Cancer Research UK and KisoJi Biotechnology Collaborate to Advance the First Naked Antibody Against TROP2 Into the Clinic

LONDON and MONTREAL, Oct. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Cancer Research UK, one of the world's largest funders of cancer research, and KisoJi Biotechnology Inc., a company focussed on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics, have signed a landmark agreement to bring KisoJi's lead asset, KJ-103, into a first-in-human clinical trial. KJ-103 is a naked anti-TROP2 antibody that has been created by KisoJi using its proprietary antibody technology. 

Under the agreement, Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development (CDD) will sponsor, design and deliver a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of KJ-103, in selected TROP2 expressing solid tumours. KisoJi will supply the antibody for the clinical trial and work with CDD to complete the preclinical package. Cancer Research Horizons, Cancer Research UK's innovation arm, will manage the commercial relationship.

Unlike antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), KJ-103 does not require a cytotoxic payload but instead functions by recruiting immune cells to kill tumour cells. KJ-103 binds to TROP2 in a location distinct from where current TROP2 ADCs bind. It uses TROP2 as a way of directing macrophage activation and phagocytosis of the tumour cells expressing it, leading to tumour cell death. 

KJ-103 may provide an alternative treatment option for TROP2-expressing cancers in which TROP2 ADCs have proven ineffective or are not suitable due to their toxicity profile. Tumour types expressing TROP2 include: colorectal, head and neck, ovarian, breast, bladder and lung cancers. 

Lars Erwig, Director of the CDD, said: "We are excited to collaborate with KisoJi to bring KJ-103 into clinical development. This partnership aligns with our mission to explore innovative therapeutic approaches for hard-to-treat cancers. With KJ-103's unique mechanism of action, which harnesses the body's immune system without the potential toxicity of a drug conjugate, we hope to offer new treatment options for patients with TROP2-expressing solid tumours." 

David Young, co-founder and CEO of KisoJi said: "We are thrilled to be advancing KJ-103 into the clinic in partnership with Cancer Research UK. As the first naked antibody to target TROP2 cancers, KJ-103 is the first of a new wave of antibodies to come from our modernised technology platform that leverages AI grounded in biology to create transformative antibody therapeutics." 

About Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development 
Cancer Research UK has an impressive record of developing novel treatments for cancer. The Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development has been pioneering the development of new cancer treatments for 30 years, taking over 160 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in patients. Six of these new agents have made it to market, including temozolomide for brain cancer, abiraterone for prostate cancer and rucaparib for ovarian cancer. Two other drugs are in late development Phase 3 trials. Thirteen agents remain in active development with the potential to reach the market. It currently has a portfolio of 16 projects in preclinical development, Phase 1 or early Phase 2 clinical trials.

www.cruk.org.uk/cdd 

About KisoJi Biotechnology
KisoJi is a Canadian biotechnology company that deploys the latest scientific and AI tools to conduct therapeutic antibody discovery in a fundamentally new way. KisoJi has developed a multi-species transgenic mouse to generate highly diverse single domain antibodies, as well as a modular multi-specific antibody scaffold with high stability and productivity. Most recently, KisoJi has used advanced AI tools to visualise the universe of all antibodies against a target in order to uncover novel biology and new therapeutic antibody capabilities for its partners and its own pipeline.

www.kisojibiotech.com

About KJ-103 
KJ-103 is a single domain antibody that binds to a unique epitope on TROP2. It acts via effector cell mechanisms, including the activation of macrophages, to kill tumour cells. KJ-103 has been shown to have significant anti-tumour potency with no evidence of toxicity or resistance across a number of preclinical solid tumor models. KJ-103 was humanised by LifeArc.

Cancer Research UK Contact:
Tim Bodicoat
[email protected]
+44 203 469 8300
+44 203 469 8301 (out of hours)

KisoJi Biotechnology Contact:
Investors and Media
Argot Partners
Sam Martin/Cameron Willis
[email protected]
+1 212 600 1902

SOURCE KisoJi Biotechnology Inc.; Cancer Research UK