Patrys (ASX:PAB) and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) have formalised a collaboration combining the company's PAT-DX1 program and proprietary intellectual property of the WEHI.
Melbourne-based WEHI is one of Australian’s leading biomedical research institutes.
The research will be led by Dr Ruth Kluck, laboratory head in the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division. Since 2002, Dr Kluck has investigated cancer cell death pathways, and how cell-killing proteins such as Bax and Bak are regulated and implicated in cell death.
The collaboration will be used to couple Patrys’ PAT-DX1 with a proprietary antibody from the WEHI (7D10) to generate a bi-specific antibody with the potential to kill cancer cells via a novel pathway.
Patrys, its collaborators and Yale University, have shown PAT-DX1 is targeted to tumours and can enter and kill cancer cells.
"Combining the two complementary technologies by the generation of a bi-specific 7D10-PAT-DX1 antibody will result in a novel antibody that should be able to enter a cell, bind to its target and act to help circumvent survival pathways typically employed by cancer," said the company in a statement.
“Patrys is delighted to establish this collaboration with Dr Kluck and her team, and looks forward to exploring the potential for development of a first-in-class bi-specific cancer antibody with the Institute," said Dr James Campbell, CEO and managing director of Patrys. "The collaboration should provide data regarding the potential effectiveness of 7D10-PATDX1 against breast cancer cells and as a possible treatment for a range of other cancers.”
Dr Ruth Kluck said, “We are excited to work with Patrys to investigate the utility of the 7D10-PATDX1 bi-specific antibody in breast cancer. This collaboration is supporting an exciting and novel therapeutic approach to treat solid tumours with the potential for improving patient outcomes.”