CAMBRIDGE, Mass., ROTTERDAM, Netherlands and SUZHOU, China, Jan. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Harbour BioMed (the"Company", HKEX: 02142) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the investigational new drug (IND) application to commence clinical trials of its globally first-in-class fully human monoclonal antibody HBM1020 targeting B7H7 (also known as HHLA2) in the U.S. This is an open-label and multicenter study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and anti-tumor activity of HBM1020 in patients with advanced solid tumors. HBM1020 is also the globally first-ever monoclonal antibody targeting B7H7 cleared by the regulatory agency for clinical trials.

HBM1020 is a first-in-class fully human monoclonal antibody generated from Harbour Mice^® H2L2 transgenic mice platform targeting B7H7. The antibody can enhance anti-tumor immunity by blocking the novel immune checkpoint target. Preclinical data demonstrated its immune activation and anti-tumor functional activities.

B7H7 is a novel immune modulatory molecule belongs to B7 family members. The B7 family is of central importance in regulating the T-cell response, making these pathways very attractive in cancer immunotherapy. Most of the validated targets in immune-oncology so far are related to B7 family, including PD-(L)1 and CTLA-4. The therapies against B7 family targets have already shifted the paradigm for cancer therapy with outstanding clinical benefits. As a newly discovered member of the B7 family, B7H7 expression is found non-overlapping with PD-L1 expression in multiple tumor types, which indicates an alternative immune evasion pathway besides PD-(L)1. In PD-L1 negative/refractory patients, B7H7 potentially plays a more important role in tumor cells to escape immune surveillance, which is expected to be developed as next-generation immune-oncology therapeutics.

With its innovative biology mechanisms, HBM1020 may present a novel anti-tumor therapeutic complementary to PD-(L)1 therapeutics to patients, especially for PD-L1 negative/refractory patients.

About Harbour BioMed
Harbour BioMed (HKEX: 02142) is a global biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel antibody therapeutics focusing on immunology and oncology. The Company is building its robust portfolio and differentiated pipeline through internal R&D capability, collaborations with co-discovery and co-development partners, and select acquisitions.
 
The Company's proprietary antibody technology platforms Harbour Mice^® generate fully human monoclonal antibodies in two heavy and two light chain (H2L2) format, as well as heavy chain only (HCAb) format. Building upon the HCAb antibodies, the HCAb-based immune cell engagers (HBICE^®) are capable of delivering tumor-killing effects unachievable by traditional combination therapies. Integrating Harbour Mice^®, HBICE^® with single B cell cloning platform, our antibody discovery engine is highly unique and efficient for the development of next-generation therapeutic antibodies.  

SOURCE:- PRNewswire