On November 3, 2022 Nordic Nanovector ASA (OSE: NANOV) ("Nordic Nanovector" or the "Company") reported the progress it has made in designing and developing a portfolio of novel and potent humanized anti-CD37 antibodies with potential for treating B-cell malignancies or B-cell-driven autoimmune disorders (Press release, Nordic Nanovector, NOV 3, 2022, View Source [SID1234623051]).
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Details of the Company’s progress in engineering this portfolio are included in two abstracts published today for presentation as posters at the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting & Exposition (10-13 December 2022 in New Orleans, LA, USA). The abstracts will also be published online in a November supplemental issue of Blood, published by The American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper).
The abstracts describe how, through antibody engineering, Nordic Nanovector has developed several humanized anti-CD37 monoclonal antibodies and demonstrated in preclinical studies their enhanced effector mechanisms, such as antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) and longer half-life in the blood.
CD37 is a protein abundant on the surface of B cells but absent in haematopoietic stem cells and plasma cells. Its expression pattern makes it attractive as a therapeutic target for B-cell malignancies, including non-Hodgkin lymphomas and chronic lymphocytic Leukemia and for B-cell-driven autoimmune disorders, especially where an alternative to standard anti-CD20 immunotherapy is sought.
Jostein Dahle, Co-founder and CSO of Nordic Nanovector, commented: "We are pleased to present at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) the initial findings from our preclinical studies with our novel humanized anti-CD37 antibody portfolio. These antibodies have been designed to be highly selective for CD37 on B cells and shown to be potent at depleting these cells as well as enduring in the circulation. There is a significant unmet clinical need for new therapeutic approaches for patients with B-cell-driven diseases who do not respond to anti-CD20 therapies. The encouraging preclinical results we will present at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) support the further development of these candidates for B-cell malignancies or B-cell-driven autoimmune disorders."