Copenhagen, Denmark – Symphogen A/S today announced that John Haurum, Chief Scientific Officer and Michael Kragh, Director of Antibody Pharmacology will present positive preclinical data on the Company’s Sym004 program for the discovery and development of antibodies against EGF receptor (EGFR)-positive cancers. The data will be presented at two upcoming conferences: the 4th Annual European Antibody Congress in Geneva on December 2 and at the IBC’s 19th Annual International Conference on Antibody Engineering in San Diego on December 11, 2008.
The Sym004 drug candidate consists of two recombinant antibodies targeting EGFR and is being developed to combat EGFR-positive cancers. Preclinical data reveal that Sym004 exhibits superior anti-cancer efficacy in vivo in a range of tumor xenograft models as compared to marketed monoclonal anti-EGFR antibodies by a mechanism of action that is distinct from that of monoclonal antibodies.
“These data demonstrate that Symphogen has a unique anti-cancer product in preclinical development that displays superior anti-cancer efficacy in vivo,”
said John Haurum, MD, PhD, CSO of Symphogen.
“With our proprietary Symplex technology, we were able to discover what appears to be a very potent antibody combination that inhibits EGFR by binding to two distinct receptor sites. This is something that cannot be accomplished with a monoclonal antibody approach.”
“These results support the development of recombinant antibody mixtures for oncology indications, and we believe that the unique product profile as evidenced by these encouraging data supports the advancement of this product candidate towards clinical development,”
said Kirsten Drejer, PhD, CEO of Symphogen.
About Sym004
Sym004 is a recombinant IgG1 antibody product consisting of two antibodies against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Similar to marketed monoclonal antibodies, Sym004 inhibits cancer cells in vitro by inhibition of ligand binding, receptor activation and downstream signaling.
In addition, Sym004 induces rapid and efficient internalization and degradation of the EGF receptor due to the simultaneous binding of full length Sym004 antibodies to non-overlapping epitopes. This removal of the EGF receptor leads to a superior anti-tumor response of Sym004 as compared to marketed monoclonal EGFR antibodies in vitro and in vivo. Preliminary safety data indicate that Sym004 has a safety profile similar to marketed monoclonal antibodies and a full set of regulatory toxicology studies have been initiated.
About Symphogen
Symphogen is the leader in developing recombinant polyclonal antibodies (pAb), a new class of biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of serious human diseases. By employing its pioneering antibody discovery and manufacturing technologies, Symphogen generates recombinant antibody compositions that capture the diversity and effectiveness of the natural immune system. Symphogen is building a proprietary product pipeline within several disease areas, including infectious diseases and cancer.
Symphogen is a private biopharmaceutical company based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Refer to www.symphogen.com for further information on Symphogen.