Clinical Trials

Date: 2013-02-28

Type of information: Publication of results in a medical journal

phase: preclinical

Announcement: publication of results in Cell

Company: BioInvent International (Sweden) Thrombogenics (Belgium)

Product: TB-403

Action mechanism:

monoclonal antibody. TB-403 is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed towards placental growth factor (PIGF), expected to act by blocking the formation of the new blood vessels that are required for tumour growth. Preclinical exploration of PIGF biology suggests a role in tumour angiogenesis and metastasis and a limited role in the maintenance of normal vasculature. This mode of action could result in therapeutic benefit with an acceptable side effect profile. Two phase I clinical trials have found that TB-403 was well tolerated with no reported dose limiting toxicity.

Disease: medulloblastoma

Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology

Country:

Trial details:

Latest news:

• On February 28, 2013, BioInvent International and co-development partner ThromboGenics have announced the publication of a paper in Cell, highlighting the potential of TB-403 to improve the treatment of medulloblastoma, the most common brain tumor in children. The Cell publication highlights for the first time a new mechanism of action, showing that PlGF plays a vital role in the brain and that its expression is required for the growth and spread of medulloblastoma. The novel positive findings in this paper provide evidence that could warrant further development of TB-403 as one of the first targeted therapies to treat this childhood cancer. This Cell paper is reporting the findings of new pre-clinical research performed at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Harvard (Boston), in collaboration with the team of Prof Peter Carmeliet. With an emerging ophthalmologic franchise, Thrombogenics is also evaluating the role of TB-403 for ophthalmic indications.