BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Cancer

November 9, 2016 9:00 PM UTC

Patient sample, cell culture and mouse studies suggest inhibiting EpCAM could help treat AML. In patient bone marrow cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), levels of EpCAM were higher than in cells from healthy volunteers. In the patient-derived PBMCs, cells expressing high levels of EpCAM were less sensitive to the generic chemotherapies cytarabine and etoposide than cells expressing low levels of EpCAM. In a xenograft mouse model of AML, an anti-EpCAM mAb decreased tumor growth and increased tumor macrophage infiltration compared with a control antibody. Next steps include identification and optimization of anti-EpCAM mAb candidates.

Trion Pharma GmbH and Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA market Removab catumaxomab, a trifunctional antibody targeting CD3, EpCAM and Fcγ receptor I (FCGR1; CD64), to treat cancer patients with malignant ascites and have the antibody in Phase II testing for gastric and ovarian cancers. ...