On January 4, 2022 Champions Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq:CSBR), a leading global technology-enabled biotech that is transforming drug discovery through innovative pharmacology, biomarker, and data platforms, reported a therapeutic development partnership with Alloy Therapeutics (Press release, Champions Oncology, JAN 4, 2022, View Source [SID1234598061]). The partnership will combine novel therapeutic targets identified within Champions’ Lumin platform with Alloy’s fully-integrated in vivo and in vitro antibody discovery, optimization, and lead development services platform to develop antibodies used in the development of next generation Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs).
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ADCs engage tumor-specific therapeutic targets at a cell’s surface to deliver potent toxic payloads to the tumor, without affecting normal cells. The planned partnership will initiate with a single program focused on a previously unexplored target present in tumor indications such as Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), Multiple Myeloma (MM), Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Lymphoma, and other hematologic tumors. This therapeutic target is the product of Champions’ newly expanded data-driven strategy to engage in drug discovery and development. The partnership will also leverage the unique experimental platforms available at Alloy and Champions to ensure rapid and efficient development towards clinical evaluation. Under the terms of this agreement, Champions will wholly own the therapeutic molecule, with milestones and royalty payments owed to Alloy.
Ronnie Morris, MD, President and CEO of Champions Oncology, said: "We have been particularly excited about this specific therapeutic program and partnership with Alloy. The advanced pheno-multiomic integration analytics within our Lumin platform revealed some exciting information about the target at the center of this program. Not only does it look to have strong potential as a classical ADC target, with high tumor-specific expression, but also has with a strong association with underlying biology linked to cancer progression and chemoresistance. This type of dual mechanism targeting with ADCs makes the use of such a platform very powerful. This development partnership with Alloy will ensure that we establish best in class antibodies in a quick timeframe. We’re excited to see this therapeutic program enter the pipeline."
Errik Anderson, CEO and Founder of Alloy Therapeutics, said: "We are proud to support antibody discovery in this promising ADC program with far-reaching therapeutic applications, made more powerful by the Lumin advanced analytics and target identification engine. This partnership with Champions represents Alloy’s approach to empowering drug developers in the pursuit of important treatments for patients. In 2022 we will increase our discovery services capacity to support a wider range of innovative programs and increase speed to the clinic for our community of partners."