BioCentury
ARTICLE | Translation in Brief

ORIC’s CD73 inhibitor for cancer; plus Beam, CRISPR-Cas13 for respiratory infections, COVID-19 complex structure, and more

BioCentury’s roundup of preclinical news

May 2, 2020 12:21 AM UTC
Updated on May 2, 2020 at 3:47 AM UTC

A small molecule CD73 inhibitor from ORIC Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ORIC) has shown significant antitumor activity in vivo. ORIC-533 is slated for an IND submission in 1H21. CD73, which is overexpressed in cancers including melanoma and triple negative breast, non-small cell lung and prostate cancers, controls adenosine production; adenosine accumulation is implicated in immune suppression that aids in tumor growth.

Beam Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAM) has reported data validating its base editing approach for treating sickle cell disease and AAT deficiency. In sickle cell patient-derived hematopoietic stem cells, Beam used adenosine base editors to correct the HBB point mutation that causes sickle cell, and boosted fetal hemoglobin production by editing the associated promoter sequence. In mice modeling AAT deficiency, where an SNP leads to AAT protein misfolding, base editing to correct the causative mutation or introduce an allosteric compensatory mutation led to signs of restored AAT function, reduced AAT globule burden in the liver and increased serum AAT levels and elastase inhibitory capacity (see Beaming About Base Changes). ...