On June 18, 2024 Day One Biopharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: DAWN) ("Day One" or the "Company"), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing targeted therapies for people of all ages with life-threatening diseases, reported it has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement (the Agreement) with MabCare Therapeutics (MabCare) for MTX-13, a novel ADC targeting protein-tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) (Press release, Day One, JUN 18, 2024, View Source [SID1234644421]). Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, Day One has exclusive rights to develop, manufacture, and commercialize MTX-13 worldwide, excluding Greater China.
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In April 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared the investigational new drug (IND) application for MTX-13, which going forward will be identified as DAY301. In pre-clinical studies, DAY301 showed antitumor activity in a wide range of solid tumors.
"Our priorities for 2024 are to successfully launch OJEMDATM (tovorafenib), to advance our existing programs and to expand our pipeline by in-licensing clinical-stage assets that have the potential to transform outcomes for patients of all ages living with cancers," said Jeremy Bender, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Day One. "We are excited by the opportunity presented by DAY301, and we believe we have the right team in place to develop the program to its full potential."
DAY301 targets PTK7, a highly-conserved, catalytically inactive transmembrane protein that is overexpressed in multiple adult cancers, including esophageal, ovarian, lung, and endometrial cancer, as well as pediatric cancers such as neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma and osteosarcoma. PTK7 has limited expression in normal tissues or organs, making it an attractive target for therapeutic development.
"The addition of DAY301 to our pipeline strategically fits our mission of advancing both pediatric and adult medicines in areas of unmet need with equal urgency," said Dr. Samuel Blackman, co-founder and head of research and development at Day One. "We believe the linker-payload technology embodied in DAY301 will overcome the limitations of earlier PTK7-targeted ADCs, giving us a potential first-in-class drug against a clinically-validated target. We are excited to add this program to Day One and will look to enter the clinic in the coming months."
Under the terms of the licensing agreement, MabCare will receive $55 million upfront, and is eligible to receive an additional $1.152 billion in development, regulatory and commercial success-based milestones, plus low-to-mid single-digit royalties on net sales outside of Greater China. Day One expects the first patient to be dosed in the Phase I study in the fourth quarter of 2024 or first quarter of 2025.