Curie-Cancer, the part responsible for developing Institut Curie’s industry partnership activities, and GamaMabs Pharma, a company specialized in the development of monoclonal antibodies for cancer, extended their partnership to develop the 3C23K antibody for the treatment of gynecological cancers.
An initial partnership agreement was concluded in 2013 and the results of work on the 3C23K antibody were presented to the Ovarian Cancer Research Symposium in Seattle in September 2014. The partnership agreement has been renewed and extended in order to further examine the efficacy of this candidate drug for ovarian cancer.
Models of mice were grafted with human tumor samples from the operating theaters at the Institut Curie. In particular, the partners are exploring the value of 3C23K in relapses; a major challenge in the treatment of this disease. Ovarian cancer is responsible for over 50,000 deaths a year in Europe and the US.
3C32K is a ‘low-fucose’ antibody that mobilizes tumor immune cells and targets the antiMüllerian hormone receptor (AMHR2). The expression of this hormone is limited to adult ovaries and testicles. AMHR2 is also expressed in the majority of gynecological cancers, such as ovarian and endometrial cancers, being detected in around 65% of cases.
The 3C23K antibody is in preclinical development. Initial clinical trials are expected to start in 2015, following a round of fundraising scheduled for the first half of the year.