Gilead’s CAR-T Product Yescarta Results Kite, a Gilead (GILD) subsidiary, announced new data from the ZUMA-1 trial of the CAR T Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) in adult patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The data from the pivotal phase 2 study demonstrate that patients with refractory large B cell lymphoma were alive three years following a single infusion of Gilead’s CAR T immuno-oncology product Yescarta.  Analysis from …

The Market May be Plummeting But Prohost Picks are Not Biotech stocks had a strong start, but the gains disappeared in many stocks as the market demonstrated bearishness following a long-lasting rally. Currently, during the strong economic conditions, commentators attribute the reasons for the market’s upside and downside moves to China’s positive, or negative ongoing negotiations rather than to fair correction of overbought or oversold …

Atara Biotherapeutics ATA188 for MS Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA) announced the presentation of initial efficacy data as well as updated safety results from its ongoing Phase 1 study of the firm’s product ATA188 for the treatment of a progressive . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to subscribe or here to log in.

Prohost Letter #427 End of the Year Decisions ~ Part 2 As a result of the unexpected volatility in the stock market, we carefully reassessed each and very stock we picked for the Prohost Portfolio. Consequently, we had to change many of our 2019 targets in all 7 tables which represents the whole portfolio of companies we believe are offering lucrative investment opportunities. On January 3, …

We have a few small clinical stage firms in the Prohost Portfolio that were established with the goal of designing safer and more effective versions of the very promising CAR T immuno-oncology products. We intend to revisit these firms and see how far they have reached on what can be described as a very hard road towards the realization of these small ambitious firms’ goals. Among …

Celyad (CYAD) is still a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing advanced or improved CAR-T cell-based therapies. Today, Celyad announced that the first patient has received an injection in Phase 1 of the alloSHRINK clinical trial, evaluating its non-gene edited allogeneic CAR-T therapy known as CYAD-101. In this trial, FOLFOX chemotherapy is used simultaneously with CYAD-101 on patients with unresectable metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). According to Dr. Christian Homsy, …

Celyad (CYAD) announced an exclusive agreement with Horizon Discovery Group plc, for the use of its shRNA technology to generate Celyad’s second non-gene-edited allogeneic platform. The encouragement came from data emanating from preclinical studies demonstrating the versatility of the shRNA platform in the allogeneic setting. The data is expected to be presented at the upcoming 2018 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., …

Today, Prohost is highlighting news that could be transformative for a clinical-stage immunotherapy firm. The firm with promising news focuses on creating and developing safer and far-reaching Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR T) Therapy.   The firm we are highlighting today is Celyad (CYAD), whose investigational CAR T products are allogeneic, rather than autologous, which makes it easier to use and less expensive than the autologous products. …

Celyad (CYAD) is an immuno-oncology firm, which created CAR T CELL treatments for cancers, including  solid tumors. Celyad announced its consolidated financial results for the six-month period ending 30 June 2018. Celyad’s report is endorsed by Europe. Dr. Christian Homsy, Celyad’s CEO started by expressing the firm’s great enthusiasm towards the progress it has made in the first half of 2018, which include a significant advancement of …

The Treatment is Not A New Way as Being Stated, It is Only the Target, Which Has Been Changed   Outstanding news announced that leukemia patients who relapsed after being treated with the chimeric receptor antigen T cell (CAR T) targeting CD-19 were saved from imminent death by a CAR T targeting CD-22. The new treatment, which is being presented in some articles as a …

As expected by those who welcome good news from publicly-traded firms, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given the green light to a second CART immuno-oncology product with the trade name Yescarta.  This drug, which has been developed by Kite Pharma is now belonging to Gilead Sciences (GILD) together with the rest of Kite’s CAR T wealthy pipeline after Gilead acquired Kite less than …

The Week in Review #7 A lot more happened in the past week regarding improving the treatment of cancer and of other devastating diseases. This issue contains discoveries that aim at improving breakthrough immuno-­oncology treatment outcomes. Here are some of the breakthrough technologies and treatments that might improve, by-­far, the management of cancer . . . This content is for paid subscribers. Please click here to …

Realizing the dream of approval of a small biotech’s lead drug would usually lead a small development-stage firm to either walking on the road to more achievements and growth, or walking in place doing nothing but spending its revenues while no dream materializes. We have seen both possibilities occur time and time again.     Seattle Genetics (SGEN) is now a revenue generating biotech. The firm, which …

Coming Soon... The Week in Review #3 Gilead Acquisition - Rallying by Association - Improving on Cancer Treatments...

Prohost Letter #410 JUNE PDUFA DAYS This month, the FDA will decide on the approvals of drugs belonging to companies that Prohost has picked for investment. Usually, granting approvals rallies the stocks of the drugs’ developing firms. Sending Complete Response Letters for demands that might delay approvals would cut a substantial percentage of the stocks’ values, while rejections would cause the stocks to falter. Let’s …

AT ASCO CAR-T Was Created to Stay BlueBird Bio CAR-T Results Bluebird Bio (BLUE) presentation was well received at ASCO after the firm stated results demonstrating that all the 15 evaluable patients in the clinical trial of its chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) drug “bb2121 responded to treatment. Data were convincing demonstrating 89% of the patients observed their tumors shrink with 27% seeing their …

It is obvious that the CAR-T approach to cancer treatment is here to stay and to change the way cancer has been managed for decades. Attempts to improve the novel elegant procedure safety profile and efficacy on solid cancers are being pursued by academia as well as by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. Kite Pharma’s (KITE) CAR-T therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel is an investigational therapy in which …

Prohost Letter #409 ASCO The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting is around the corner. The Meeting, which will begin on Friday June 2, 2017 and will end on Monday 5, 2017 will be different than the past years for many reasons, including the following: -­ Checkpoint inhibition as Immunotherapy for cancer treatment moved from wishful thinking a decade ago, to promising cancer treatments …

Novartis signed two different separate licensing agreements with two development-stage firms, Bluebird (BLUE) and Celyad (CYAD). The signing of the agreements, enabled Novartis to license the two firm’s proprietary technologies, both related to improving Novartis’ genetically engineered immunooncology CAR- T cells. CELYAD The Celyad/Novartis Agreement Celyad announced a non-exclusive license agreement with Novartis for its US patents issued for the production of allogeneic CAR-T cells. …

Prohost Letter #408 AT A GLANCE - Continued from the Previous Prohost Letter #408 In the Past issue #407, we picked the following firms: NEUROCRINE BIOSCIENCES (NBIX) Treating Tardive Dyskinesia CYTOMX Improving On Cancer Immunotherapy CELYAD SA (CYAD) Bringing Solutions To Immunotherapy Problems Please Read the articles written about these firms in the Issue #407 In This Issue We Add  NEW LINK GENETICS...