19 September, 2005: Antibody therapeutics company EvoGenix Ltd (ASX: EGX) announced today that it has licensed rights to an antibody for the treatment of leukaemia from Korean company DiNonA Inc.
The agreement gives EvoGenix the rights to develop a humanised antibody therapeutic for world wide markets, excluding Asia. In return, DiNonA will earn milestone payments as the drug is developed, and a royalty on product sales.
The antibody, discovered by researchers at the University of Seoul in South Korea, targets certain forms of acute adult leukaemia for which current antibody drugs provide little benefit. Patients suffering from such blood cancers generally have few treatment options other than highly aggressive and toxic chemotherapy. Even with such aggressive therapy, the outcome for patients is poor. Of the 20,000 or more adults diagnosed with acute leukaemia each year in the US and Europe, less than 20% survive for 3 years after diagnosis.
Patients whose leukaemia recurs after chemotherapy treatment are often resistant to further chemotherapy. Antibodies can provide an attractive alternative by homing in very specifically on the cancer, allowing for more aggressive therapy without the limiting toxic effects of chemotherapy, and with a predicted lower incidence of resistance. Dr Steffen Nock, President of the US EvoGenix operations, negotiated the deal for the company. He noted “DiNonA’s antibody is unusual in targeting only the immature blood cells that are characteristically over-produced in adult leukaemias, while leaving both normal blood cells and the stem cells that generate them unaffected. This means that an antibody therapeutic based on the DiNonA discovery should be very focused in its cell killing effects, avoiding unpleasant and sometimes life-threatening side effects from aggressive use of chemotherapy.”
In the initial stages of its work, EvoGenix will further evaluate the Korean antibody, currently a mouse protein, which would be subject to immune rejection if administered to humans. It will then utilise its proprietary technology platform to develop a “humanised” and highly potent form of the antibody, which will not be rejected and would be expected to be both safe and effective in treating leukaemia patients.
Dr Song Hyung Geun, CEO of South Korea-based diagnostic company DiNonA Inc., commented “EvoGenix, with its extensive expertise in antibody humanisation and optimisation, is a perfect partner to develop our diagnostic antibody into a powerful human therapeutic which can address an unmet need in the treatment of acute leukaemia”.
The agreement represents a further step forward for EvoGenix in implementing its business strategy. The Company plans to utilise its proprietary technology platform to generate a succession of antibody therapeutics, to be out-licensed for the later stages of development. This anti-leukaemia antibody will form the fourth product to be developed by the company, with the first to be ready for out-licensing during 2006.
