"Nice to Meet You" in Person After 3 Years: 암연구학회

From the 8th of Next Month, AACR Annual Meeting
Yuhan Corporation, ABL Bio, and 14 Domestic Pharmaceutical and Bio Companies Participate

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] The annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), one of the world's top three cancer societies, will be held from April 8 to 13 (local time) in New Orleans, USA.

This year, AACR is attracting attention as it will be held in person for the first time in three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier this year, the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference attempted an in-person event but switched to virtual as the Omicron COVID-19 variant rapidly spread. This AACR will feature participation from 12 listed and 2 unlisted domestic pharmaceutical and biotech companies, presenting various development statuses of their new drugs under development.

Yuhan Corporation will present preclinical results of the immuno-oncology bispecific antibody therapeutic ‘YH32367 (ABL105)’, licensed from ABL Bio. It is being developed for solid tumors such as breast, stomach, and lung cancers. It specifically binds to tumor cells, stimulates the T immune cell activation receptor 4-1BB, and enhances the anticancer activity of immune cells. Following the presentation of preclinical efficacy results on increased secretion of apoptosis cytokines and tumor cell death induction at AACR 2020, additional preclinical results will be announced. Yuhan Corporation and ABL Bio plan to apply for domestic Phase 1 clinical trials of YH32367 within this month and aim to enter clinical trials within the year.

ABL Bio will also independently present follow-up preclinical results of the bispecific antibody immuno-oncology drug ‘ABL103’, which simultaneously targets B7-H4 and 4-1BB. In particular, B7-H4 is overexpressed in triple-negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer, where existing immuno-oncology drugs show poor response rates, so targeting it is a key focus.

Hanmi Pharmaceutical will present preclinical research on the targeted anticancer drug ‘HM97662’, which dually inhibits EZH1 and EZH2. EZH2 is an oncogene mutated or overexpressed in many relapsed and refractory cancers that are difficult to treat with conventional anticancer therapies. However, inhibiting EZH2 alone activates EZH1, causing resistance, so simultaneous inhibition is highly necessary.

Bridge Biotherapeutics will announce interim preclinical results of the 4th generation targeted therapy candidate ‘BBT-207’. It is being developed as a treatment for non-small cell lung cancer with the ‘C797S’ positive double mutation. Bridge Biotherapeutics plans to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for BBT-207 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within this year.

Additionally, LegoChem Biosciences will present animal study results of the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) ‘LCB84’, Qurient will present preclinical efficacy results of the CDK7 inhibitor anticancer candidate ‘Q901’, and Genome & Company will present preclinical research on the ‘CNTN4’ targeted antibody therapy.

However, due to the nature of AACR, there are also expectations that direct technology export research through participation in this conference is unlikely. An industry insider said, "At AACR, results are mainly presented at the preclinical stage rather than actual human clinical trials," adding, "Most domestic participating companies will also only present preclinical stage results, so unless outstanding efficacy is demonstrated, it will be difficult to lead to substantial exports."