On October 20, 2021 SpringWorks Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SWTX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing life-changing medicines for patients with severe rare diseases and cancer, reported that it has entered into an exclusive worldwide license agreement with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Dana-Farber) and a sponsored research agreement (SRA) with Stanford Medicine for a portfolio of novel small molecule inhibitors of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) designed for the treatment of EGFR-mutant lung cancers (Press release, SpringWorks Therapeutics, OCT 20, 2021, View Source [SID1234591670]). The portfolio, which was originally developed in the laboratory of Nathanael Gray, Ph.D., Professor of Chemical and Systems Biology, Co-Director of Cancer Drug Discovery, and Co-Leader of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program at Stanford Medicine, includes several differentiated, first-in-class chemical series representing novel approaches to targeting mutant EGFR and is designed to address both de novo oncogenic drivers and emerging resistance mutations to existing EGFR inhibitors. The most advanced asset in the portfolio is currently in lead optimization and targets the C797S resistance mutation.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
"We are very pleased to expand our portfolio with the in-license of these selective and differentiated EGFR inhibitors, which are complementary to our strategy of developing novel targeted therapies for patients with biomarker-defined solid tumors," said Saqib Islam, Chief Executive Officer of SpringWorks. "In addition to the monotherapy opportunities in lung cancer, where a significant unmet medical need remains, these EGFR inhibitors provide several avenues for combination therapy development as well."
"Since our lab discovered the initial compounds that could address EGFR T790M mutations, we have been exploring additional strategies to create next-generation agents for patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancers in order to address the resistance mutations that inevitably arise upon treatment with osimertinib and other therapies," said Dr. Gray. "I am grateful for the SRA support from SpringWorks and continued collaboration with my former colleagues at Dana-Farber to further this exciting science with the goal of translating our initial discoveries into meaningful new therapies for cancer patients."
Under the terms of the license agreement, SpringWorks will provide Dana-Farber with an upfront payment and Dana-Farber will be eligible to receive development and commercial milestones and royalties based on any future net sales. Concurrent with this license, SpringWorks has entered a multi-year SRA to fund continued research and development in Dr. Gray’s laboratory at Stanford Medicine as well as collaborating laboratories at Dana-Farber, including those of Pasi Jänne, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology at Dana-Farber and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Michael Eck, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at Dana-Farber and Harvard Medical School, and Jarrod Marto, Ph.D., Principal Investigator at Dana-Farber and Associate Professor of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. This SRA is intended to support lead optimization and translational biology efforts as the portfolio advances towards development candidate nomination.
"Drs. Gray, Jänne, Eck and Marto have been pioneers in the discovery and development of precision medicines for cancer patients. Through this license agreement and multi-year research collaboration, we have the opportunity to advance programs at the leading edge of targeted oncology development, potentially delivering first- and best-in-class medicines to address emerging drivers of therapeutic resistance," said Mike Burgess M.B.Ch.B., Ph.D., Head of Research & Development at SpringWorks.