On July 20th, 2021 South Korea-based biotech company, Ubix Therapeutics (www.ubixtrx.com), reported the current status of their lead program, UBX-303, which utilizes Ubix’s platform technology, Degraducer (Press release, Ubix Therapeutics, JUL 20, 2021, View Source [SID1234635871]). UBX-303 is a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) targeting molecule for the treatment of B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Ubix recently signed partnership agreements with global CRO and CDMO companies to initiate GLP toxicology studies as well as large-scale manufacturing of UBX-303 in preparation for submitting an Investigational New Drug (IND) application.
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Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients face significant unmet needs, including the lack of treatment options for relapsed or refractory CLL, drug-induced resistance, and adverse events. Available BTK inhibitors can bind to off-target kinases, such as ITK and EGFR, causing side effects or can have limited long-term efficacy due to drug resistance, which most commonly occurs by the C481S mutation.
UBX-303 has been designed to demonstrate efficacy by degrading over-expressed BTK proteins and has a different modality than current BTK inhibitors. Its distinct mechanism of action, the decomposing and removal of BTK proteins in cells, is expected to bring about overall advantages, in particular demonstrating superior efficacy, overcoming resistance, and increasing selectivity for target proteins.
"UBX-303 showed excellent PK/PD profiles in the non-clinical studies conducted so far, and superior anti-cancer efficacy in the C481S mutant Xenograft mouse model as well as in the wild type. We expect UBX-303 to address unmet medical needs for B cell-related diseases, including CLL and DLBCL, and to expand its indications for immunological disorders." said BK Seo, CEO of Ubix Therapeutics.
About Degraducer
Degraducer is a technology that utilizes the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), an intracellular degradation system. Degraducer is a bifunctional molecule where a "ligand", which binds to target protein, and a "binder", which binds to E3 ubiquitin ligase. In other words, Degraducer is a powerful inhibitor technology that enables target protein degradation and consequent therapeutic effects by placing a disease-related target protein nearby E3 ligase, which can then initiate the protein degradation system.