Ablynx to Receive 8 Million Euro Milestone as Boehringer Ingelheim Starts First Patient Study With Bi-Specific Nanobody in Oncology

January 29, 2016 01:06 ET | Source: Ablynx

GHENT/ZWIJNAARDE, Belgium, Jan. 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ablynx today announced that Boehringer Ingelheim has administered the first dose in a Phase I dose escalation study with the half-life extended bi-specific anti-VEGF/Ang2 nanobody in adult patients with advanced solid tumors, triggering an €8 million milestone payment to Ablynx. The aim of the study is to evaluate the safety profile and dosing schedule for this nanobody. 

The anti-VEGF/Ang2 nanobody was discovered and developed as part of the strategic alliance between both parties, signed in September 2007. This nanobody blocks both vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 (Ang2), important proteins which are involved in the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels (angiogenesis), a vital mechanism in the growth of tumors.

Dr Edwin Moses, CEO of Ablynx, commented: "We are very pleased that the first bi-specific nanobody, as part of our collaboration with Boehringer Ingelheim, has entered clinical development. The formatting flexibility and ability to link different nanobodies together to bind to different proteins and/or epitopes is a key feature of our technology and is of particular interest in cancer drug development. We are looking forward to seeing more of these innovative product candidates enter the clinic in the future." 

The results from the preclinical study have been presented by Boehringer Ingelheim at the 8th Euro Global Summit on Cancer Therapy and demonstrated that this bi-specific Nanobody potently inhibits VEGF and Ang2 signalling in multiplein vivo cancer models and strongly impairs proliferation and survival of human endothelial cells. In addition, the bi-specific nanobody showed superior efficacy as compared to inhibition of the individual pathways by the reference monoclonal antibody drugs. The nanobody was also found to be well tolerated in cynomolgus monkeys.