In-Licensing further strengthens intellectual property estate for the treatment
of Non-Small Cell Cancer (NSCLC) patients with STK11 mutations
Bergen, Norway, 16 December 2021- BerGenBio ASA (OSE:BGBIO), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company developing novel, selective AXL inhibitors for severe
unmet medical needs, announced today the licensing of certain intellectual
property from the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The exclusive license to
intellectual property generated by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center
supports the Company's existing IP position underlying use of AXL inhibitors,
including its lead product candidate bemcentinib, for the treatment of patients
harboring STK11 mutations in NSCLC. No financial terms have been disclosed.
The STK11 mutation is observed in up to 20% of NSCLC patients. STK11 is an
important tumor suppressor gene associated with a poor prognosis in NSCLC
patients and which has been reported in some studies to confer resistance to
immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Researchers at the UT Southwestern Medical Center and BerGenBio recently
presented data at the 2021 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 36thAnnual
Meeting exploring why patients harboring a mutation to the STK11 gene may not
respond to anti-PD1 therapy, a commonly used treatment in first line NSCLC
patients. Preclinical research further indicated that the addition of the
selective AXL inhibitor bemcentinib restored the activity of anti-PD1 treatment
in relevant lung cancer models
Martin Olin, Chief Executive Officer at BerGenBio, commented: "The license
agreement with UT Southwestern Medical Center complements our existing
intellectual property filings in this important patient population which appears
to poorly respond to anti-PD1 therapy. We will continue to explore how this
target group might be addressed by the combination of bemcentinib and an immune
checkpoint inhibitor."
-End-
Contacts
Martin Olin CEO, BerGenBio ASA
ir@bergenbio.com
Rune Skeie, CFO, BerGenBio ASA
rune.skeie@bergenbio.com
International Media Relations
Mary-Jane Elliott, Chris Welsh, Lucy Featherstone
Consilium Strategic Communications
bergenbio@consilium-comms.com
+44 20 3709 5700
About BerGenBio ASA
BerGenBio is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing
transformative drugs targeting AXL as a potential cornerstone of therapy for
aggressive diseases, including immune-evasive, therapy resistant cancers. The
company's proprietary lead candidate, bemcentinib, is a potentially first-in
-class selective AXL inhibitor in a broad phase II clinical development
programme focused on combination and single agent therapy in cancer and COVID
-19. A first-in-class functional blocking anti-AXL antibody, tilvestamab, is
undergoing phase I clinical testing. In parallel, BerGenBio is developing
companion diagnostic tests to potentially identify patient populations most
likely to benefit from AXL inhibition. This is expected to facilitate more
efficient registration trials supporting a precision medicine-based
commercialisation strategy.
BerGenBio is based in Bergen, Norway with a subsidiary in Oxford, UK. The
company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: BGBIO). For more
information, visit?www.bergenbio.com
Forward looking statements
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which as such are not
historical facts, but are based upon various assumptions, many of which are
based, in turn, upon further assumptions. These assumptions are inherently
subject to significant known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other
important factors. Suchrisks, uncertainties, contingencies and other important
factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations
expressed or implied in this announcement by such forward-looking statements.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5
-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.