These names in the biotech sector are seeing a substantial increase in search activity today, as determined by InvestingChannel. They include:

Concert Pharmaceuticals (CNCE), 2,183% surge in interest
Salarius Pharmaceuticals (SLRX), 1,107% surge in interest
Bellicum Pharma (BLCM), 1,061% surge in interest
Synlogic (SYBX), 584% surge in interest
Beyondspring (BYSI), 485% surge in interest

Pipeline and key clinical candidates for these companies:

Concert Pharmaceuticals is developing deuruxolitinib, a novel, deuterated, oral JAK1/2 inhibitor. Concert has successfully completed two Phase 3 trials with deuruxolitinib in adults with Alopecia Areata, an autoimmune dermatological disease. Concert is also evaluating the use of deuruxolitinib in other indications and assessing a number of earlier-stage pipeline candidates.

Salarius Pharmaceuticals is developing therapies for patients with cancer in need of new treatment options. Salarius’ product portfolio includes seclidemstat, the company’s lead candidate, which is being studied as a potential treatment for pediatric cancers, sarcomas and other cancers with limited treatment options, and SP-3164, an oral small molecule protein degrader. Seclidemstat is currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for relapsed/refractory Ewing sarcoma and certain additional sarcomas that share a similar biology, also referred to as Ewing-related or FET-rearranged sarcomas. Salarius is also exploring seclidemstat’s potential in several cancers with high unmet medical need, with an investigator-initiated Phase 1/2 clinical study in hematologic cancers underway at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Bellicum is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company whose "next-generation product candidates are differentiated by powerful cell signaling technologies designed to produce more effective CAR-T cell therapies," the company has stated. Bellicum’s GoCAR-T product candidates, BPX-601 and BPX-603, are "designed to be more efficacious CAR-T cell products capable of overriding key immune inhibitory mechanisms."

Synlogic is advancing therapeutics based on synthetic biology. Synlogic's pipeline includes its lead program in phenylketonuria, or PKU, which has demonstrated proof of concept with plans to start a pivotal, Phase 3 study in the first half of 2023, and additional novel drug candidates designed to treat homocystinuria, enteric hyperoxaluria and gout. In addition to its clinical programs, Synlogic has a research collaboration with Roche (RHHBY) on the discovery of a novel Synthetic Biotic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease or IBD. Synlogic has also developed two drug candidates through a research collaboration with Ginkgo Bioworks (DNA): SYNB1353, designed to consume methionine for the potential treatment of HCU, and SYNB2081, designed to lower uric acid for the potential treatment of gout.

BeyondSpring is focused on developing cancer therapies and lead asset plinabulin is being developed as a potential “pipeline in a drug” in various cancer indications as a direct anti-cancer agent and to prevent chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. BeyondSpring’s pipeline includes three preclinical immuno-oncology assets and a subsidiary, SEED Therapeutics, which is leveraging a proprietary targeted protein degradation drug discovery platform with an initial R&D collaboration with Eli Lilly (LLY).

Recent news on these stocks:

January 19

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Concert Pharmaceuticals announced that they have executed a definitive agreement under which Sun Pharma will acquire all outstanding shares of Concert through a tender offer for an upfront payment of $8.00 per share of common stock in cash, or $576M in equity value. Concert stockholders will also receive a non-tradeable contingent value right entitling holders to receive up to an additional $3.50 per share of common stock in cash, payable upon deuruxolitinib achieving certain net sales milestones within specified periods, subject to the terms and conditions contained in a contingent value rights agreement detailing the terms of the CVRs. The transaction was approved by the boards of both companies.

Salarius Pharmaceuticals announced that Aundrietta Duncan, Ph.D., director of non-clinical development, will present SP-3164 preclinical data and discuss program progress at the inaugural Molecular Glue Drug Development Summit being held on January 24-26. Dr. Duncan's presentation, titled "Development of the Cereblon-Binding Molecular Glue, SP-3164," will take place during the afternoon session on January 26. Daniela Santiesteban, Ph.D., Salarius' director of targeted protein degradation, will serve as chair for this afternoon session, which is titled "Elevating the Biological Relevance & Therapeutic Value of Molecular Glues from Discovery to Clinical Development."

Synlogic announced that SYNB1934 was granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation by the FDA for the potential treatment of phenylketonuria. The company expects to initiate Synpheny-3, the pivotal Phase 3 study for SYNB1934 in PKU in the first half of the year. Synlogic also received RPDD for SYNB1353 for the potential treatment of homocystinuria in December 2022.

About “Biotech Alert”

The Fly will report on a selection of biotech stocks seeing a surge in interest from retail and financial professional investors, based on data from InvestingChannel.

This Fly exclusive recap reveals the biotech stocks that are seeing a spike in searches among the 15-plus million retail and financial professional investors through InvestingChannel's online financial news media ecosystem.

This increased attention from the investors may be in response to, or advance of, outsized moves for stocks in the biotech sector, which tend to be volatile and prone to sharp swings in share price around binary events such as clinical study results and FDA approvals.