The objective is to optimize Fc receptor mediated antibody function.
The work will be conducted in the Laboratory of Molecular Genetics and Immunology at The Rockefeller University, which is headed by Jeffery Ravetch, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Ravetch is a leading researcher who unraveled the importance of the antibody constant region (Fc) and described the mechanisms of antibody-mediated effector responses.
The Fc portion of an antibody plays a critical functional role by binding to various cellular receptors as well as complement proteins, and it is responsible for recruiting other immune system cells to attack the tumor cell resulting in destruction of the targeted cell.
The Company recently announced that it will file investigational new drug (IND) applications with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a HuMab 5B1-based therapeutic product and a next generation PET imaging agent later this year.
The Company anticipates initiating Phase I trials in the first quarter of 2016.
David Hansen, President and CEO of MabVax Therapeutics, explained, "Because we are working on a very difficult to treat disease, pancreatic cancer, as our first therapeutic indication, the Company has been initiating research and development programs on next-generation HuMab 5B1-based therapeutic products.
"These programs are geared toward increasing the potency as well as the antibody-mediated effect of the current product. While we believe that the current HuMab 5b1 product will demonstrate effectiveness in our early studies, the longer term strategy is to bring more potent products to the market in the next few years."
Because the HuMab 5B1 antibody is fully human and recovered from patients undergoing cancer vaccine treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the Company believes that these antibodies reduce the likelihood of unwanted immunogenicity and cross reactivity.
The results from preclinical studies continue to build the body of evidence that makes the HuMab 5B1 product a valuable asset. The Company believes that its unique dual-product development approach – of having both a therapeutic and diagnostic application – is applicable to other cancers utilizing our HuMab 5B1 antibody as well as with follow-on antibodies already under development in our preclinical pipeline.