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Anti-L1CAM antibody: A novel efficacious immunotherapy for pancreatic and ovarian cancer patients

Project description

Inhibiting cellular 'stickiness' could cure pancreatic and ovarian cancers

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are a class of cell-membrane glycoproteins (proteins with sugar additions) that act like cellular glue. They are involved in functions ranging from maintenance of tissue architecture and cell motility to immunity, as well as signalling. Sometimes, these roles have detrimental effects. For instance, L1CAM is linked to proliferation and metastases in pancreatic and ovarian human cancers. The EU-funded Anti-L1CAM project plans to bring their antibody against L1CAM to market. It has proved efficacious as an anti-cancer therapy in mouse models. Now, with EU support, researchers are developing good manufacturing practices (GMP) to support rigorous testing and gain regulatory approval. Success has the potential to change the outcomes for patients with the poorest prognoses.

Objective

Over 170’000 people in Europe and more than 570’000 people worldwide are affected by pancreatic and ovarian cancer. For pancreatic cancer there currently no efficient therapies available and most patients succumb to the disease within 1 year from diagnosis. In ovarian cancer, first line chemotherapy usually leads to good response rates, however tumors recur in 80-90% of patients and in most cases become resistant to conventional chemotherapy, leading to a low overall 5 year survival rate of only 40%. New effective treatments for pancreatic and ovarian cancer are therefore urgently needed.
Elthera AG is a Biotech Start-up company created in 2016 in Switzerland with the goal of developing an anti-L1CAM antibody as a novel efficacious immunotherapy for the treatment of pancreatic and ovarian cancer. L1 cell adhesion molecule (L1CAM) is an adhesion molecule, which is expressed on pancreatic and ovarian tumors, and also on a variety of other tumor types including lung, breast, colon cancer and others. It has been shown to promote tumor progression by a variety of different mechanisms, e.g. by directly stimulating tumor cell proliferation and the formation of metastases, by promoting angiogenesis in tumors, and by mediating resistance of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic agents.
We have identified a proprietary mouse antibody against L1CAM, which inhibits the cancer-promoting effects of L1CAM, such as tumor cell proliferation and migration and strongly and significantly reduces tumor growth in mouse models of ovarian and pancreatic cancer. The antibody has been humanized and optimized for affinity and stability and is now ready to enter preclinical and clinical development. If funded, the anti-L1CAM project will allow us to establish a GMP manufacturing process and produce a GMP batch of this antibody which will enable preclinical toxicology and clinical safety and efficacy testing.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Coordinator

ELTHERA AG
Net EU contribution
€ 2 495 176,25
Address
RUTISTRASSE 16
8952 Schlieren
Switzerland

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Zürich Zürich
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost
€ 4 251 412,50