BRIEF—Seven and Eight to trial BDB001 alongside Roche's Tecentriq

Privately-held US biotech Seven and Eight Biopharmaceuticals has signed a clinical research collaboration with Swiss pharma giant Roche.

The companies will explore the combination of Seven and Eight’s BDB001, an immune modulator targeting toll-like receptors (TLR) 7 and 8, and Tecentriq (atezolizumab), a monoclonal antibody against the checkpoint target of PD-L1, in treating solid tumors.

“We are pleased to enter into clinical collaboration with Roche,” said Walter Lau, chief executive of Seven and Eight.

“Toll-like receptors 7 and 8 are among the most promising targets for immuno-oncology, and our dual agonists have demonstrated the ability to stimulate specific types of innate immune responses, generating enhanced adaptive anti-tumor immunity. We hope through our joint efforts with Roche, we can better delineate how to use BDB001 and atezolizumab together in the treatment of cancer patients.”