Onco Actu du 17 juin 2019

	1.1 BIOLOGIE - GÉNOME
Small, furry and powerful: are mouse lemurs the next big thing in genetics? [Nature] More-human than mice, the world’s tiniest primates may just have what it takes to become the next top model organism.
	3.1 PRÉVENTION - TABAC
Quitting smoking is hard. Mindfulness hacks the habit loop, offering a new approach [STAT] Though not a panacea, some evidence-based mindfulness apps like the one my colleagues and I recently described in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology show promise in targeting specific brain networks associated with getting caught up in craving compared to traditional approaches to smoking cessation.
	5. TRAITEMENTS
For stomach cancer, aerosol chemotherapy offers breath of hope [France 24] This year, the regional centre for the fight against cancer in the western city of Nantes will begin a multi-centre study on PIPAC therapy in which Dijon will also take part. Preliminary results are due within five years.
Reports of the Demise of Chemotherapy Have Been Greatly Exaggerated [AJMC] Our conclusions assert that reports of the demise of chemotherapy are greatly exaggerated and, as chemotherapy is likely to remain foundational for years to come, research is warranted to improve its patient-centricity.
	5.1 TRAITEMENTS - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Researchers Turn On PTEN Tumor-Suppressor Protein in Cancer Cells [NCI] Researchers have now identified, in both human cancer cells and mouse models, a way to turn on one of the tumor-suppressor proteins most commonly silenced in cancer, called PTEN. They also found a natural compound, currently sold as a dietary supplement that, in laboratory studies at least, could flip the on switch.
	5.12.11 IMMUNOTHÉRAPIES - PRÉ-CLINIQUE
Cancer-killing virus boosts immunotherapy in hard-to-treat cancer [Institute of Cancer Research] A modified version of vaccinia virus – the viral component of the smallpox vaccine – was able to switch on the immune system against cancer in rats with sarcoma tumours.
	5.16 TRAITEMENTS - CHIRURGIE
Artificial nose identifies malignant tissue in brain tumours during surgery [Tempere University] When tissue is burned, tissue molecules are dispersed in the form of surgical smoke. In the method developed by researchers at Tampere University, the surgical smoke is fed into a new type of measuring system that can identify malignant tissue and distinguish it from healthy tissue.
	5.3 TRAITEMENTS - FDA, EMA, NICE...
Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 11-14 June 2019 [EMA] EMA’s safety committee (PRAC) has started a review of leuprorelin medicines after reports indicated that handling errors during preparation and administration can cause some patients to receive insufficient amounts of their medicine, thus reducing the benefits of treatment.
	5.4 TRAITEMENTS - ECONOMIE
Understanding Price Growth in the Market for Targeted Oncology Therapies [Healthcare Economist] The study makes a major contribution for understanding how patients and payers can complain about the rising prices, while manufacturers can rightfully argue that the prices need to be this high to maintain revenues.
	5.9.3 EHA
Regeneron CD20xCD3 Bispecific REGN1979 Shows Positive Results in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, including in CAR-T Failures [Regeneron] 57% overall response rate (4 of 7 patients) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with REGN1979 80 mg to 160 mg, all of which were complete responses; these included 2 complete responses in 4 patients whose disease had progressed after CAR-T treatment.
ArQule Announces Clinical Proof-of-Concept Data from Ongoing Phase 1 Study of Reversible BTK Inhibitor, ARQ 531, in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Hematologic Malignancies at the 2019 EHA Annual Meeting [ArQule] Four of six evaluable CLL patients, all with the BTK-C481S mutation, from cohort 7 (65 mg) experienced a Partial Response.
BerGenBio posts updated data on trial of elderly AML patients [Fierce Biotech] BerGenBio presented data from the phase 2 trial at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting earlier this month and arrived at the 2019 congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) this week with a slightly updated data set.
Amgen Announces BLINCYTO® (blinatumomab) Five-Year Overall Survival Data At EHA 2019 [Amgen] More Than Half of Patients who Achieved an MRD-Negative Complete Response Still Alive at Five Years.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Presents Updated Efficacy Data from Phase 2 Trial of Empliciti (elotuzumab) Plus Pomalidomide and Dexamethasone in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma (RRMM) [BMS] Empliciti-based combination showed improvements across efficacy endpoints, including continued progression-free survival benefit at 18 months.
BeiGene touts 'encouraging' response rates as the Chinese biotech mounts challenge to BTK, PD-1 leaders [EndPoints] The biotech — which has origins in China — also brandished the latest pivotal results for its PD-1 drug tislelizumab, another franchise shaker that’s under priority review in China, at the EHA Congress.
Novartis continues to innovate in CML with long-term treatment-free remission results following Tasigna® use and promising combination data with investigational compound asciminib (ABL001) [Novartis] Results from two Phase II trials, ENESTfreedom and ENESTop, support and extend previous findings of long-term durability of molecular response after stopping Tasigna, reducing time on drug for many CML patients.
Newsmakers at #EHA19: Regeneron, ArQule track progress on response rates [EndPoints] Regeneron’s closely-watched bispecific continues to ring up high response rates.
	6. LUTTE CONTRE LES CANCERS
The scientists on a mission to revolutionise brain tumour research [Cancer Research UK] From developing tiny particles that could deliver drugs across the barrier surrounding the brain to going back to basics, the teams’ science impressed our expert panel. And they will now receive £18 million to put their research plans in to action.
NCAB asks for help from administration as NCI deals with deluge of grant applications [The Cancer Letter] NCI and its advisors are stumped by a deep medical mystery: Why has the number of grant applications received by the institute grown by nearly 50% since 2013? The answer here is all the more elusive, because the volume of applications at other institutes is either staying in place or has increased slightly.
	6.10.1 POLITIQUES (USA)
Amgen, Merck, and Eli Lilly sue over Trump administration policy to require drug prices in TV ads [STAT] The drug makers — Amgen, Merck, and Eli Lilly — were joined by the Association of National Advertisers on the lawsuit. In a press release, Amgen said the rule raises “freedom of speech concerns” and that it “fails to account for differences among insurance, treatments, and patients themselves.”
Inhumane or unavoidable? As Congress scrutinizes an increase in monkey research, scientists defend its necessity [STAT] Scientists and advocates for responsible animal research, however, argue that some studies can’t be conducted in mice or using other alternatives that animal research advocates have suggested, like computer models.
Drug Makers Sue to Block Requirement for Listing Prices in TV Ads [NY Times] The rule, set to take effect July 9, is one of the most visible efforts by the Trump administration to try to address high drug prices.
Drug Prices Are a Populist Campaign Issue. Here Are the Latest Proposals to Lower Costs. [NY Times] After years of public outrage, some bipartisan solutions are emerging. But whether they will make it through a divided Washington is still unclear.
	6.7 DMP, BIG DATA & APPLIS
After losing its CMO to the FDA, Roche's Flatiron Health nabs biopharma veteran [Fierce Biotech] After its near $2 billion buyout by oncology giant Roche last winter, Flatiron Health has hired a new chief medical officer as it looks to push on under its new parent in the world of electronic health records (EHRs) and real-world data.