Oxford BioTherapeutics (OBT), a clinical stage oncology company with a pipeline of immuno-oncology and ADC-based therapies, has received another milestone payment from Boehringer Ingelheim for the progress of a second oncology drug candidate (BI 765049), discovered during the first phase of the partnership, into the clinic. In addition to OBT’s clinical asset, OBT076, this drug candidate is one of OBT’s several existing immuno-oncology programs that have been enabled through OGAP, the company's proprietary OGAP target discovery platform.
In this Phase I clinical trial, BI 765049 will be administered to patients with advanced solid tumours including colorectal cancer, gastric carcinoma, pancreatic carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
“The advancement of the second oncology drug candidate, developed under our collaboration with BI, into the clinic is a major validation of our proprietary OGAP drug discovery platform,” said OBT’s CEO, Dr Christian Rohlff. “Selecting the right target is fundamental for the successful development of a first-in-class antibody drug product. OBT’s platforms are designed to discover and engineer antibody constructs to novel therapeutic targets – these include bi-specific, chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T), antibody drug conjugate (ADC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) therapeutics - to best address difficult-to-treat cancers. We believe that the advancement of the first two BI compounds, directed to an oncology target identified by us, into the clinic, further validates our approach”.
“We look forward to applying our experience to the continued advancement of our partnered and in-house programs, including our most advanced asset, OBT076, a CD205 targeting antibody, which is successfully progressing through dose escalation in the U.S. for patients with high risk breast cancer and other solid tumours”, commented Abderrahim (Rahim) Fandi, PhD, CMO of OBT. “Our US clinical program is truly innovative because OBT076 not only acts to destroy tumour cells directly but can also potentially reverse immune tolerance. By targeting chemotherapy failure, in CD205 positive solid tumour patients, our strategy represents a new treatment approach for these patients with limited existing treatment options and rapid disease progression.”