August 1st, 2005
Preclinical Study Supports Therapeutic Potential of Micromet’s Drug Candidate MT103
Results published in Cancer Immunology Immunotherapy
August 1st, 2005, Munich, Germany -- Micromet AG reports preclinical results on its drug candidate MT103, a BiTE™ compound targeting the CD19 antigen on B cells. MT103 is currently in a phase I trial for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It is being co-developed with MedImmune, Inc., a leading U.S.-based biotechnology company focused on drug development in infectious diseases, immunology and oncology.
The outcome from the recent study in primates mirrors the demonstrated potency of MT103 seen in cell culture experiments and mouse efficacy models. In primates, doses of 0.06 µg/kg were sufficient to achieve fully reversible activation of T cells. Even short-term exposure with MT103 for a few hours caused, when repeated, a cumulative and sustained depletion of peripheral B cells. In general, the treatment with efficacious doses of MT103 was well tolerated and no severe side effects were observed.
"The properties of MT103 seen in vitro are apparently recapitulated in primates," Patrick Baeuerle, CSO of Micromet, comments. "We are now elaborating a dosing scheme and formulation to achieve prolonged T cell activation, which might eventually translate into complete B-lymphoma cell elimination in human target tissue. This novel therapeutic principle would expand the range of existing treatments against malignant B cell diseases with considerable benefit for patients who are resistant to or became refractory to existing treatments." |
