During the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference in Orlando, TESARO, Inc. and AnaptysBio, Inc., announced the expansion of their immuno-oncology partnership and exclusive license agreement to incorporate the development of a new bispecific antibody that will have the capacity to target two immune checkpoints.
The collaboration between the two companies began earlier this year, and has focused on the research of monospecific antibody drugs that specifically target the proteins TIM-3, LAG-3 and PD-1, along with dual reactive antibody drugs simultaneously targeting PD-1/TIM-3 and PD-1/LAG-3.
This collaboration has already resulted in an FDA Investigational New Drug (IND) application, that allowed the preclinical research of TSR-042, an investigational anti-PD-1 antibody. Furthermore, other clinical candidates have been identified, including those targeting TIM-3 and LAG-3.
“Through our collaboration with AnaptysBio, we are employing a variety of approaches, including monospecific, bispecific and dual specific antibodies, to address some of the most validated and promising immune checkpoint targets,” said Mary Lynne Hedley, Ph.D., president and COO of TESARO in a press release. “We are committed to advancing the science of immuno-oncology in order to potentially transform the care of patients with cancer. Our team looks forward to continued collaboration with AnaptysBio on these programs and to the presentation of data describing our anti-TIM-3 antibody candidate at the AACR conference later today in Orlando.”
This expansion predicts that TESARO will provide the funds for AnaptysBio to develop the clinical antibody candidates, and both companies will work together to develop and complete preclinical studies of the drugs. However, TESARO will be responsible for all clinical development, manufacturing, regulatory and commercial activities.
“AnaptysBio continues to focus on the development of therapeutic antibodies for unmet medical needs in immuno-oncology, inflammation and fibrosis. Our strategic advantage is the ability to rapidly discover and develop therapeutic antibodies against emerging biological targets using the natural somatic hypermutation mechanism encoded within the human immune system,” Hamza Suria, president and CEO of AnaptysBio added in the press release. “We are pleased to expand our collaboration with TESARO, and look forward to advancing multiple immuno-oncology antibodies into the clinic.”
