Novel therapeutics targeting the EMT/Axl pathway in aggressive cancers

BerGenBio is developing therapeutics against a basic mechanism (Axl/EMT) that drive aggressive cancer. This project has largely progressed according to plan, and has led to the development of several novel Axl/EMT targeting drug candidates. In the final parts of the project we have studied 5 drug candidates targeting different aspects of the Axl/EMT pathway, and started large scale GMP production of one of them for progression towards clinical testing.

Aggressive, metastatic cancers that are resistant to current anti-cancer treatments are the major cause of cancer death. The biotechnology company BerGenBio AS is focused on developing a pipeline of innovative therapeutics that target the biological mecha nisms underlying drug resistance in cancer cells. The focus of this project is to implement state-of the-art R&D strategies to identify and develop novel drug candidates with the potential to prevent and reverse cancer drug resistance in the metastatic s etting. The funding applied for will facilitate our research efforts to define new therapeutic modalities to treat malignancies with unmet need. The output of the project proposal will be R&D leading to first-in-class drug candidates for: 1) licensing to larger pharmaceutical companies for clinical development and marketing; or 2) co-developed with a suitable partner through later stage clinical proof of concept prior to subsequent large pharmaceutical company licensing. This business scenario is both attractive to the investment community and can provide new therapeutic options for cancer patients.