Glycotope enrolls first patient for 'biobetter' of Roche cancer drug Herceptin

Berlin, Germany-based glycomics specialist Glycotope GmbH says it has enrolled the first patients in a Phase I dose finding trial to evaluate safety and tolerability of TrasGEX, a so-called “biobetter” of Swiss drug major Roche’s blockbuster breast cancer drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) targeting the HER2-receptor, commonly over-expressed in a variety of cancers.

TrasGEX has been glycooptimized to yield a manifold higher anti-tumor activity and is supposed to be suitable for the treatment of an enlarged patient spectrum. It was developed using GlycoExpress, the German company's development and production platform based on glycoengineered human cell lines for biopharmaceuticals with fully human and optimized glycosylation.

"We are delighted to see our 4th glycooptimized biopharmaceutical product in clinical trials", says Steffen Goletz, chief executive and founder of Glycotope. "After CetuGEX and PankoMab-GEX, TrasGEX is our 3rd anti-cancer antibody which entered clinical trials in time. GlycoExpress has been proven to be the broadest glycooptimization technology not only for antibodies but also for most other glycoproteins. Our glycooptimized Follicle-Stimulating Hormone FSH-GEX has already completed clinical Phase Ia with very exciting results. Currently we are advancing a broad range of pre-clinical products in various therapeutic areas," he added.