Lung Cancer Breakthroughs and Nvidia Partnership Highlight Biotech Gains

Biotech advancements in lung cancer treatments and medical innovations took center stage at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) congress in Madrid. A combination therapy involving drugs from Amgen and AstraZeneca extended lung cancer patient survival to an average of 21.1 months, compared to 12.7 months under standard treatments. The regimen pairs a well-known immunotherapy from AstraZeneca with a novel Amgen drug designed to bridge cancer cells and T-cells, enabling the immune system to combat the disease.

The therapy targets Small Cell lung cancer, which accounts for 15% of all lung cases and currently has limited treatment options. Following the data release, Amgen shares rose by 2.5% and AstraZeneca gained 3.1%. Progress was also reported in Non-Small Cell lung cancer, where Roche announced superior results for its KRAS-targeted product compared to existing alternatives from Amgen and BMS, achieving 17.7 months of average survival versus 12 months.

In the technology sector, Israeli startup Rylo, formerly known as Nagish, announced a strategic partnership with chip giant Nvidia. Rylo develops real-time sign language transcription applications for the deaf and hard of hearing. The company will utilize Nvidia technologies to accelerate the training of its AI models, which are tasked with reading video sign language fast enough to deliver simultaneous translation into voice or text.

Rylo recently secured $85 million in June, bringing its total funding to $101 million from prominent investors including Canaan, Vertex, and General Catalyst. CEO Tomer Aharoni noted that the company has achieved profitability and targets $100 million in revenue for the year, aiming for unicorn status by the end of 2027. Rylo operates under a unique business model, securing government funding approval from the US Federal Communications Fund as an equivalent to human sign language interpreters.