Advertise With UsAdvertise on our extensive network of industry websites and newsletters.
Get the PBR newsletterSign up to our free email to get all the latest PBR
news.Peregrine Pharmaceuticals has reported that anti-VEGF antibody R84, an antibody identified by its partner Affitech, selectively blocks the interaction of vascular endothelial growth factor to VEGF receptor 2, and is as effective as Avastin in inhibiting growth of established tumors in a preclinical breast cancer model.
Subscribe to our email newsletter
R84 selectively blocks vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) binding only to VEGFR2, the receptor primarily responsible for tumor angiogenesis, unlike Avastin and other drugs in development that block VEGF binding to both VEGFR2 and VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1). Selective blocking of VEGF binding to VEGFR2 may ultimately offer safety or efficacy benefits over non-selective approaches, according to the companies.
Additional preclinical studies are planned to evaluate R84 as a potential clinical candidate based on its anti-tumor activity.
Peregrine, in association with Affitech, has now filed a patent application for R84 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to preserve the right to obtain patent protection in the US, all member countries of the EU, and the rest of the world.
Martin Welschof, CEO of Affitech, said: “R84 is one of several fully human antibodies we have been able to successfully discover for Peregrine and other collaborators using our proprietary antibody library and screening technologies, such as AffiscreeN and CBAS (cell based antibody screening). We are also at the preclinical stage of development of our own pipeline candidates, which were generated by the CBAS system, and we anticipate similar success.”