Posted: 14 October
AdAlta Limited, the clinical stage drug discovery company developing novel therapeutic products from its i-body platform and GPCR Therapeutics Inc, a clinical stage biotech company discovering and developing innovative therapeutics targeting cancer based on the novel science of CXCR4, announce a collaboration to evaluate AdAlta’s CXCR4 inhibiting i-bodies as cancer therapeutics, using GPCR Therapeutics’ proprietary combination inhibition approach.
AdAlta’s i-body platform is ideally suited to engaging an important class of drug targets called G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). One of these GPCRs is known as CXCR4. In addition to its role in fibrotic disease, CXCR4 is also known to be over-expressed in more than 23 cancers, representing a multi-billion dollar drug market. Attempts by others to develop CXCR4 inhibitors as cancer therapeutics have had limited success to date.
AdAlta owns a panel of i-bodies which inhibit CXCR4 signalling in different ways. The panel includes AD-214, AdAlta’s lead drug candidate which has been progressed to clinical development for fibrotic diseases. GPCR Therapeutics has discovered that combining CXCR4 inhibitors with molecules inhibiting other GPCRs that are associated with CXCR4 in cancer can result in superior inhibition of CXCR4.
Under the collaboration, AdAlta will supply a panel of its CXCR4 inhibiting i-bodies. GPCR Therapeutics will evaluate those i-bodies in combination with a series of generic beta blocker molecules selected from its own platforms which inhibit a GPCR known as B2AR. These studies will evaluate the effect of the combined CXCR4-B2AR inhibition on in vitro cell signalling, cell migration and cell killing. If successful, GPCR Therapeutics will evaluate the combined inhibition of these compounds in vivo in mouse cancer models.
If those studies are successful, AdAlta will have the first option to license and further commercialise resulting products for treating cancer, while GPCR Therapeutics will have the same option if it is not exercised by AdAlta. The parties have agreed that whichever is the licensee under these options will pay the other pre-agreed up-front option exercise fees, development milestones, commercialisation milestones and low- to mid- single digit royalties on sales, subject to development success.
The supply of the initial panel of i-bodies under the collaboration agreement will not have a material impact on AdAlta’s cash runway or other programs. GPCR Therapeutics were advised by Liberi Group’s CEO, Frans Trouwen.
