On June 7, 2021 Defence Therapeutics reported, after very encouraging preliminary in vivo results, the establishment of a collaboration with the HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center at Helsinki, Finland for the optimization of Defence’s Accum-T-DM1 ADC Therapeutic (Press release, Defence Therapeutics, JUN 7, 2021, View Source [SID1234626235]). This Cancer Center is Finland’s largest and most versatile cancer treatment center, their expertise is internationally highly valued and their treatment results are world-class.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
The parties entered into a collaboration for the preclinical selection of an optimized Accum-TDM1 conjugate based on in vitro assessments. These studies will not only highlight the additive effect mediated by Defence’s, Accum technology, it will also guide the selection of optimal Accum-T-DM1 for further in vivo testing on breast and gastric cancer animal models.
T-DM1 (Ado-trastuzumab, Kadcyla) approved by the FDA in 2013 to treat women with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer surpassed $1 billion in annual sales in 2019 to become the first ADC to hit blockbuster status. The Kadcyla ADC antibody portion of this drug serves as a homing device to the chemotherapeutic drug emtansine. Clinical and pre-clinical studies have shown that intracellular drug delivery to breast cancer cells may not be optimal causing treatment resistance and recurrence.
Combining the Accum technology to the Kadcyla ADC is expected to amplify the therapeutic index of the drug while potentially minimizing side effects observed in patients undergoing the therapy. Defence’s Accum platform has been developed and tested in vitro to enhance the intracellular drug delivery on multiple ADCs that are FDA approved or under development.
"We have a long-standing experience in the field of ADC therapeutics, and we believe that the HUS Comprehensive Cancer Center represents an ideal collaborator for the ongoing development of the optimized Accum-T-DM1 conjugate," said Sebastien Plouffe, Chief Executive Officer of Defence Therapeutics. "We look forward to the continued advancement of our Accum-modified pipeline," he added.
Currently, the T-DM1 regiment consists of a 3-week treatment cycle for up to 14 cycles. By linking Defence’s Accum to T-DM1, the regiment will most likely be shorter due to the enhanced therapeutic effect of the ADC.
The Global cancer immunotherapy market is worth over $100 billion annually.