BioInvent Expands Anti-TNFR2 Program by Selecting Second Monoclonal Antibody for Further Development

LUND, Sweden, May 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BioInvent International AB ("BioInvent") (OMXS: BINV) today announces the presentation of promising new data on its anti-tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) program at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.

Key results:

• Targeting TNFR2 demonstrates compelling therapeutic effects in syngeneic solid cancer models spanning "hot" and "cold" tumors.   
• Targeting TNFR2 synergizes with anti-PD-1 to achieve cure.
• Careful mechanistic dissection and matching of the human lead clinical candidates and mouse surrogate antibodies enables thorough understanding of TNFR2-targeting and critical guidance of clinical development.

The exciting translational data package will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting II, taking place June 22-24. The abstract is posted online today.

TNFR2 is particularly upregulated on tumor-associated regulatory T cells (Tregs) and has been shown to be important for their expansion and survival. As a part of its Treg program, BioInvent identified and characterized a wide panel of TNFR2-specific antibodies, generated from its proprietary n-CoDeR^® library and unique F.I.R.S.T^TM discovery tool.

Two antibody variants with distinct molecular and functional properties have been selected for development for treatment of solid cancer based on careful characterization of their mechanisms of action: BI-1808, a ligand-blocking Treg depleting antibody, and BI-1910, a TNFR2 agonist. The two antibody candidates showed strikingly different FcgR-dependence for optimal antitumor activity and - while evoking different initial immune cell mediated events - both elicited transformation of the tumor immune landscape associated with powerful anti-tumor efficacy.

Martin Welschof, CEO of BioInvent, says: "The selection of these promising antibodies is a further demonstration of the efficacy of BioInvent's proprietary F.I.R.S.T™ technology platform, a patient-centric approach allowing for the discovery of human antibodies, targets and pathways, using our state-of-the-art n-CoDeR^® antibody library. These two anti-TNFR2 antibodies displayed potent anti-tumor efficacy across several in vivo cancer models, both as single agents and when combined with anti-PD-1, which make them very exciting compounds for further development."

• Title of the poster: "Targeting TNFR2 for Cancer Immunotherapy - Ligand blocking depletors versus receptor agonists"
• Authors: Linda Mårtensson, Kirstie Cleary, Monika Semmrich, Mathilda Kovacek, Petra Holmkvist, Caroline Svensson, Mimoza Demiri, Therese Blidberg, Ulla-Carin Thornberg, Vincentiu Pitic, Osman Dadas, Sean H Lim, Stephen A Beers, Mark S Cragg, Björn Frendéus, Ingrid Teige
• Abstract Number: 5892
• Session Date and Time: June 22-24, 2020
• Poster Session Title: Immune Checkpoints 1
• Poster Number: 936

The abstract can be downloaded on the AACR website.

About BioInvent
BioInvent International AB (OMXS: BINV) is a clinical stage company that discovers and develops novel and first-in-class immuno-modulatory antibodies for cancer therapies, with two ongoing programs in Phase l/ll clinical trials for the treatment of hematological cancer and solid tumors, respectively. Two preclinical programs in solid tumors are expected to have entered clinical trials by the end of 2020. The Company's validated, proprietary F.I.R.S.T™ technology platform simultaneously identifies both targets and the antibodies that bind to them, generating many promising new drug candidates to fuel the Company's own clinical development pipeline or for additional licensing and partnering.

The Company generates revenues from research collaborations and license agreements with multiple top-tier pharmaceutical companies, as well as from producing antibodies for third parties in the Company's fully integrated manufacturing unit. More information is available at www.bioinvent.com.

BioInvent International AB (publ)
Co. Reg. No. Org nr: 556537-7263
Visiting address: Ideongatan 1
Mailing address: 223 70 LUND
Phone: +46 (0)46-286-85-50
www.bioinvent.com

The press release contains statements about the future, consisting of subjective assumptions and forecasts for future scenarios. Predictions for the future only apply as the date they are made and are, by their very nature, in the same way as research and development work in the biotech segment, associated with risk and uncertainty. With this in mind, the actual outcome may deviate significantly from the scenarios described in this press release.

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SOURCE BioInvent