Viragen recently reported that the anti-CD55 antibody, known as VG102, was able to enhance the action of Genentech and Biogen Idec’s Rituxan (rituximab), resulting in the significant increase in the destruction of cancer cells in vitro, indicating the potential of the agent to be used effectively in combination with other therapies.
Viragen is developing the anti-CD55 antibody to block the protective effect of the protein CD55 on the surface of tumor cells. The protein CD55 is one of a number of proteins that protect normal healthy cells from being destroyed by the complement system, part of the human immune response against disease.
The anti-CD55 antibody binds to its target in a specific and distinctive way, and it is believed that this unique binding mechanism confers certain advantages to the antibody itself. In binding to its target, the antibody acts to remove the tumor’s protective mechanism and is expected to boost patient response rates either as a stand-alone therapy or in combination with other antibodies. The antibody may also be used as a cancer diagnostic agent.