OSE Immunotherapeutics SA has entered into a multi-year research collaboration on OSE-703, a cytotoxic monoclonal antibody against the alpha chain of Interleukin-7 Receptor (IL-7R), with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York.
The collaboration will support a research program using OSE-703 (Effi-3), a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the extracellular domain of the alpha-chain of the receptor for interleukin-7 (CD127), cytotoxic for human cells expressing CD127.
The research program will be conducted by physician-scientist Prasad S. Adusumilli, MD, FACS, a thoracic surgeon with expertise in tumor immunology and a focus on the development of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) immunotherapy.
The goal of this research collaboration is to explore IL-7R directed immunotherapy OSE-703 for solid tumors with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as the primary cancer model. From a large cohort of NSCLCs*, it has been shown that IL-7R was overexpressed in this type of cancer and associated with poor prognosis.
“We are excited to collaborate with Dr. Adusumilli and one of the world’s most renowned cancer hospitals. The combination of his pioneering expertise in immuno-oncology, especially within CAR T-cell immunotherapy, and the therapeutic potential of OSE-703, will afford us optimal conditions to establish this promising product candidate’s efficacy profile and identify an appropriate development approach,“ said Dominique Costantini, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics.
* Suzuki et al, J Clin Oncol. 2013 Feb 1; 31(4): 490–498.