On April 7, 2015 Amphivena Therapeutics, Inc., a developer of cancer immunotherapeutics reported the achievement of the first and second milestones under the terms of its agreement with Janssen Biotech, Inc. Amphivena and Janssen have selected a clinical candidate against an undisclosed tumor antigen for further development in hematologic malignancies (Press release, Amphivena Therapeutics, APR 7/, 2015, View Source [SID:SID1234515577]). The milestones triggered the release of payments to Amphivena. The financial details were not disclosed.
The agreement was facilitated by Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
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Amphivena’s clinical candidate is based on the RECRUIT-TandAb platform, licensed from Affimed GmbH. RECRUIT TandAbs are bispecific molecules, with two binding sites for each specificity, that mediate potent and efficient tumor cell lysis by selectively binding to a tumor antigen on a cancer cell and the CD3 receptor complex on a T cell. They offer pharmacokinetic advantages over smaller, monovalent bispecific constructs.
"We are delighted to have achieved our milestones earlier than anticipated and look forward to advancing our therapeutic candidate rapidly to the clinic to address the unmet needs of patients suffering from life-threatening cancers," said Jeanmarie Guenot, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Amphivena Therapeutics.
"We believe Amphivena’s clinical candidate holds significant promise as a new, potent anti-cancer therapy," stated Luke Evnin, Managing Director of MPM Capital, and Amphivena’s lead investor. "We also appreciate Janssen’s ongoing support of, and participation in this important program, which we believe offers further validation of this novel approach to cancer treatment."