�Micromet, Inc.
(Nasdaq: MITI), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietorship
antibodies for the treatment of crab, inflammation and autoimmune
diseases, announced publication of a Phase 1 clinical study(1) on its
BiTE(R) antibody blinatumomab (MT103/MEDI-538) in this week's issue of
Science. The article is available at http://www.sciencemag.org. Blinatumomab is
being co-developed with MedImmune.
Blinatumomab is a novel antibody therapy that activates a patient's T
cells to seek out and destroy cancer cells. The phase 1 study demonstrated
tumor regression, and in some cases, complete remittance, in non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma patients who relapsed after previous treatments and were
considered to have incurable disease. Most of the remissions are reported
to uphold, with the longest subsidence ongoing for more than one year.
Results from this ongoing Phase 1 clinical test with the CD19-specific
BiTE antibody blinatumomab show that all seven-spot patients hardened to particular date at
0.06 mg/m2 per day achieved complete or fond responses. The safety
profile observed in this study supports continued blinatumomab development.
"These results represent significant progress of a T cell piquant
antibody for treatment of lymphoma patients as single agent therapy. We
ascertained tumor regression in patients at blood serum levels of blinatumomab,
which are roughly five orders of magnitude lower than serum levels
needed by conventional monoclonal antibodies for achieving a tumor
retroversion in this disease. This may interrelate to the high anticancer activity
of cytotoxic T cells recruited by blinatumomab," commented Micromet Senior
Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Baeuerle.
"This first observance of long-wearing objective responses in relapsed,
incurable patients indicates the potential blinatumomab and BiTE antibodies
in general may have in fighting cancer," added Micromet Senior Vice
President and Chief Medical Officer Carsten Reinhardt, M.D.
Typically antibodies cannot enlist T cells because T cells lack the
set aside receptors for binding antibodies. Previous attempts have shown
the potential of T cells to treat crab, but the therapeutic approaches
tested to date receive been hampered by cancer cells' ability to escape
recognition by T cells. The use of antibodies that are specifically
intentional to hire T cells for attacking cancer cells may provide a more than
effective antineoplastic approach than conventional monoclonal antibodies,
which require much higher doses and ar typically combined with
chemotherapies.
Micromet has additional clinical trials with BiTE antibodies underway,
including a phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate blinatumomab for the
treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and a phase
1 trial investigating MT110, a BiTE antibody targeting EpCAM, in patients
with lung or gI cancers.
(1) Bargou R et al. (2008) Tumor regression in cancer patients by very
low doses of a T cell-engaging antibody. Science 321: 974-977 (2008)
About Science
Founded in 1880 on $10,000 of seed money from the American inventor
Thomas Edison, Science has full-grown to become the world's leading outlet for
scientific news, comment and forefront research, with the largest
paid circulation of any peer-reviewed general-science journal. Through its
print and on-line incarnations, Science reaches an estimated worldwide
readership of more than one million. In content, too, the journal is truly
external in setting; some 35 to 40 percent of the corresponding authors
on its written document are based outside the United States. Its articles
consistently social status among world's most cited research.
About BiTE Antibodies
BiTE(R) antibodies are designed to direct the body's cytotoxic, or
cell-destroying, T cells against tumor cells, and represent a new
therapeutic approach to cancer therapy. BiTE antibodies have been shown to
induce an immunological synapse between a T cell and a tumor cell in the
same mode as ascertained during physiologic T cell attacks. These
cytolytic synapses enable the delivery of cytotoxic proteins from T cells
into tumor cells, ultimately inducing a suicide process in the
tumor cell referred to as apoptosis, or programmed cubicle death. In the
presence of BiTE antibodies, T cells make been demonstrated to serially
eliminate tumor cells, which explains the activity of BiTE antibodies at
very low concentrations and at very depressed ratios of T cells to target cells.
Through the treat of violent death cancer cells, T cells proliferate, which
leads to an increased number of T cells at the site of attack.
Several antibodies in Micromet's cartesian product pipeline ar BiTE antibodies
and have been generated based on Micromet's proprietary BiTE antibody
platform. The most of MT203, a human
antibody neutralizing the activity of granulocyte/macrophage colony
stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which has potential applications in the
treatment of various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as
arthritic arthritis, psoriasis, or multiple sclerosis.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause factual results to be materially
different from historical results or from any future results verbalised or
implied by such forward-looking statements. These innovative
statements include statements regarding the efficaciousness, safety and intended
utilization of our product candidates, the ontogeny of our BiTE antibody
technology, the conduct, timing and results of future clinical trials,
expectations of the next expansion of our product pipeline and
collaborations, and our plans regarding next presentations of clinical
data. You ar urged to consider statements that include the dustup
"ongoing," "crataegus oxycantha," "will," "believes," "potential," "expects," "plans,"
"anticipates," "intends," or the negative of those words or other similar
words to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual
results to disagree materially from any future results expressed or implied
by whatever forward-looking statements include the risk that product candidates
that appeared promising in early research, preclinical studies or clinical
trials do not demo safety and/or efficacy in subsequent clinical
trials, the risk that encouraging results from former research, preclinical
studies or clinical trials may non be confirmed upon further analysis of
the detailed results of such research, preclinical study or clinical trial,
the risk that additional info relating to the prophylactic, efficacy or
tolerability of our product candidates crataegus oxycantha be observed upon farther
analysis of preclinical or clinical tryout data, the risk that we or our
collaborators will non obtain blessing to securities industry our product candidates,
the risks associated with reliance on outside financing to meet cap
requirements, and the risks associated with reliance on collaborators,
including MedImmune, Merck Serono, TRACON and Nycomed, for the funding or
conduct of further development and commercialisation activities relating to
our product candidates. These factors and others are more fully discussed
in Micromet's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the financial year complete December
31, 2007, filed with the SEC on March 14, 2008, as well as other filings by
the company with the SEC.
Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, as such, speak only as of the date
made. Micromet, Inc. undertakes no obligation to publically update whatsoever
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future
events or otherwise.
Micromet, Inc.
http://www.micromet-inc.com
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