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.