Onco Actu du 30 novembre 2017

	1. Biologie
Six-Letter DNA Alphabet Produces Proteins in Cells [The Scientist] “Eevery protein produced in any living cell has been produced by decoding a four-letter alphabet. We have now reported the decoding of proteins with a six-letter alphabet. . . That still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.”
‘Alien’ DNA makes proteins in living cells for the first time [Nature] Expanded genetic alphabet could allow for the production of new protein-based drugs.
	3.1 Prévention - Tabac
Advancing Medicinal Nicotine Replacement Therapies as New Drugs – A new step in FDA’s comprehensive approach to tobacco and nicotine [FDA Voice] We are announcing the formation of a new Nicotine Steering Committee that will be charged with re-evaluating and modernizing FDA’s approach to development and regulation of nicotine replacement therapy products that help smokers quit.
Quitting smoking is hard. FDA wants new nicotine-replacement therapies to help [Washington Post] Current FDA nicotine-replacement therapies include over-the counter gums, patches and lozenges, and prescription nasal sprays and inhalers. Most of those have been on the market for more than two decades. Some critics say the FDA has long been overly cautious in approving new smoking-cessation products, given the magnitude of the public health threat posed by smoking.
	4.1 Dép., diag. & prono. - Prostate
Less Frequent Biopsies May Be Appropriate for PCa Active Surveillance [Renal & Urology News] The investigators analyzed individual-level data from 2576 men aged 40 to 80 years with a Gleason score of 2 to 6 and clinical stage T1 or T2 PCa enrolled from 1995 to 2014.
	4.2 Dép., diag. & prono. - Génome
Genomics – on an industrial scale [Genomics England] Genomics is made up of many moving parts − from the understanding and consent of the public, to truly pioneering research, to building an effective NHS infrastructure. But make no mistake, the Discovery Forum and the industry partnerships it builds are every bit as important to the success of genomic medicine.
	4.9 Dép., diag. & prono. - Sein
Overweight Women May Need More Frequent Mammograms [Oncology Times] Strand and colleagues studied 2,012 cases of invasive breast cancer that appeared from 2001 to 2008. The researchers followed the patients until the end of 2015 and looked for how disease progression was related to BMI and breast density.
	5. Traitements
Tito Fojo: Cancer drugs not delivering on their potential [Cancer World] Tito Fojo told WOF, at its meeting in Lugano in October, “Every therapy that we begin on a patient has a chance to benefit them, but it also has a chance to harm them. If on top of that you add the harm that comes from the toxicity of drugs, a lot of therapies are actually more likely to harm you than to benefit you.”
	5.1 Traitements - Pré-clinique
Inhibiting METTL3 destroys AML cells without harming normal blood cells [Drug Target Review] To identify potential new ways to treat AML, the researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to screen cancer cells for vulnerable points. They created mouse leukaemia cells with mutations in the genes that may be targeted in human AML cells and systematically tested each gene, finding which were essential for AML survival.
New Technique Reduces Side-Effects, Improves Delivery of Chemotherapy Nanodrugs [Carnegie Mellon] In the study, they administered Intralipid one hour before giving the animal a chemotherapy nanodrug. They found that their method reduced the amount of the drug that was found in the liver, spleen and kidneys and reduced the drugs’ toxic side-effects.
	5.10 Traitements - Essais
EFPIA-PhRMA Principles successfully enable responsible clinical trial data sharing [PhRMA] The workshop, jointly organized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Multi-Regional Clinical Trials Center of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard, is but one example of efforts by a broad range of stakeholders to enhance clinical trial data sharing.
	5.12.2 Immunothérapies - CAR-T
bluebird bio Acquires Manufacturing Facility in North Carolina and Executes Multiple Global Supply Agreements to Enhance Ability to Deliver Gene Therapies to Patients [bluebird bio] “Our goal is to bring multiple therapies to market over the next four years that can transform the lives of people suffering from severe genetic diseases and cancer. Investing in a world-class manufacturing infrastructure is a crucial step in accomplishing that mission on behalf of the people who need these novel treatments.”
A Virus Shortage? BlueBird Bio Buys A Factory To Make Its Own [Forbes] BlueBird Bio, one of the companies leading the way to develop new gene therapies, is announcing its solution: it has purchased a 125,000-square-foot facility in Durham, North Carolina, that it will use for manufacturing the lentiviral vectors used in its gene therapies.
Bluebird bio orchestrates a series of deals and a buyout to guarantee gene therapy manufacturing [EndPoints] The late-stage biotech has snagged a partially complete manufacturing complex in Durham, NC to do its own in-house manufacturing work while executing a series of contracts with suppliers. And bluebird execs say the basket of deals places them in control of their own destiny — at least as far as manufacturing is concerned.
The Most Promising Cancer Treatments in a Century Have Arrived – But Not For Everyone [Wired] Scientists don’t fully understand why some CAR-T patients experience cytokine storms and neurotoxicity and others come out cured. “It’s kind of like the equivalent of getting on a Wright Brother’s airplane as opposed to walking on a 747 today,” says Wendell Lim.
	5.12.5 Immunothérapies - Pharma
Merck drafts game plan for lung cancer with awareness campaign expansion [FiercePharma] The latest cancer effort is a Merck collaboration with CancerCare and five lung cancer patient organizations: Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, LUNGevity, Lung Cancer Alliance, Lung Cancer Foundation of America and Lung Cancer Research Foundation.
	5.12.8 Immunothérapies - Economie
Pharma's Paradox: Cure A Deadly Childhood Disease And Then Get Attacked On Price [Forbes] So, how do we deal with the pricing of cures? What value do we put on life? Taking a child with ALL and truly enabling her to lead a full and normal life adds a great deal of value to society.
	5.2.3 Pharma - économie
New backers Sofinnova and Scopia bring Y-mAb’s round to $80M for anti-cancer drugs [EndPoints] Their lead drug is called burtomab, which the company says scored highly significant results in patients suffering from a rare complication of cancer called refractory leptomeningeal metastasis from neuroblastoma.
	5.3 Traitements - FDA, EMA, NICE...
New EU Guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practices for Advanced Therapies [ESMO] Adaptations ensure a high level of quality for advanced therapy medicinal products and patient protection.
New EMA CHMP Guideline on the Evaluation of Anticancer Medicinal Products in Man [ESMO] The Guideline is coming into effect on 1 April 2018.
	5.8.2 ASH - Pharma
Bristol-Myers Squibb to Present New Data Across a Broad Range of Blood Cancers at the 59th Annual Meeting & Exposition of the American Society of Hematology [BMS] Seven company oral presentations include first disclosure of data from CheckMate -205, evaluating Opdivo (nivolumab) as frontline therapy in newly-diagnosed, untreated patients with advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
	6.10.1 Politiques (USA)
Alex Azar, Trump’s HHS nominee, says addressing drug prices would be his top priority [STAT] In one heated exchange, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed Azar about a Lilly settlement related to the company’s fraudulent marketing of the drug Zyprexa, a case that led to the company paying what was then the largest criminal fine in history.
If Joe Biden runs for president, he’ll need to reboot his record on drug prices [STAT] By hiring a former Pfizer executive to run his charity, count me as skeptical that Biden is about to do anything that really challenges the pharmaceutical industry.
Health secretary nominee Azar says lowering drug prices a top priority [Reuters] Critics question how seriously Azar would tackle drug costs after presiding over sharp increases in insulin and other diabetes drug prices while at Eli Lilly.
	6.3 Associations/Fondations
U.S. says patient charity helped drugmakers, revokes approval [Reuters] One of the largest U.S. patient assistance charities may close after the federal government revoked its authorization, citing findings that the group, mainly funded by pharmaceutical companies, enabled drugmakers to influence prescriptions.