Chelsea Therapeutics, Inc.

Adaptin Bio is launching with plans to bring a bispecific T cell engager for glioblastoma, a deadly form of brain cancer, into the clinic. The company received FDA clearance to start its clinical trial, which will be run at Duke University and enroll around 25 patients. The bispecific T cell engager was developed by researchers led by John Sampson, who previously was chair of the neurosurgery department at Duke and is now dean of the University of Colorado’s School of Medicine. Duke’s work on the therapy was supported by a $5 million NIH grant, and Adaptin conducted preclinical work on the asset with funds from an undisclosed pre-seed round. Adaptin is closing its seed round this week, but declined to disclose the amount. The company is led by Michael Roberts, who previously was VP of business development at Chelsea Therapeutics, which Lundbeck acquired in 2014. The drug, called APTN-101, is designed to bring T cells to cancer cells in hopes of stoking the immune system into fighting the cancer. The therapy targets both EGFRvIII, a protein overexpressed in glioblastoma, as well as CD3, which is found on T cells. Amgen and Roche had developed EGFRvIIIxCD3 bispecific antibodies, but both stopped work on their assets. Roche announced in February it was axing its glioblastoma bispecific amid broader pipeline cuts across its portfolio . “There has been no progress for the last 20 years — zero,” said Mustafa Khasraw, a neurosurgery professor who took over the project at Duke after Sampson moved to Colorado. He noted that there are several key obstacles, ranging from the methods used to develop drugs to the challenge of getting several biopsies to the blood-brain barrier. Khasraw and others have begun testing potential therapies for brain cancers in different ways, including first testing them on biopsies before deciding whether to administer them in humans. GSK said in May it was planning a Phase 3 trial of Zejula in glioblastoma based on the results of a combined Phase 0/2 study that used that approach. A key test for Adaptin Bio will come down the line. The startup plans to combine its bispecific T cell engager with cell therapy, and take advantage of a concept called “hitchhiking,” where manipulated T cells can move past the blood-brain barrier, hopefully directing more of the T cell engagers to the brain cancer. “We have a technology that circumvents and overcomes some of the key limitations when we talk about delivering treatments to the brain, even T cells into the brain,” Roberts said. “I do think it’s the delivery aspect that really makes the difference here.” “We need to do more innovative trials — thinking outside the box and using new approaches — because all the traditional approaches have failed in this disease for at least two decades,” Khasraw said.

导语：我国人均预期寿命提高至77.93岁；维生素D抑制卵巢癌扩散的机制；北京：进入聚集场所人员须接种疫苗……生物探索与您一同关注“药”闻，探索生物科技的价值！01全球首款长效新冠预防药物  在中国大陆首次先行先试准入7月5日，海口海关所属博鳌机场海关日前为中国大陆首次进口的中和抗体Evusheld（恩适得）完成入境特殊物品审批，货值共计2198.02万元人民币，该药品主要用于成人和青少年（≥12岁，体重≥40kg）的新型冠状病毒肺炎暴露前预防。Evusheld在海南获批，标志着目前全球唯一一款可以用于新型冠状病毒感染预防的药物，在中国大陆首次先行先试准入02卫健委：我国人均预期寿命提高至77.93岁7月5日，国家卫健委召开新闻发布会，介绍健康中国行动实施以来进展与成效。目前，我国人均预期寿命提高到77.93岁，主要健康指标居于中高收入国家前列，《“健康中国2030”规划纲要》2020年阶段性目标总体如期实现，健康中国行动2022年主要目标提前实现。健康中国行动实施取得了明显的阶段性成效：①健康促进政策体系基本建立；②健康风险因素得到有效控制；③全生命周期健康维护能力明显提升；④重大疾病得到有效遏制；⑤全民参与的氛围日益浓厚。03名古屋大学发现维生素D抑制卵巢癌扩散的机制近日，来自名古屋大学的研究团队发现，维生素D可以促进THBS1表达正常化，抑制间皮细胞间充质转化，并逆转肿瘤相关间皮细胞的间充质状态，从而抑制卵巢癌的腹膜转移。维生素D不仅可以在维持钙稳态和调节骨代谢中发挥关键作用，还可以抑制细胞周期、增殖和血管生成等。此外，已证实维生素D受体的过表达与各种癌的良好预后相关。因此，研究团队推测，维生素D可发挥抗肿瘤作用，从而治疗腹膜转移。04美敦力携手诺华旨在为患者提供心脏病解决方案近日，诺华推出了Novartis Biome UK Heart Health Catalyst 2022的项目计划，与美敦力以及慈善机构建立了世界首个投资者合作伙伴关系。诺华希望通过投资开发数字化、家庭式预防心脏病发作和中风方法的开发商，以期解决心血管疾病以及由此引发的死亡。诺华正在与美敦力、资产管理公司、切尔西和威斯敏斯特医院基金会信托基金及其官方慈善机构合作。据了解，诺华该计划是通过识别和扩展家庭血压管理和无创血脂检测领域的创新来促进脑血管疾病护理。 该计划旨在确定和实施解决方案，使患者能够改善他们的心脏健康，并通过基于家庭的数字解决方案帮助预防未来的心脏病发作或中风。 05北京：7月11日起进入聚集场所人员须接种疫苗7月6日下午，北京召开第379场疫情防控新闻发布会，北京疫情防控政策发生重大调整，为发挥新冠疫苗接种在应对疫情中的有效作用，巩固新冠肺炎疫情防控成果，有效保障公众生命健康安全，尤其保护好感染风险较高的60岁及以上老年人群和从事公共服务人员，北京市拟实施系列疫情防控措施，主要有：一是出入老年大学、老年活动站（室）和老年人健身娱乐活动场所的老年人要尽快实现应接尽接；二是进入线下培训机构、图书馆、博物馆、电影院、美术馆、文化馆、体育场馆、健身场所、演出娱乐场所、网吧等人群聚集场所的人员须接种疫苗（不适宜接种人员除外），其他限流、预约场所优先安排已接种疫苗人员。上述措施将于2022年7月11日起正式实施。整理|乔维钧排版|乔维钧 End 往期精选 围观 到底几点睡觉算熬夜？补觉能补回来吗？Nature & Cell子刊为您解答 热文 不戴套不结扎，『男用避孕药』即将面世！ 热文 每天一杯酒，疾病绕道走？研究发现喝啤酒可降低多种疾病风险 热文 咖啡可以放心喝！这几种保健功效，喝对量更健康 热文 你的睡眠质量取决于和谁同床！最新研究：与伴侣共枕眠竟比独自睡的更好 点击“阅读原文”，了解更多~