Forty Seven announced an agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to conduct a Phase 1b clinical trial combining Hu5F9-G4 with avelumab in patients with ovarian cancer.
PD-L1 and CD47 are immunosuppressant molecules overexpressed on cancer cells that send inhibitory signals to T cells and macrophages, respectively. Binding of avelumab to PD-L1 takes the brakes off T cells and, in a similar way, binding of Hu5F9-G4 to CD47 takes the brakes off macrophages.
"PD-L1 inhibitors, like avelumab, belong to a class of new immunological therapies for cancer known as checkpoint inhibitors that offer the opportunity for long-term remissions in some cancer patients," said Forty Seven Inc. CMO Chris Takimoto. "Not all patients however, respond to checkpoint inhibitors, so additional scientifically driven combination approaches are required."
Avelumab is jointly developed by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, and Pfizer. Avelumab is under clinical investigation for the treatment of ovarian cancer and has not been demonstrated to be safe and effective for this indication.