OncoMed's multimodal insight

Though other companies have validated DLL4 as an anti-angiogenesis target, OncoMed Pharmaceuticals Inc. believes it is the first to show that inhibiting DLL4 also can slow the growth of cancer stem cells. The company believes its insight, coupled with a pharmacogenetic program to identify cancer stem cell-related biomarkers, will set it apart from other companies developing mAbs against the target.

DLL4 (delta-like 4) is an activator of the Notch signaling pathway, binding to the Notch receptor at the cell surface. This binding activates the receptor and triggers proteolysis of the Notch intracellular domain, which is translocated into the nucleus, where it regulates transcription of genes involved in vascular development...