Imricor Medical Systems (IMR: $0.115) listed on the ASX in 2019 at $0.83 per share raising $13 million. The company was formed in 2006 in the US and is pioneering cardiac ablation treated specifically through the guidance of MRI. Traditional ablation procedures are conducted using fluoroscopy and x-ray imaging.

There are multiple advantages in using MRI to help guide the procedure, most notably the better imaging quality that can be achieved compared to x-ray. This results in arguably better ablation outcomes, less repeat procedures and shorter treatment periods. Efficacy of the ablation procedures involves inserting an ablation catheter through the veins or arteries to correct irregular electrical signals in the heart. Other safety benefits for patients and surgeons come from not using x-ray images.

Antibody development company Patrys (PAB: $0.021) has announced the publication of some new and important data around its rare portfolio of compounds.

CEO of Radiopharm Theranostics (RAD: $0.185), Riccardo Canevari, believes that the next big platform in oncology, following immunotherapy and cell therapies, will be radiopharmaceuticals.

Canevari highlighted the said the approval of Lutathera (in 2018) from Novartis (where Canevari was working at the time), for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumours and the more recent approval this year of Pluvicto (also from Novartis) as key events for the sector. Lutathera achieved a stunning efficacy result in its pivotal trial achieving a hazard ratio of 0.21, meaning a 79% risk reductio of disease progression or death. For Pluvicto, reaching primary and secondary endpoints in prostate cancer was a game changer.

By 2027 the sales of biologics are predicted to surpass the aggregate sales of small molecule drugs, with US$120 billion more sales and making up 55% of all drug sales. This is a positive aspect for Patrys (PAB: $0.022), an antibody therapeutics company, according to CEO James Campbell. However, small molecule drug sales are still expected to increase by around 50% over this period driven by CNS therapy product sales.

During the pandemic, Dimerix (DXB: $0.17) was very pleased to have been able to complete two Phase II kidney disease studies. The company has now moved to a Phase III program in FSGS (kidney disease) involving 75 sites spread across 12 countries, including in the US where the company recently gained FDA approval (IND) to commence its study there as well. The first patient was treated in this study this week.

Dimerix CEO Nina Webster said that sclerotic kidney disease is a progressive three mechanism cycle that results in an acceleration of the disease as it progresses to end stage kidney failure. The drugs currently on the market all focus on the first mechanism of this disease by reducing hypertension across the bloodstream.

CAR-T therapies currently remain predominantly for use in oncology according to Chimeric Therapeutics CEO and Bioshares Biotech Summit keynote speaker Jennifer Chow.

Cancer therapies commenced largely in the 1940's with chemotherapy, which could be described as bombing the patient with broad acting drugs. This was followed by targeted therapies in the 1990's such as monoclonal antibodies. In the last decade, the major advances have been in immunotherapies, such as checkpoint therapies. These targeted therapies started to improve short-term survival, and then the immunotherapies were found to improve long-term survival.

During the pandemic, Cogstate CEO Brad O'Connor said the whole pharmaceutical industry saw the demand for remote assessments in clinical trials increase, with the company's digital cognitive assessments well set up for decentralized studies.

Cognitive assessment company Cogstate has signed US$73.6 million of new sales contracts, up 105% on the PCP. This is a record for the company.

Another nuclear imaging and therapy company, Radiopharm Theranostics (RAD: $0.245), listed on the ASX in November last year raising $50 million at $0.60 per share.

Radiopharm has four imaging studies underway withy three therapeutic trials and an additional imaging study expected to commence by year's end. At a briefing this week, CEO Riccardo Canevari said that he expected the radiopharmaceutical market to grow very fast after the recent approval of Pluvicto, with other pharmaceutical companies waiting to enter the radiopharmaceutical sector. The three major pharmaceutical companies active in this sector are Novartis, Bayer and AstraZeneca.

Chimeric Therapeutics (CHM: $0.14) has raised $14.4 million through a rights issue conducted at $0.17 per share. The company finished last year with $13.4 million in cash following its IPO in January last year when the company raised $35 million at $0.20 per share.

Aortic heart valve development company Anteris Technologies (AVR: $18.67) has declined a proposal to merge with US cashbox company Medicus Sciences Acquisition Corp.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.90) reported an EBIT of US$6.1 million for the first half of this financial year. EBIT for the full year is expected to be between US$8.8 - US$11.3 million.

On a recent investor call, Pharmaxis (PXS: $0.097) CEO Gary Phillips said that the company's Phase I/IIa trial in patients with myelofibrosis is on target to complete recruitment by mid-year with results still due at the end of the year.

Chimeric Therapeutics (CHM: $0.21) has finished dosing the second cohort of three patients in its chlorotoxin CAR-T cell therapy in patients with glioblastoma.

Aortic heart valve development company Anteris Technologies (AVR: $18.67) has declined a proposal to merge with US cashbox company Medicus Sciences Acquisition Corp.

Background
EBR Systems is a single product medical device company developing a wireless electrode designed to stimulate the left ventricle (LV) for biventricular cardiac re-synchronisation therapy (CRT). CRT is a mainstay of treatment for late-stage heart failure. The WiSE (Wireless Stimulation Endocardially) electrode represents a step change in CRT for the key reason that it is already the first ever device to achieve a CE mark for implantation to the endocardium (inside) of the left ventricle.

Cogstate (CGS: $1.68) has delivered another good quarter of sales contracts signed, totalling US$13.7 million and $US54 million for the first half following a very strong September quarter performance.

Biologics drug development company Adalta (1AD: $0.09) has announced that its lead drug candidate, AD-214, will now be developed as an inhaled drug rather than a systemically delivered injected therapy.

The key reason for the change is that preclinical imaging studies with a radiolabelled version of AD-214 showed high accumulation levels (more than half the administered dose) in the liver. The reasons for strong binding affinity in the liver are unknown at this point, but it is not related to the i-body platform with the rapid distribution to the liver seen only with this drug candidate.

Adalta (1AD: $0.155) has progressed its collaboration with GE Healthcare for its cancer treatment diagnostic.

In September Adalta signed a commercial deal with GE to find i-bodies using its unique technology that could very specifically bind to the enzyme granzyme B which is produced by activated T-cells.

Adalta has now identified several relevant i-bodies which will progress into preclinical development.

Last week Adalta (1AD: $0.175) provided details of the successful completion of its Phase Ia trial with its lead antibody drug candidate, AD-214. The company will now move into two additional Phase I studies, one in healthy volunteers and the second in patients with fibrotic lung diseases.