SOTIO Exercises Second Target Option Under Existing Collaboration with NBE-Therapeutics to Develop Next-Generation Antibody-Drug Conjugates

BASEL, Switzerland and PRAGUE, Czech Republic , November 07, 2019 / B3C newswire / -- NBE-Therapeutics AG and SOTIO a.s. today announced that SOTIO has elected a second target for the development of a next generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) under their existing license and collaboration agreement. NBE and SOTIO will collaborate on the discovery, non-clinical development and manufacturing of this second undisclosed target. The development will be based on NBE’s proprietary antibody drug conjugate platform, including NBE’s site-specific SMAC-technology™ conjugation and its new, highly potent anthracycline toxin platforms. SOTIO will take global responsibility for clinical development, registration and commercialization of the ADC products.

NBE-Therapeutics’ new iADC™ platform creates highly potent and safe immune-stimulatory ADCs with an anthracycline payload, inducing a long-lasting immunological anti-tumor effect. It has shown unprecedented preclinical data in efficacy, as well as safety, in multiple pipeline programs. Its lead program NBE-002 against the ROR1 target has successfully passed the GLP tox study and is in the final stages of CMC. It is expected to begin its first in-human study by mid-2020 for triple negative breast cancer and lung cancer, as well as other cancer indications.

NBE is eligible for the option exercise fee, as well as milestone payments and royalties based on global net product sales. In addition, NBE will be reimbursed for its R&D expenses incurred in connection with product development in collaboration with SOTIO.

Dr. Ulf Grawunder, CEO of NBE-Therapeutics commented: “We are very enthusiastic that SOTIO has nominated a second ADC program under the existing collaboration agreement between SOTIO and NBE, confirming the high quality of our ADC platform. We have now created a robust and scalable ADC platform that enables us to leverage iADC development in clinical studies for multiple programs. The collaboration with Sotio over the past years has further strengthened our technology and we are very proud to have them on board for a second iADC development program.”

“Based on the very encouraging data from our first collaboration target with NBE and the SO-N102 program, as well as the data of NBE’s proprietary program NBE-002, we have now exercised the second target option in the collaboration,” mentions Dr. Radek Spisek, CEO of SOTIO. “NBE’s product platform addresses the key issues of today’s antibody-drug conjugates and has the potential to provide new and superior treatment options for cancer patients.”

About NBE-Therapeutics
NBE-Therapeutics is a privately-owned Swiss, Basel-based biotech company, founded in 2012 with the vision of developing next-generation immune-stimulatory antibody drug conjugate (iADC™) products. NBE advances its products to clinical proof of concept with the goal of improving treatment options for cancer patients. The company leverages proprietary platforms covering all aspects of ADC development: its Transpo-mAb Display™ technology for antibody discovery, its SMAC-Technology™ for site-specific payload conjugation of toxins to antibodies and a novel highly effective and immune-stimulatory anthracycline-based toxin platform. The company is financially backed by the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (D), the PPF Group and Novo Holdings (DK) as institutional investors, and by additional Swiss, German and Dutch private investors. 

About SOTIO
SOTIO is an international biotechnology company leading the efforts of PPF Group to build a diverse biotechnology portfolio through its own research & development, collaborations, in-licensing, investments, mergers and acquisitions. The company is developing new medical therapies, focusing on the treatment of cancer. The most advanced project is its proprietary platform of active cellular immunotherapy on the basis of dendritic cells. SOTIO is verifying the safety and efficacy of its DCVAC products through multiple Phase I to Phase III clinical trials. One of its affiliates, Cytune Pharma, a French biotechnology company focusing on developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, is currently evaluating its SO-C101 (IL-15-based) lead program in Phase I clinical trial in collaboration with SOTIO. SOTIO is also looking to partner with other companies and institutions that develop promising oncology therapeutics. SOTIO has facilities in Europe, the United States, China and Russia and has all the functionalities needed for research, clinical development and market access in-house. 

Contact

NBE Therapeutics AG
Ulf Grawunder
CEO
+41 61 633 2230
ulf.grawunder@nbe-therapeutics.com

Keywords: Humans; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms; Anthracyclines; Antibodies; Immunoconjugates; Lung Neoplasms; Biotechnology; antibody-drug conjugates

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