BridgeBio Collaborates with US Researchers to Expand 'Pulmonary Fibrosis Treatment' into Oncology

Bridge Biotherapeutics announced on the 27th that it has signed two consecutive joint research agreements with the University of Colorado and Emory University in the United States, officially commencing research to explore ▲ the potential expansion of indications for the autotaxin inhibitor BBT-877 as an immuno-oncology agent and ▲ the efficacy and effectiveness of combination therapy with existing immuno-oncology drugs and BBT-877.

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[Photo by Bridge Biotherapeutics]

Autotaxin is known as an enzyme that converts lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC), a lipid in the human body, into lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). LPA binds to intracellular receptors and induces angiogenesis, sclerosis, tumor formation, and metastasis. BBT-877 is a selective autotaxin inhibitor developed to reduce LPA production with the goal of treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, recently, as studies clarifying the correlation between autotaxin and cancer development and immune mechanisms in various cancers beyond fibrotic diseases have been published, the company plans to accelerate immuno-oncology-related research and add momentum to commercialization through the two joint research agreements.

The research team at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, led by Dr. Raul Torres, will investigate whether BBT-877 activates the function of immune T cells and demonstrates improved antigen-specific cancer cell killing ability compared to existing drugs. The research team at Emory University School of Medicine, led by Dr. Jessica Cohen, plans to confirm the combination treatment effect of BBT-877 with PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitors such as Keytruda in KRAS·P53 (KP) mutant lung cancer, which shows resistance to existing immuno-oncology drugs.

Jungkyu Lee, CEO of Bridge Biotherapeutics, said, "Market interest in the autotaxin inhibition mechanism in the field of pulmonary fibrosis treatment is growing," adding, "We will leverage the joint research with the two research teams actively conducting autotaxin-related studies in the oncology field as a stepping stone to rapidly secure immuno-oncology-related data and accelerate the scale and negotiation speed of the ongoing global technology licensing."