Ryvu Therapeutics to Collaborate with nCage Therapeutics on the Development of a Next-Generation ADC Platform

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Oct 29, 2024, 06:23 ET

KRAKOW, Poland, Oct. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryvu Therapeutics and nCage Therapeutics are pleased to announce that they have entered a research collaboration to develop a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) platform. nCage has developed a TRAP cage platform where the protein cages are synthetic virus-like particles (VLPs) that can be used to display biological material on their surface or transport molecules such as nucleic acids or proteins into the interior of a target cell. This collaboration is focusing on the latter where a TRAP cage can be utilized as a novel drug delivery system (DDS) that could improve the efficacy and safety of current ADCs.

The partners are encouraged by the potential of nCage's TRAP cage platform to improve the antibody-to-drug ratio (DAR) compared to currently approved ADCs. An improved DAR could result in greater efficacy and safety for novel ADCs. ADCs are a growing drug class that has achieved excellent results in clinical trials. However, over 40% of patients experience severe side effects. Improving the DAR will allow for less toxic drug payloads and should expand the applicable patient population.

Ryvu and nCage foresee a long-term partnership that will significantly enhance the TRAP cage for drug delivery, potentially leading to breakthrough oncology therapies.

nCage CEO, John Bason, stated: Our promising vaccine data suggests that we can develop best-in-class products for numerous viral targets. We are excited about the potential for this partnership with Ryvu to help us develop a second arm of the company, further driving the development of the company.

Ryvu Chief Scientific Officer, Krzysztof Brzózka notes: This collaboration is an exciting opportunity to combine our small molecule expertise and experience with novel ADC payloads with the strong team at nCage, who are working on a truly novel delivery platform. We are encouraged by the growing field of next-generation ADCs and the potential for this collaboration to generate more effective and safer therapies.

Ryvu and nCage will each support their own costs in executing this collaboration, and all data generated through the collaboration will be jointly owned. Ryvu and nCage look forward to sharing more about the collaboration as the work progresses.

About Ryvu Therapeutics
Ryvu Therapeutics is a clinical-stage drug discovery and development company focused on novel small-molecule therapies that address emerging targets in oncology. Internally discovered pipeline candidates at Ryvu use diverse therapeutic mechanisms driven by emerging knowledge of cancer biology, including small molecules directed at kinases, synthetic lethality, and immuno-oncology targets.

Ryvu's most advanced program is RVU120, a selective CDK8/CDK19 kinase inhibitor with the potential to treat hematological malignancies and solid tumors. RVU120 is currently in Phase II development (i) as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (r/r AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (HR-MDS) – the RIVER-52 study, (ii) in combination with venetoclax for the treatment of patients with r/r AML – the RIVER-81 study, and (iii) as a monotherapy for the treatment of patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (LR-MDS) – the REMARK study. MEN1703 (SEL24) is a dual PIM/FLT3 kinase inhibitor licensed to the Menarini Group that is expected to start a Phase II study in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in Q4 2024. RVU305, a potentially best-in-class PRMT5 inhibitor aiming to treat multiple solid tumors, is currently undergoing IND/CTA-enabling studies. Ryvu Therapeutics has signed 11 partnering and licensing deals with global companies, including BioNTech and Exelixis.

The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Kraków, Poland. Ryvu is listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and is a component of the mWIG40 index. For more information, please see www.ryvu.com.

About nCage Therapeutics
nCage Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company developing its innovative synthetic VLP platform technology to develop vaccines against infectious diseases and second-generation antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). nCage's VLP platform utilizes a universal hook system to display antigens or biological targeting moieties on the exterior of a protein scaffold and load a peptide antigen or a drug payload on the interior of the VLP. Vaccines developed using the platform induce broad, robust, and durable protection against the specific viruses targeted. Drug delivery system is characterized by a controlled release of cytotoxic payload and should have a superior safety and toxicity profile to ADCs that are currently on the market. nCage's lead program is a combination vaccine candidate targeting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other respiratory viruses. Its pipeline includes additional combination and respiratory vaccine candidates, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. nCage Therapeutics was founded in 2019 to advance the breakthrough synthetic VLP technology developed in the Malopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB) of Jagiellonian University in Krakow. nCage is located in Krakow. For more information, please see www.ncage.org.

SOURCE Ryvu Therapeutics