Allterum Therapeutics, Inc. has been awarded a $12 million product development grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT). This grant will support the clinical evaluation of Allterum's 4A10 monoclonal antibody targeting CD127, a receptor that is expressed in multiple hematological cancers and solid tumors.
HOUSTON, April 8, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Allterum Therapeutics, Inc. has been awarded a $12 million product development grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT), which will support the clinical evaluation of Allterum's lead candidate, 4A10, a monoclonal antibody targeting CD127. CD127 is a receptor that is expressed in major subsets of multiple cancers including hematological cancers (ALL, AML, CLL, and lymphoma) and solid tumors (lung, breast, colorectal, H&N, esophageal cancers).
"We are delighted to receive this generous award from CPRIT, which together with additional grant support from NCI and investor funding will enable us to advance 4A10 into clinic," said Atul Varadhachary, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Allterum. "Our anti-CD127 antibody can potentially target a broad range of hematological cancers and solid tumors, and we are grateful to CPRIT for recognizing the potential of our technology and supporting our mission to improve outcomes for cancer patients."
The antibody was invented at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) by senior investigator Scott Durum, PhD and his collaborators, and is licensed exclusively to Allterum. 4A10 represents a novel immunotherapy approach that harnesses the patient's immune system to selectively target and destroy cancer cells.
The initial 4A10 clinical trial will be conducted in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), one of the most commonly diagnosed pediatric cancers in the U.S. Although current therapies are effective for a majority of patients, the prognosis is poor for patients who have relapsed or are refractory to treatment. Allterum's initial trial will focus on patients who are relapsed or refractory to therapy with follow-up label expansion trials in ALL patients in a first-line setting as well as in patients with other CD127-expressing hematological and solid cancers.
"We have received Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation for ALL from FDA, which will provide for facilitated access to FDA and potentially qualify us for a Pediatric Priority Review Voucher," said Philip Breitfeld, MD, Allterum's Chief Medical Officer. "This funding from CPRIT will play a vital role in funding our 4A10 Phase I/IIA clinical trial in acute leukemias. We are eager to evaluate our antibody in patients with CD127-expressing malignancies."
CPRIT's funding to Allterum was provided through a Texas Therapeutics Company grant under the CPRIT Product Development Research program, which provides funding for Texas-based companies nearing the filing of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application or already in Phase 1 clinical trials. An addition to the $12M Product Development Award, Allterum received a $2.9M CPRIT seed award in 2020, which supported early-stage development work for the 4A10 antibody and laid the foundation for the current grant.
"We are pleased to provide Allterum with this TTC product development award to advance their promising anti-cancer drug into clinic," said Dr. Kenneth Smith, CPRIT's Chief Product Development Officer. "It is especially rewarding to see one of our previous seed grant recipients progress to this stage where they have the potential to make a meaningful impact in the lives of cancer patients."
Allterum has also received a $2M SBIR Phase II grant from NCI to support 4A10 clinical development, and was accepted into the NCI Experimental Therapeutics (NExT) Program, which is providing milestone-based support for Allterum's pivotal toxicology study and GMP manufacturing.
About Allterum
Allterum Therapeutics, Inc. is a Fannin-founded biopharmaceutical company targeting CD127-expressing cancers with an initial focus on patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The company's lead candidate, 4A10, is a monoclonal antibody targeting CD127 in-licensed from NCI which is expected to enter clinic in 1H 2025. CD127 is also known as interleukin-7 receptor subunit alpha; IL-7R. Allterum is located in Houston, Texas. For more information, visit www.allterum.com.
About Fannin
Established in 2014, Houston-based Fannin is among the most active early-stage product development groups in the life sciences with a dozen programs/ platforms at different stages of development. Fannin advances its pipeline both internally and through Fannin-founded entities with a combination of investor and grant funding. In the last decade, Fannin has brought in ~35 programs, of which a dozen are active including three in the clinic. Collectively, ~$242 million has been invested across Fannin programs, $71M from grant funding and $171M from investors. An additional critical element to Fannin's business model is helping develop life sciences entrepreneurs locally through an experiential talent development program. The talent development program, which includes part-time interns and full-time fellows/product development associates, has grown to become one of the largest of its kind. The 320+ Fannin alumni have continued their career development in pharma/biotech, medical device/medtech, and VC firms across the local Houston ecosystem and nationally. For more information, visit www.FanninInnovation.com, come by the office at 3900 Essex Lane -- Suite 575 in Houston, or email [email protected].
About CPRIT
Created by the Texas Legislature and approved by a statewide vote in 2007, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) leads the Lone Star State's fight against cancer. In 2019, Texas voters again voted overwhelmingly to support CPRIT with an additional $3 billion, for a total $6 billion investment in cancer research and prevention.
To date, the agency has awarded more than $3 billion in grants to Texas research institutions and organizations through its academic research, prevention, and product development research programs. CPRIT has also recruited 293 distinguished researchers to Texas, supported the establishment, expansion, or relocation of 56 companies to Texas, and supported nearly 9 million prevention services reaching all 254 counties in Texas.
The Governor, the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House appoint the members of the Oversight Committee. The board meets at least once every quarter to set the priorities for the agency as well as vote on proposed, peer-reviewed cancer research and prevention grants to institutions, organization, and companies throughout the state.
Media Contact
Serena Miggins, Fannin, 1 7139665844, [email protected], www.fannininnovation.com
SOURCE Fannin
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