New Data Published in Immunobiology Describe Mode of Action of BiTE Antibody MT110
January 28 2009 - 7:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Study shows that very low amounts of Micromet's EpCAM-targeting
BiTE antibody trigger the death of cancer cells BETHESDA, Md., Jan.
28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micromet, Inc. (NASDAQ: MITI), a
biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies
for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases,
today announced publication of new data in the peer-reviewed
journal Immunobiology describing in detail the mode of action of
BiTE antibody MT110. MT110 is a T cell-engaging antibody that
targets EpCAM, which is expressed with high frequency on most human
adenocarcinoma. Data from the new publication(1) demonstrate that
when T cells are connected to cancer cells by MT110, they deliver
two kinds of toxic proteins into cancer cells. One toxic protein,
perforin, forms holes in the cancer cell's outer membrane. The
second kind of protein, granzymes, is a family of proteolytic
enzymes that triggers the self-destruction of the cancer cell, a
process called programmed cell death or apoptosis. Very low amounts
of MT110 were also found to increase the level of toxic proteins in
T cells during cancer cell lysis, which is necessary for BiTE
antibody-activated T cells to adopt a serial cancer cell-killing
mode during which these toxic proteins are steadily consumed. "Our
new data explain the high anti-tumor activity of MT110 that we have
seen in preclinical models, and that we have also observed with
BiTE antibody blinatumomab in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials,"
commented Micromet's Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Patrick A.
Baeuerle. "The mechanism of action of MT110 described in this study
is expected to be identical for BiTE antibodies targeting other
surface targets, and shows that this new class of antibody
therapeutics has the potential to fully harness the power of T
cells, the body's most potent immune cells, against malignant
cells." MT110 is the second BiTE antibody in clinical development
and is currently in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of
patients with colorectal, gastric or lung cancers. Phase 1 and 2
clinical trials are also under way for the BiTE antibody
blinatumomab (MT103, MEDI-538) in patients with non-Hodgkin's
lymphoma and acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia. Updates for these two
clinical trials were presented in December of 2008 at the Annual
Meeting of the American Society for Hematology (ASH) in San
Francisco. About BiTE Antibodies BiTE(R) antibodies are designed to
direct the body's cytotoxic, or cell- destroying, T cells against
tumor cells, and represent a new therapeutic approach to cancer
therapy. Typically antibodies cannot engage T cells because T cells
lack the appropriate receptors for binding antibodies. Previous
attempts have shown the potential of T cells to treat cancer, but
the therapeutic approaches tested to date have been hampered by
cancer cells' ability to escape recognition by T cells. The use of
BiTE antibodies that are specifically designed to engage T cells
for attacking cancer cells may provide a more effective anti-tumor
approach than conventional monoclonal antibodies. About Micromet,
Inc. Micromet, Inc. (http://www.micromet-inc.com/) is a
biopharmaceutical company with offices in Bethesda, Maryland and
Munich, Germany. The Company is developing novel, proprietary
antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune
diseases. The Company uses its proprietary BiTE(R) antibody
platform to create a new class of antibodies that specifically
activate T cells from the patient's own immune system to eliminate
cancer cells or other disease-related cells. Four of the Company's
antibodies are currently in clinical trials, with the remainder of
its product pipeline in preclinical development. The Company's lead
program is a BiTE antibody known as blinatumomab, or MT103. It is
in a phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with
acute lymphoblastic leukemia and a phase 1 clinical trial for the
treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Micromet is
developing blinatumomab in collaboration with MedImmune, a
subsidiary of AstraZeneca plc. Micromet's second BiTE antibody in
clinical development is MT110, which targets the epithelial cell
adhesion molecule (EpCAM). The Company owns all rights to MT110,
which is currently in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of
patients with solid tumors. The Company's third clinical stage
antibody is adecatumumab, also known as MT201, a conventional human
monoclonal antibody that targets EpCAM-expressing solid tumors.
Micromet is developing adecatumumab in collaboration with Merck
Serono in a phase 1b clinical trial evaluating adecatumumab in
combination with docetaxel for the treatment of patients with
metastatic breast cancer. Micromet has licensed a fourth clinical
stage antibody, MT293, to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. MT293 is
being developed in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of
patients with cancer. The Company's preclinical programs include
MT203, which is being developed in collaboration with Nycomed.
MT203 is a traditional human antibody neutralizing the activity of
granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which
has potential applications in the treatment of inflammatory and
autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or
multiple sclerosis. Micromet has granted an exclusive option to
Bayer Schering Pharma AG to license a BiTE antibody against an
undisclosed solid tumor target. Additional BiTE antibodies,
targeting CEA, CD33, Her2, EGFR and MCSP, respectively, are in
different stages of preclinical development. Forward-Looking
Statements This release contains certain forward-looking statements
that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results to be materially different from historical results or from
any future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. These forward-looking statements include statements
regarding the efficacy and intended utilization of our product
candidates and the development of our BiTE antibody technology. You
are urged to consider statements that include the words "may,"
"potential," or the negative of those words or other similar words
to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that may cause actual
results to differ materially from any future results expressed or
implied by any forward-looking statements include the risk that
product candidates that appeared promising in early research,
preclinical studies or clinical trials do not demonstrate safety
and/or efficacy in subsequent clinical trials, the risk that
encouraging results from early research, preclinical studies or
clinical trials may not be confirmed upon further analysis of the
detailed results of such research, preclinical study or clinical
trial, and the risk that additional information relating to the
safety, efficacy or tolerability of our product candidates may be
discovered upon further analysis of preclinical or clinical trial
data. These factors and others are more fully discussed in
Micromet's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
ended September 30, 2008, filed with the SEC on November 6, 2008,
as well as other filings by the company with the SEC. Any
forward-looking statements are made pursuant to Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, as such, speak
only as of the date made. Micromet, Inc. undertakes no obligation
to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise. (1) Haas C.
et al. (2009). Mode of cytotoxic action of T cell-engaging BiTE
antibody MT110. Immunobiology, published online on January 19;
PubMed ID: 19157637 DATASOURCE: Micromet, Inc. CONTACT: US Media:
Andrea tenBroek or Chris Stamm, +1-781-684-0770, ; US Investors:
Susan Noonan, +1-212-966-3650 ; European Media: Ludger Wess,
+49-40-8816-5964, ; European Investors: Ines-Regina Buth,
+49-30-2363-2768, , all for Micromet Web Site:
http://www.micromet-inc.com/
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