Increasing Number of Cancer Cases to Fuel the Global Cancer Immunotherapy Market Growth

According to data compiled by Transparency Market Research, the global cancer immunotherapy market is expected to grow from USD 37.50 Billion in 2015 to USD 124.88 Billion by 2024 while registering a CAGR of 14.6% during the forecast period. The market is expected to be driven by the introduction of new drugs and therapies as companies compete against each other in research and development. The innovative drugs have technologically evolved to have antibody dependent cellular toxicity, antigen specificity, and adaptive immunity. The market is predominantly controlled by therapies for breast cancer treatments, with the North American region leading the market. Furthermore, the North American region is expected to continue dominating the global market during the forecast period. Regen BioPharma, Inc. (OTC: RGBP), BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ: BLRX), Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS), Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPTH), Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHX)

Immunotherapy is growing rapidly due to the increasing number of cancer related cases. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), it is projected that new cancer cases will grow to 21.7 Million and cancer related deaths will climb to 13 Million. Some of the most common cases of cancer are breast cancer, bladder cancer, leukemia and lung cancer. "The booming field of immunotherapy that these discoveries have precipitated is still relatively in its infancy, so it's exciting to consider how this research will progress in the future," said Charles Swanton, Cancer Research UK's Chief Clinician, according to Times Now News, "Immunotherapy is now possibly the most important recent discovery for cancer therapy in general, as an alternative to chemo."

Regen BioPharma, Inc. (OTCQB: RGBP) yesterday reported its, "researchers have determined that its lead NR2F6 small molecule agonist, RG-NAH005, is now ready for testing in animal models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The Company will pursue this testing as a joint venture with Zander Therapeutics Inc. Zander Therapeutics, Inc. has been granted an exclusive license by Regen to develop and commercialize Regen's NR2F6 intellectual property for veterinary applications.

IBD is a disease caused by persistent and chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and is a term that refers to both ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Current treatments include non-specific immune suppressors such as steroids as well as newer drugs recently approved by the FDA.

'Our ex-vivo studies with RG-NAH005 support moving the drug into animal studies where we can measure the effect of the drug on different diseases,' says Harry Lander, Ph.D., President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regen. 'We have elected to look at IBD first as the cytokine profile which is suppressed by RG-NAH005 ex-vivo seems to be potentially important in treating IBD.'

The NR2F6 nuclear receptor has been identified as a potentially very important immune cell inhibitor (an immune checkpoint) and cancer stem cell differentiator. The NR2F6 small molecule program at Regen aims to identify antagonists of NR2F6 in an effort to unleash the cancer-killing potential of a patient's own immune system as well as identifying agonists which should suppress the immune system in diseases where the immune system is over-activated, such as autoimmunity and chronic inflammation.

'We are pleased that RG-NAH005 has shown a safety profile that allows us to move it into animal studies,' says David Koos, Ph.D., Chairman & CEO of both Regen BioPharma, Inc. and Zander Therapeutics, Inc. 'As IBD is both an important issue in both humans and animals, the joint venture of these studies is appropriate for Regen as well as Zander in their pursuit of small molecule therapies for treating autoimmune diseases.'

David Koos serves as Chairman & CEO of both Regen BioPharma, Inc. and Zander Therapeutics Inc. Harry Lander serves as President and Chief Scientific Officer of both Regen BioPharma, Inc. and Zander Therapeutics, Inc. Todd S. Cavenserves as CFO of both Regen BioPharma, Inc. and Zander Therapeutics Inc. Koos, Lander and Caven also serve as Directors of Zander Therapeutics, Inc. Zander Therapeutics, Inc. is the sole licensee of Regen's NR2F6 intellectual property for veterinary applications."

BioLineRx Ltd. (NASDAQ: BLRX) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and immunology. BioLineRx Ltd recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with Biokine Therapeutics to increase BioLineRx's stake in its lead oncology platform, BL-8040, a CXCR4 antagonist currently in late stage clinical development in both solid tumor and hematological indications, including stem cell mobilization (SCM), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and immunotherapy for multiple types of solid tumors. As a result of the transaction, BioLineRx will increase its economic stake in the program to 80% from the previous level of 60%. BioLineRx licensed the exclusive worldwide rights to BL-8040 from Biokine Therapeutics in 2012. "We are very pleased to execute this transaction with Biokine Therapeutics, which provides us with a significantly greater share of the economics in our lead program, BL-8040, as we continue to advance this promising candidate through late-stage clinical development," stated Philip Serlin, Chief Executive Officer of BioLineRx. "In multiple clinical studies to date in a number of indications, BL-8040's unique mechanism of action has demonstrated robust mobilization of target cells, a direct apoptotic effect, as well as the ability to induce infiltration of T cells into the core and periphery of solid tumors, while maintaining a favorable safety profile."

Curis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRIS) is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, including fimepinostat, which is being investigated in clinical studies in patients with DLBCL and solid tumors. Curis, Inc. recently reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30th, 2018. "Our second quarter has been marked by continued progress in advancing our three clinical drug candidates further in their respective development," said Ali Fattaey, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Curis. "We continue to assess and hold productive discussions with the FDA to identify a path to register fimepinostat, which could provide much-needed benefit for patients with R/R DLBCL, and in particular those whose disease have MYC alterations. CA-170, our orally available small-molecule checkpoint inhibitor, continues to progress in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies with a planned update in the second half of 2018. Patient enrollment continues for our recently initiated Phase 1 study of precision oncology candidate CA-4948, currently the only IRAK4 kinase inhibitor in clinical development for cancer."

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BPTH) is a biotechnology company developing DNAbilize®, a novel technology that has yielded a pipeline of RNAi nanoparticle drugs that can be administered with a simple intravenous transfusion. Bio-Path Holdings, Inc., leveraging its proprietary DNAbilize® antisense RNAi nanoparticle technology to develop a portfolio of targeted nucleic acid cancer drugs, recently announced that it has commenced Stage 2 of the Company's Phase 2 trial of prexigebersen in acute myeloid leukemia. "We are delighted to announce the expansion of our ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial of prexigebersen for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia using a dosing schedule that administers a greater amount of prexigebersen to the patient prior to commencing LDAC dosing than in the first part of the trial. Based on compelling new data, we are also including a cohort of patients who will be treated with a combination of prexigebersen and decitabine," said Peter Nielsen, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bio-Path. "Results from the planned interim analysis of the first part of this Phase 2 study were particularly encouraging, with 47% of treated patients demonstrating a response. Consequently, we remain enthusiastic about prexigebersen's potential and believe these protocol changes will optimize the drug's impact in AML cancer patients with high unmet need."

Athersys, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATHX) is an international biotechnology company engaged in the development of therapeutic products designed to extend and enhance the quality of human life. Athersys, Inc. recently announced that the first patient has been enrolled its Phase 3 study entitled, MultiStem Administration for Stroke Treatment and Enhanced Recovery Study-2 ("MASTERS-2") to evaluate MultiStem® cell therapy treatment of patients who have suffered an ischemic stroke. "We are pleased to have initiated the MASTERS-2 trial, and to have reached this important milestone regarding enrollment of the first patient into the trial," commented Dr. Robert William Mays, Vice President of Regenerative Medicine and Head of Neuroscience programs at Athersys. "We believe that MultiStem cell therapy has the potential to improve standard of care for patients that have suffered a debilitating stroke and can also meaningfully extend the treatment window, providing a potential treatment option for many more patients. The commencement of this trial is an important goal that we have been working toward while we continue to support the ongoing TREASURE trial in Japan that is being conducted by our partner, Healios."