Harbour BioMed (HBM), which operates out of the Netherlands, the United States, and Suzhou, China, has announced receiving Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the US FDA for its in-house developed HBM1022, a novel anti-C-C chemokine receptor type 8 (CCR8) monoclonal antibody (mAb). This marks a significant milestone in the development of innovative treatments targeting solid tumors.
CCR8: A Promising Therapeutic Target
CCR8 is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that has proven to be an extremely challenging target for drug developers in the past, particularly in generating cross-reactive antibodies. The drug target is a chemokine receptor expressed on intratumoral Treg cells, and CCR8-expressing Treg (CCR8+ Treg) has been demonstrated to be a major driver for immunosuppression in multiple solid tumor types. High expression of CCR8 on Treg cells was first found to be associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients, suggesting CCR8 could be a promising therapeutic target.
Development and Pre-Clinical Results
Harbour BioMed applied next-generation technologies, including Single B Cell Technology, to successfully develop the anti-CCR8 mAb. Pre-clinical animal experiments have proven HBM1022’s anti-tumor activities, demonstrating therapeutic potential in multiple CCR8-positive regulatory T cell-enriched solid tumors. These include breast cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and head and neck cancer, among others.-Fineline Info & Tech
