Base to Base biotech podcast 61: Making tumours visible, and taking on tough challenges

This week, we speak with John Friend, CEO of Kazia Therapeutics; and have a conversation with PureTech Health CEO Robert Lyne and Eric Elenko, president and co-founder of PureTech and acting CEO of Gallop Oncology.Times:03:23 Kazia Therapeutics31:56 PureTech HealthPureTech HealthPureTech Health plc is a hub-and-spoke biotherapeutics company dedicated to giving life to science and transforming innovation into value.The company recently announced positive topline data from its phase 1b clinical trial of LYT-200, a first-in-class, fully human anti-galectin-9 monoclonal antibody, in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) high-risk (HR) myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and R/R acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).Based on the results, PureTech's founded entity, Gallop Oncology, has selected a recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) and intends to engage with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss the design of a subsequent trial that could potentially support registration of LYT-200 in R/R HR-MDS.PureTech’s strategy has produced dozens of therapeutic candidates, including three that have received U.S. FDA approval.Kazia TherapeuticsAbout 1 in 8 women in the U.S. will develop breast cancer in their lifetime. While many patients benefit from advances in treatment, some of the most aggressive forms are still very difficult to treat and often stop responding to therapy.A growing focus in oncology is how to overcome that resistance by changing how tumours behave.Kazia Therapeutics is advancing a strategy centred on reprogramming cancer cells. Instead of just blocking growth, the goal is to make tumours less aggressive and more visible to the immune system.Their lead candidate, paxalisib, is an oral therapy currently being studied in advanced breast cancer. In metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most treatment-resistant tumour types, early data suggests that combining paxalisib with standard therapies may begin to address both immune resistance and metastatic drivers simultaneously.To get in touch with guest suggestions, or to sponsor or advertise on the podcast, please email [email protected]