Aptevo Therapeutics and Alligator Bioscience will jointly manufacture their immunotherapy candidate ALG.APV-527 in order to fulfill the requiremeents of an investigational new drug (IND) application for future human clinical testing.
ALG.APV-527, developed using Seattle-based Aptevo’s proprietary ADAPTIR technology platform, will target two distinct proteins. One is an undisclosed tumor protein that attracts immune cells to the tumor region. The other, 4-1BB or CD137, is a co-stimulatory receptor that activates the recruited tumor-specific T-cells.
This dual action allows the immune system to specifically attack cancer cells, thereby lowering potential side effects.In addition, its bispecificity and improved stability makes this antibody ideal for tackling several solid cancers, including breast, cervical, non-small-cell-lung, prostate, renal, gastric, colorectal and bladder cancers.
“Having worked collaboratively to design and engineer ALG.APV-527, we are pleased to now announce its advancement into preclinical development,” Per Norlén, CEO of Sweden’s Alligator Bioscience, said in a press release. “This bispecific antibody brings tumor directed immunotherapy to the next level. By making the immune activation dependent on binding to a tumor antigen we have created a candidate drug with potential for improved efficacy and fewer side effects.”
The two companies are now conducting critical preclinical chemistry, manufacturing and control activities to optimize production and ensure the safety of ALG.APV-527.
“The timely progress we are making underscores our respective companies’ expertise in bispecific antibody engineering and we are very excited to begin the next phase of development of ALG.APV-527 and further demonstrate the elegance of our ADAPTIR technology platform,” said Marvin L. White, president and CEO of Aptevo.
“As an emerging class of new therapeutics, bispecific antibodies may offer important technological advancements over traditional monoclonal antibodies, including the potential for more precise targeted therapy through enhanced functionality, potency and efficacy,” White added. “We look forward to advancing ALG.APV-527 towards IND submission and to further validating the utility of our ADAPTIR protein therapeutic platform.”
