Navrogen Presents Preclinical Data on NAV-001 Antibody-Drug Conjugate and NAV-003 Bispecific Programs at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

CHEYNEY, Pa., April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Navrogen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specialized in developing therapies for cancer and immune-related disorders, will be presenting new preclinical data on its NAV-001 antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) and NAV-003 bispecific programs at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference in Orlando, Florida on April 17 and 18.

NAV-001 and NAV-003 both target mesothelin, a cell surface protein over-expressed on various malignancies, including breast, colon, lung and mesothelioma cancers. Certain ADCs and therapeutic antibodies targeting mesothelin are negatively affected by Humoral Immuno-Oncology (HIO) factors that are produced in the tumor microenvironment. These HIO factors are able to directly bind to affected antibody-based agents and suppress their immune-effector activities as well as suppress target cell internalization, thereby lowering their therapeutic efficacy. To overcome this mechanism of suppression, Navrogen has employed its proprietary HIO factor screening and block-removed immunoglobulin technology (BRITE) platforms to engineer HIO refractory mesothelin-targeting agents. NAV-001 and NAV-003 both have the BRITE feature integrated to avoid suppression by HIO factors, while NAV-001 contains a novel highly toxic payload, and NAV-003 is configured to have an optimized anti-CD3/anti-MSLN bispecific format to elicit robust CD3-redirected T-cell mediated cytotoxicity. These drug candidates have demonstrated significant in vivo efficacy across a wide array of mesothelin-positive cancer models.

"We look forward to sharing scientific data around our programs and technology platforms with the AACR community", said Dr. Luigi Grasso, Navrogen's Chief Scientific Officer. "Based on the efficacy and preliminary safety data, we are advancing our NAV-001 and NAV-003 programs forward for clinical testing in HIO suppressed cancers identified by diagnostic screens of various cancer types". 

About Navrogen™ Inc.

Navrogen is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery of tumor-produced Humoral Immuno-Oncology (HIO) factors that are associated with suppressed humoral immunity, poor prognosis and limited therapeutic response of immune-mediated anti-cancer therapies. The company's mission is to develop first-in-class agents that can overcome the immunosuppressive effects of HIO factors by employing its proprietary screening and engineering technologies as well as diagnostic assays that can identify patients whose tumors produce HIO factors to advise physicians on therapeutic options. For more information, please visit www.navrogen.com.

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SOURCE Navrogen, Incorporated