shares of its common stock...

European Commission Approves ELZONRIS for the Treatment of Blasti...

FLORENCE, January 21, 2021 – The Menarini Group, a privately held Italian pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted a marketing authorization, for ELZONRIS (tagraxofusp) as monotherapy for the first-line treatment of adult patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), a rare, aggressive hematologic malignancy with dismal outcomes. The...

Affimed Announces Publication of Final Study Results of AFM13 in ...

Heidelberg, Germany, November 19, 2020 – Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, today announced that the Phase 1b study of AFM13, a CD30/CD16A innate cell engager (ICE®), in combination with KEYTRUDA was published in Blood, the renowned Journal of the American Society of Hematology. The results demonstrate p...

Promising Preclinical Combinations of AFM13 and Natural Killer Ce...

Heidelberg, Germany, November 9, 2020 – Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, announced today that preclinical data – generated through a collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Washington University School of Medicine – will be the focus of an oral presentation at the vi...

Sanofi offers to acquire Kiadis for €308 million

Paris, France and Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 2 November 2020 – Sanofi (Euronext: SAN and NYSE: SNY) and Kiadis Pharma N.V. (“Kiadis” or the “Company”) (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS) today announce that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Sanofi will offer to acquire all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Kiadis at a price per Kiadis share of €5.45 in...

NexImmune Establishes Research Initiative with City of Hope to Fo...

GAITHERSBURG, MD - October 27, 2020 - NexImmune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing unique non-genetically-engineered T cell immunotherapies, announced today that it has signed a research initiative related to its AIM nanoparticle technology with City of Hope, a world-renowned independent research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. City of Hope is a partic...

OncoPep Strengthens Pipeline with Addition of Multi-Tumor Antigen...

BOSTON – October 15, 2020 – OncoPep, Inc. today announced a licensing agreement with MANA Therapeutics for use of its EDIFY™ platform for the development of an autologous multitumor antigen adoptive T cell therapy for the treatment of multiple myeloma and solid tumors, as an additional T cell focused immunotherapeutic for its product pipeline. OncoPep is developing the adoptive T cell therapy as part of a li...

X4 Pharmaceuticals Announces FDA Fast Track Designation Granted t...

BOSTON, Oct. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: XFOR), a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapies targeting diseases resulting from dysfunction of the CXCR4 pathway, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track Designation to its lead asset, mavorixafor, for the treatment of adult patients with WHIM ...

First Patient Dosed in NexImmune Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial of NEXI...

GAITHERSBURG, MD -- October 6, 2020 – NexImmune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a portfolio of unique non-genetically-engineered T cell immunotherapies, announced today that it has dosed the first patient in its Phase 1/2 clinical trial for NEXI-002. NEXI-002 is a patient-derived cellular product that contains populations of naturally-occurring CD8+ T cells directed against several multiple ...

Affimed Doses First Patient in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of Natural ...

Heidelberg, Germany, October 6, 2020 – Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, today announced that the first patient was successfully dosed with allogeneic cord blood-derived natural killer (cbNK) cells preloaded with AFM13 and has moved on to the AFM13 monotherapy phase of the treatment cycle. This therapy w...

Verastem Oncology Announces Closing of Duvelisib Sale to Secura B...

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 30, 2020-- Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients battling cancer, today announced that it has completed the sale of Verastem's COPIKTRA (duvelisib), a marketed oral inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the first FDA-approved dual inhibitor of PI3K-delt...

NexImmune Completes Dosing of First Cohort in Phase 1/2 Clinical ...

GAITHERSBURG, MD - September 23, 2020 – NexImmune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing unique non-genetically-engineered T cell immunotherapies, announced today that it has completed dosing of the first safety cohort (n=3) in its Phase 1/2 clinical trial for NEXI-001, representing a significant milestone for the Company. NEXI-001 is a cellular product that contains populations of naturally-occurr...

Magrolimab Receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Trea...

September 15, 2020 - FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for magrolimab, a first-in-class, investigational anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of newly diagnosed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Breakthrough Therapy designation is designed to expedite the ...

Kiadis announces IND approval for COVID-19 clinical trial with of...

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, September 14, 2020 – Kiadis Pharma N.V. (“Kiadis” or the “Company”) (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative cell-based medicines for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, today announces a collaboration with the Abigail Wexner Research Institute (AWRI) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital to develop Kiadis-NK c...

X4 Announces Publication of Mavorixafor Clinical Data in ‘Blood’ ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: XFOR), a leader in the discovery and development of novel therapies targeting diseases resulting from dysfunction of the CXCR4 pathway, today announced the publication of comprehensive safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and preliminary efficacy data of mavorixafor from an ongoing Phase 2, open-label, dose-esc...

Kymera Therapeutics Announces Upsized Initial Public Offering

WATERTOWN, Mass., Aug. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kymera Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: KYMR), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule therapeutics that selectively degrade disease-causing proteins by harnessing the body’s own natural protein degradation system, today announced the pricing of its upsized initial public offering of 8,684,800 common shares at a public off...

Verastem Agrees to Sell Duvelisib Rights to Secura Bio

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2020-- Verastem, Inc. (Nasdaq:VSTM) (also known as Verastem Oncology), a biopharmaceutical company committed to advancing new medicines for patients battling cancer, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its global commercial and development rights to COPIKTRA (duvelisib), its marketed oral inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), and the f...

BioTheryX Announces $35 Million Series D Financing

July 28, 2020 -- BioTheryX, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company harnessing the power of protein modulation to treat difficult diseases, announced it has closed a $35 million Series D financing. The round was led by MSD Partners, L.P. In addition to general corporate development purposes, proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate the timeline of the BTX-A51 Phase 1 clinical trial through the addi...

Cobomarsen Received Orphan Drug Designation from the U.S. FDA for...

BOULDER, Colo., July 23, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- miRagen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGEN), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, today announced that the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to cobomarsen, for the treatment of T-cell lymphoma. Cobomarsen is an inhibitor of miR-155 currently being developed b...

Ryvu Therapeutics Raises Over $36 Million

Krakow, Poland – July 22, 2020 – Ryvu Therapeutics [ticker: RVU], a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology, has successfully raised over USD 36 million (PLN 143 million) of new capital. Ryvu Therapeutics plans to allocate the acquired funds primarily to the SEL120 project, including the development of the com...

EHA News - Constellation Announces MANIFEST Trial Clinical Update...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 12, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CNST) announced that three posters relating to the MANIFEST clinical trial of CPI-0610 in myelofibrosis (MF) were published online in association with the European Hematology Association (EHA) annual meeting. The data in these posters are based on a data cutoff of April 17, 2020, an...

EHA News - Kiadis Announces New K-NK Cell Therapy Data

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, June 12, 2020 – Kiadis Pharma N.V. (“Kiadis” or the “Company”) (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, announced that new data related to its K-NK cell therapy platform will be presented today at the virtual edition of the 25th European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress. Abstract #S284 is an oral presentation that shows clinica...

ASCO News - Magrolimab in Combination with Azacitidine Demonstrat...

May 29, 2020 - FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) today announced updated results from a single-arm, open-label Phase 1b trial of magrolimab, an investigational anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody, in combination with azacitidine in previously untreated patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and previously untreated patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who ar...

Stemline Therapeutics to be Acquired by Menarini Group

FLORENCE, Italy and NEW YORK, May 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Menarini Group, a privately held Italian pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, and Stemline Therapeutics Inc., a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel oncology therapeutics, (Nasdaq: STML) today announced a definitive agreement under which Menarini Group&nb...

Affimed Announces FDA Granted Orphan Drug Designation

Heidelberg, Germany, April 1, 2020 – Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to AFM13, its lead CD30- and CD16A-binding innate cell engager, for the treatment of patients with T-cell lymphoma. The granted desig...

Ryvu Therapeutics receives Orphan Drug Designation from FDA

Krakow, Poland – 28 March 2020 – Ryvu Therapeutics (WSE: RVU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an orphan drug designation (ODD) to Ryvu’s SEL120, for the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). SEL120 is an oral, selectiv...

Kymera Therapeutics Announces $102 Million Series C Financing

Cambridge, Mass (March 12, 2020) – Kymera Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company pioneering targeted protein degradation to invent breakthrough protein degrader medicines for patients, today announced the closing of a $102 million Series C financing. The round was led by Biotechnology Value Fund (BVF) and Redmile Group with participation from Wellington Management Company, Bain Capital Life Sciences, funds mana...

Gilead to Acquire Forty Seven for $4.9 Billion

FOSTER CITY, Calif. & MENLO PARK, Calif., March 2, 2020--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) and Forty Seven, Inc. (Nasdaq: FTSV) announced today that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Gilead will acquire Forty Seven for $95.50 per share in cash. The transaction, which values Forty Seven at approximately $4.9 bi...

NexImmune Doses First Patient in AML Trial

NexImmune, a clinical stage immunotherapy company developing novel T cell therapies, received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance for the company’s first cellular therapy product. NEXI-001 is being developed for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with relapsed disease after an allogeneic hematopoietic cellular transplant (allo-HCT). Scott Carmer, NexImmu...