Cancer Research UK to help progress immuno-oncology drug Tb535H

British firm Biotecnol has entered into a collaboration Cancer Research UK (CRUK) whereby an experimental immuno-oncology treatment will move into early phase clinical trials for patients with advanced solid tumors, including lung cancers, under a collaboration agreement between the two.

CRUK will support the early clinical development of the company’s promising first-in-class drug called Tb535H. The drug is the first to emerge from Biotecnol’s novel antibody development platform, Trisoma. It is directed against the 5T4/WAIF1 tumor antigen, a protein found on many different solid tumours and is thought to contribute to the spread of cancer cells.

The WAIF1 antigen was discovered by scientists at the CRUK Manchester Institute. It could be a valuable target in many different cancer types, but the initial focus in this trial will be to treat cancers with high unmet-need. This includes thoracic cancers such as mesothelioma, small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), for which survival remains very low, and renal cell carcinoma.