Medivir and CRT to develop novel ADAM8 inhibitors for cancer
This article was originally published in Scrip
Sweden's Medivir and Cancer Research Technology (CRT), the charity Cancer Research UK's commercialization and development arm, are partnering to develop a new class of drugs targeting the cell surface protein ADAM8, which may have promise in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, among other tumor types.
According to Citeline's Pharmaprojects database, the only ADAM8-focused program in development is this one.
As part of the collaboration, CRT and Medivir will conduct a two-year research program to optimize and develop small molecules targeting ADAM8, which has been linked to tumor survival, cell invasion and metastasis.
"As part of our business intelligence process we continuously screen and search for projects and opportunities that either fits or add to our scientific platform, which is based on a leading expertise in the design of protease inhibitors and in the science of nucleotides and nucleosides," Medivir's CFO Ola Burmark told Scrip. "This particular project came to our attention almost two years ago and as Medivir strategic focuses is on infectious diseases and oncology, this project is an excellent example to where we can contribute and add value based on our technology platform." The data available around the project were particularly interesting, he noted.
Under the agreement Medivir receives an exclusive, global license to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize ADAM8 inhibitor drugs, while CRT receives an upfront payment and future milestones as well as royalties on sales which are shared with the academic collaborators.
Blocking ADAM8, a metalloprotease disintegrin, in mice with pancreatic cancer prevented the spread of the disease, shrunk tumors and significantly extended lifespan. This is thought to be due to its involvement in cell adhesion, cell migration, inflammation and the growth of blood vessels. High levels of the protein have been linked with more aggressive tumors including those in pancreatic, breast, brain, prostate, lung, head and neck, and kidney cancers.
The research will be led by Professor Jörg Bartsch at TransMIT, located at Marburg University in Germany, in collaboration with Medivir. Prof Bartsch previously worked at King's College London where the initial patent application was filed. Further proof of concept studies were funded by Cancer Research UK at King's College.
Dr Keith Blundy, Cancer Research Technology's CEO, said: "Medivir's significant expertise in protease inhibitor design coupled with CRT's proven track record in drug development will hopefully pave the way for an exciting new class of drugs for treating cancer. Exploratory studies indicate that ADAM8 is an attractive target across many types of cancer, and potentially other diseases driven by inflammation, and we look forward to further exploring that promise through this innovative collaboration."