OSE teams with Memorial Sloan Kettering

NANTES, France—OSE Immunotherapeutics SA announced in June that it had entered into a multiyear research collaboration on OSE-703, a cytotoxic monoclonal antibody against the alpha chain of interleukin-7 receptor (IL-7R), with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in New York.

The collaboration will support a research program using OSE-703 (Effi-3), a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the extracellular domain of the alpha-chain of the receptor for interleukin-7 (CD127), cytotoxic for human cells expressing CD127.

The research program will be conducted by physician-scientist Dr. Prasad S. Adusumilli, a thoracic surgeon with expertise in tumor immunology and a focus on the development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) immunotherapy.

The goal of this research collaboration is to explore IL-7R-directed immunotherapy OSE-703 for solid tumors with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) as the primary cancer model. From a large cohort of NSCLCs, OSE says it has been shown that IL-7R was overexpressed in this type of cancer and associated with poor prognosis.

“We are excited to collaborate with Dr. Adusumilli and one of the world’s most renowned cancer hospitals. The combination of his pioneering expertise in immuno-oncology, especially within CAR-T cell immunotherapy, and the therapeutic potential of OSE-703, will afford us optimal conditions to establish this promising product candidate’s efficacy profile and identify an appropriate development approach,” said Dominique Costantini, CEO of OSE Immunotherapeutics.

OSE Immunotherapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on the development of innovative immunotherapies for immune activation and regulation in the fields of immuno-oncology, autoimmune diseases and transplantation, with the company saying it “has a balanced portfolio of first-in-class products with a diversified risk profile ranging from clinical Phase 3 registration trials to R&D.” In immuno-oncology, that includes Tedopi and OSE-172 (Effi-DEM), a new-generation checkpoint inhibitor targeting the SIRP-α receptor. In autoimmune diseases and transplantation, that includes FR104, a CD28-antagonist in immunotherapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and for use with transplantation (licensed to Janssen Biotech Inc. to pursue clinical development) and OSE-127 (Effi-7), an interleukin receptor-7 antagonist for inflammatory bowel diseases and other autoimmune diseases (which involves a license option agreement with Servier for the development and commercialization).