MD Anderson has tapped an innovative new company to improve the efficacy of cancer treatments. Photo via mdanderson.org

The sad reality is that not every cancer responds to medication, but a new collaboration is taking steps to close the gaps for scores of patients who were previously left without a clear solution.

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Nexo Therapeutics announced last week that they are collaborating, a move that could lead to the discovery of therapies that could work for patients with limited treatment options.

The Colorado- and Massachusetts-based company joins forces with Houston’s cancer-fighting powerhouse after emerging from stealth with a $60 million series A.

“For many cancer patients, there are no therapies that target the fundamental drivers of their disease,” says Nexo’s founder and CEO, Andrew Phillips, in a press release. He goes on to say that the company’s innovations in covalent chemistry and chemical biology, along with cancer biology and medical chemistry allows it to advance novel therapies.

But in order to get the drugs that Nexo creates onto the market, it is taking advantage of MD Anderson’s first-rate translational research and expertise in drug development. Specifically, Nexo will work with MD Anderson’s TRACTION (Translational Research to AdvanCe Therapeutics and Innovation in ONcology) platform. The pairing will allow the two bodies to accelerate the development of small-molecule therapies through drug-enabling studies.

“Together with Nexo’s innovative platform, our integrated approach to translational research and drug development is poised to design and rapidly advance novel therapies against high priority oncology targets,” says Tim Heffernan vice president of Oncology Research for TRACTION at MD Anderson, in a press release. “This collaboration highlights our commitment to advancing innovative new medicines that address critical unmet needs for our patients.”

TRACTION is part of MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery Division. It combines a team of doctors, researchers, and drug development specialists to bring therapies from discovery to clinical trials. TRACTION researchers will work with Nexo to identify cancers that might be susceptible to their treatments, then find strategies to target them, and finally use biomarkers to help optimize patient selection.

Nexo will help to provide funding to support this research and will retain rights to programs under the collaboration, and will take sole responsibility for development, manufacturing, and commercialization. Meanwhile, MD Anderson may receive royalties and future payments based on milestones as they are obtained. But the real reward will be treating patients who were previously low on options.

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Axiom Space-tested cancer drug advances to clinical trials

mission critical

A cancer-fighting drug tested aboard several Axiom Space missions is moving forward to clinical trials.

Rebecsinib, which targets a cancer cloning and immune evasion gene, ADAR1, has received FDA approval to enter clinical trials under active Investigational New Drug (IND) status, according to a news release. The drug was tested aboard Axiom Mission 2 (Ax-2) and Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3). It was developed by Aspera Biomedicine, led by Dr. Catriona Jamieson, director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI).

The San Diego-based Aspera team and Houston-based Axiom partnered to allow Rebecsinib to be tested in microgravity. Tumors have been shown to grow more rapidly in microgravity and even mimic how aggressive cancers can develop in patients.

“In terms of tumor growth, we see a doubling in growth of these little mini-tumors in just 10 days,” Jamieson explained in the release.

Rebecsinib took part in the patient-derived tumor organoid testing aboard the International Space Station. Similar testing is planned to continue on Axiom Station, the company's commercial space station that's currently under development.

Additionally, the drug will be tested aboard Ax-4 under its active IND status, which was targeted to launch June 25.

“We anticipate that this monumental mission will inform the expanded development of the first ADAR1 inhibitory cancer stem cell targeting drug for a broad array of cancers," Jamieson added.

According to Axiom, the milestone represents the potential for commercial space collaborations.

“We’re proud to work with Aspera Biomedicines and the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, as together we have achieved a historic milestone, and we’re even more excited for what’s to come,” Tejpaul Bhatia, the new CEO of Axiom Space, said in the release. “This is how we crack the code of the space economy – uniting public and private partners to turn microgravity into a launchpad for breakthroughs.”

Chevron enters the lithium market with major Texas land acquisition

to market

Chevron U.S.A., a subsidiary of Houston-based energy company Chevron, has taken its first big step toward establishing a commercial-scale lithium business.

Chevron acquired leaseholds totaling about 125,000 acres in Northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas from TerraVolta Resources and East Texas Natural Resources. The acreage contains a high amount of lithium, which Chevron plans to extract from brines produced from the subsurface.

Lithium-ion batteries are used in an array of technologies, such as smartwatches, e-bikes, pacemakers, and batteries for electric vehicles, according to Chevron. The International Energy Agency estimates lithium demand could grow more than 400 percent by 2040.

“This acquisition represents a strategic investment to support energy manufacturing and expand U.S.-based critical mineral supplies,” Jeff Gustavson, president of Chevron New Energies, said in a news release. “Establishing domestic and resilient lithium supply chains is essential not only to maintaining U.S. energy leadership but also to meeting the growing demand from customers.”

Rania Yacoub, corporate business development manager at Chevron New Energies, said that amid heightening demand, lithium is “one of the world’s most sought-after natural resources.”

“Chevron is looking to help meet that demand and drive U.S. energy competitiveness by sourcing lithium domestically,” Yacoub said.

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This article originally appeared on EnergyCapital.