Selexis and OSE Immunotherapeutics have signed two commercial license agreements (CLAs) to advance the clinical development of two new cancer immunotherapy programs, OSE-172 and OSE-703.
The agreement supports the development of OSE’s new generation immune myeloid checkpoint inhibitor (OSE-172) and cytotoxic monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-7 receptor (OSE-703).
OSE-172 is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the generation of pro-tumor suppressor cells and restores their anti-tumoral function. OSE-172 blocks SIRP-alpha (Signal Regulatory Protein Alpha), a receptor strongly expressed by myeloid and macrophage suppressor cells in the tumor microenvironment.
The product helps modifying tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) associated with a poor prognosis by blocking and transforming them into cells with a good prognosis.
OSE-172 also may be combined with other immunotherapies, in particular with checkpoint inhibitors acting on T-lymphocytes, such as products triggering a stimulation of the immune system. This new product is anticipated to enter Phase 1/2 clinical trials in 2018.
OSE-703 is a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the extracellular domain of the IL-7 receptor (IL-7R), killing cells positive for the receptor.
Under collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the immuno-oncology therapeutic candidate is in preclinical studies for solid tumors with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as the primary cancer model.
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology in February 2013, titled “Clinical Impact of Immune Microenvironment in Stage I Lung Adenocarcinoma: Tumor Interleukin-12 Receptor β2 (IL-12Rβ2), IL-7R, and Stromal FoxP3/CD3 Ratio Are Independent Predictors of Recurrence,” researchers showed that IL-7R was overexpressed in NSCLC and associated with poor prognosis.
“This is our third signed CLA with OSE this year, and we believe the rapid expansion of our relationship is a direct result of the utility and flexibility of our cell-line expression technology across protein therapeutics and development stages,” Marco Bocci, PhD, vice president of licensing and business development at Selexis, said in a press release. “Selexis’ technology can scale with OSE’s developmental needs, and provide the company with a fast, stable and reliable method of protein expression. This is critical for the development of recombinant, protein-based medicines like OSE-172 and OSE-703.”
The agreements provide OSE with access to Selexis’ high-performance research cell banks (RCBs) developed using their SUREtechnology Platform, which facilitates the stable and cost-effective production of recombinant proteins and provides integration of the biologics development continuum from discovery to commercialization.
