On May 3, 2019 Alligator Bioscience (Nasdaq Stockholm: ATORX), a biotechnology company developing antibody-based pharmaceuticals for tumor-directed immunotherapy, reported that it will present pre-clinical data for the drug candidate ATOR-1017 at the Protein Engineering Summit (PEGS) 14th Annual Meeting in Boston, US (Press release, Alligator Bioscience, MAY 3, 2018, View Source [SID1234538678]). ATOR-1017 is a monoclonal antibody that activates the costimulatory receptor 4-1BB expressed on T cells in the tumor area and is being developed for the treatment of metastasizing cancer.

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!

The data support a best-in-class profile for ATOR-1017, with a strong potential for high efficacy and tumor-directed immune activation.

ATOR-1017 is dependent on cross-linking with Fc-gamma receptors. This means that it has to bind both 4-1BB and Fc receptors for full activity. Both 4-1BB and Fc-gamma receptors are highly expressed in certain tumors and these receptors could be used as predictive efficacy biomarkers. Patients that overexpress these receptors should demonstrate a higher efficacy response to ATOR-1017, resulting in an increased immune activation in the tumors compared to the rest of the body. This supports that ATOR-1017 has the potential for a superior benefit/risk profile.

"I am very encouraged by these pre-clinical data. ATOR-1017 has the ideal profile to become a best-in-class 4-1BB antibody, with strong efficacy and minimal side-effects. This is perfectly in line with Alligator’s strategy to build a pipeline of tumor-directed immunotherapies" said Christina Furebring, SVP Research at Alligator Bioscience.

Today at 4:20 p.m. local EDT (10:20 pm CEST) Dr Peter Ellmark, VP Discovery at Alligator, will give an oral presentation with the title: "Tumor-directed targeting of Effector T cells and Regulatory T cells". Dr Ellmark is chairing the session on "Agonist Immunotherapy Targets" at PEGS.

For further information, please contact:
Cecilia Hofvander, Director Investor Relations & Communications
Phone +46 46 286 44 95
E-mail: [email protected]

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 3:00 p.m. CEST on 3 May 2018.

About ATOR-1017
ATOR-1017 is an immunostimulatory antibody (IgG4) that binds to the costimulatory receptor 4-1BB (also known as CD137) expressed on tumor-specific T cells and NK cells. 4-1BB has the capacity to support the immune cells involved in tumor control, making 4-1BB a particularly attractive target for cancer immunotherapy.

ATOR-1017 is differentiated from other 4-1BB antibodies, partly because of its unique binding profile, but also because its immunostimulatory function is dependent on cross-linking to Fc-gamma receptors on immune cells. The aim is to achieve effective tumor-targeted immune stimulation with minimum side effects.