Domestic pharmaceutical and biotech corporations will showcase next-generation cancer treatment technologies at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The European Society for Medical Oncology is considered one of the world's three major cancer societies along with the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Association for Cancer Research. It will be held in Madrid, Spain, on Oct. 23–27 (local time).
Corporate officials and researchers can glimpse trends in anticancer drug development at the meeting. It can also lead to opportunities to make an impression on overseas drugmakers and discuss technology exports. This year, technologies related to antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which precisely strike cancer cells, and bispecific antibodies will be unveiled.
◇ Lower side effects and precisely strike cancer cells… a game changer in cancer treatment
LigaChem Biosciences(141080) Science will present its antibody-drug conjugate candidate (LCB02A). An antibody-drug conjugate attaches a drug to an antibody to precisely strike cancer cells. The antibody acts as a guide that seeks out cancer cells. Because it binds only to cancer cells and releases the drug there, it reduces side effects on normal cells and maximizes efficacy.
LigaChem Biosciences plans to explain the path from preclinical to clinical entry. The candidate targets a protein called claudin 18.2. This protein is overexpressed on the surface of cancer cells such as gastric and pancreatic cancers. Based on this, the antibody was designed to home in and release the drug.
After confirming efficacy in the preclinical stage, the company will conduct a phase 1 trial in 191 cancer patients. The company said there is no antibody-drug conjugate targeting claudin 18.2 yet commercialized on the market. Park Se-jin, CEO of LigaChem Biosciences, said, "We will conduct the first clinical trial at institutions including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute affiliated with Harvard Medical School in the United States," adding, "We will establish credibility."
◇ Kill cancer cells and boost immunity at the same time
ABL Bio(298380) will unveil at the meeting its bispecific antibody technology that targets cancer cells and immune cells simultaneously. A bispecific antibody connects two antibodies. It offers better therapeutic effects than a monospecific antibody, but its structure is complex, making development challenging and time-consuming.
The company will share phase 1 data on its bispecific immune-oncology candidates zibastomig and lagistomig at the meeting. Zibastomig acts on claudin 18.2 on the surface of cancer cells and on 4-1BB, a protein that activates immune cells. Simply put, one arm grabs the cancer cell while the other arm awakens immune cells to attack it. Designated for priority review (fast track) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it will skip phase 2 and enter phase 3 in the fourth quarter.
Lagistomig simultaneously targets PD-L1, which allows cancer cells to evade attack, and 4-1BB. To avoid immune cells, cancer cells send a signal called PD-L1. Immune cells interpret this signal as meaning not to attack. The candidate blocks the signal, effectively unlatching the gate so immune cells can attack cancer cells. Both zibastomig and lagistomig are being co-developed by ABL Bio and U.S. biotech corporation Novabridge Biosciences.
◇ Continuing development despite U.S. approval failures… HLB to unveil liver and bile duct cancer studies
HLB(028300) will have its U.S. subsidiary Elevar Therapeutics unveil research on treatments for liver cancer and cholangiocarcinoma. The company conducted a phase 3 trial combining the liver cancer treatment candidates Rivoceranib and Camrelizumab. Based on these data, it evaluated the impact of early antibiotic use on patient treatment.
Camrelizumab is an anticancer drug from China's Hengrui. Earlier, HLB applied to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for approval of the regimen combining Rivoceranib and Camrelizumab but failed three times.
HLB will also deliver an oral presentation on phase 2 results of Rivoceranib administered to patients with metastatic thymic epithelial tumors. This is a rare tumor of the thymus located between the lungs and the sternum. In addition, it will present an analysis of phase 1/2 results for lifugratinib, under development as a treatment for cholangiocarcinoma. Kim Dong-gun, CEO of Elevar Therapeutics, said, "We will secure evidence that can be used in the treatment setting."