BETHESDA, Md., April 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micromet, Inc. (Nasdaq: MITI), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases, presented data at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in San Diego, CA, showing good bioavailability and predictable serum levels of subcutaneously administered BiTE(R) antibodies(1). BiTE 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.
Micromet conducted a pharmacokinetic study in non-human primates exploring different routes of administration of its BiTE antibody MT110, which is targeting EpCAM (CD326) and is the most advanced BiTE antibody with potential application for the treatment of solid tumors. Continuous intravenous administration, as currently used in an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial with MT103 (MEDI-538), was compared to subcutaneous administration by daily repeated bolus injection and continuous administration using mini-pumps, which are commercially available and routinely used by patients with diabetes for the delivery of insulin. Both subcutaneous regimens resulted in bioavailability of MT110 of 30 to 40 percent, with constant serum trough levels over the six-day treatment period.
"Our pre-clinical results are paving the way for the development of alternative routes of administration for MT110 and other BiTE antibodies to further enhance the quality of life of patients under treatment," comments Patrick A. Baeuerle, Micromet's chief scientific officer. "A very convenient mini-pump system, designed for life-long use by diabetes patients for insulin delivery, may become an attractive alternative to repeated subcutaneous injection."
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. BiTE antibodies have been shown to induce an immunological synapse between a T cell and a tumor cell in the same manner as observed during physiological T cell attacks. These cytolytic synapses enable the delivery of cytotoxic proteins from T cells into tumor cells, ultimately inducing a self-destruction process in the tumor cell referred to as apoptosis, or programmed cell death. In the presence of BiTE antibodies, T cells have been demonstrated to serially eliminate tumor cells, which explains the activity of BiTE antibodies at very low concentrations and at very low ratios of T cells to target cells. Through the process of killing cancer cells, T cells proliferate, which leads to an increased number of T cells at the site of attack.
Several antibodies in Micromet's product pipeline are BiTE antibodies and have been generated based on Micromet's proprietary BiTE antibody platform. The most advanced BiTE antibody is MT103 (MEDI-538), targeting CD19, and has provided proof-of-concept in an ongoing phase 1 clinical study in patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. MT110, which is targeting EpCAM (CD326) and is the first BiTE antibody with potential applications in the treatment of solid tumors, has completed preclinical development. Two additional BiTE antibodies, targeting CEA and MCSP, are in preclinical development.
About Micromet, Inc. (www.micromet-inc.com)
Micromet, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Three of its antibodies are currently in clinical trials, while the remainder of the product pipeline is in preclinical development. The BiTE(R) antibody MT103 is in a phase 2 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. BiTE antibodies represent a new class of antibodies that activate a patient's own cytotoxic T cells, considered the most powerful "killer cells" of the human immune system, to eliminate cancer cells. Micromet is developing MT103 in collaboration with MedImmune, Inc., a subsidiary of AstraZeneca plc. The second clinical stage antibody is adecatumumab, also known as MT201, a human monoclonal antibody which targets epithelial cell adhesion molecule (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. The third clinical stage antibody, MT293 is licensed to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is being developed in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with cancer. In addition, Micromet has established a collaboration with Nycomed for the development and commercialization of MT203, a human antibody neutralizing the activity of granulocyte/macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which has potential applications in the treatment of various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or multiple sclerosis.
Forward-Looking Statements
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SOURCE Micromet, Inc.
