Lund, Sweden, June 4, 2020 – Alligator Bioscience (Nasdaq Stockholm: ATORX) and Scandion Oncology (Spotlight, Sweden: SCOL), today announced signing of a collaboration agreement. The two companies have agreed to explore the anti-tumor efficacy of the CD40 antibody mitazalimab (Alligator Bioscience) in combination with SCO-101 (Scandion Oncology) as an addition to chemotherapy in resistant preclinical tumor models. The expectation is that SCO-101 will revert chemotherapy resistance and thereby further strengthening the anti-tumor effects of mitazalimab.
Immuno-oncology (IO) drugs have proven very effective in subsets of cancer patients. Recently, data from large clinical trials have shown that the combination of IO drugs and standard chemotherapy results in additive anti-tumor effects and more durable remissions in cancer patients. However, many cancers develop resistance to chemotherapy and consequently, no additive effects will be expected in these patients.
The Alligator Bioscience drug candidate mitazalimab enhances presentation of antigens released by cancer cells and is thought to be beneficial in combination with chemotherapy, where large amounts of antigens are being released by dying tumor cells. Scandion Oncology’s drug candidate SCO-101 acts by blocking resistance mechanisms in cancer cells, allowing chemotherapy to kill previously resistant cancer cells. Thereby, SCO-101 would restore the release of antigens and re-activate the anti-cancer effects of the IO drugs.
“This collaboration will further validate mitazalimab’s potential in combination therapy with diverse chemotherapeutic agents, as well as the power of SCO-101 as a solution to the widespread issue of chemoresistance," said Per Norlén, CEO of Alligator Bioscience.
“This is a dream scenario for Scandion Oncology. Combinations between SCO-101, chemotherapy and an IO drug like mitazalimab could easily become the future of anti-cancer therapy” says Nils Brünner, CEO of Scandion Oncology.
Results from the studies in this collaboration are expected during first half of 2021.
For further information, please contact:
Cecilia Hofvander, Director Investor Relations & Communications
Phone +46 46 540 82 06
E-mail: cecilia.hofvander@alligatorbioscience.com
This information is such information as Alligator Bioscience AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 2:00 p.m. CEST on June 4, 2020.
About Alligator Bioscience
Alligator Bioscience AB is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing tumor-directed immuno-oncology antibody drugs. Alligator’s pipeline includes six lead clinical and preclinical drug candidates: Mitazalimab, ATOR-1015, ATOR-1017, ALG.APV-527 (co-developed with Aptevo Therapeutics Inc.) and AC101 (in clinical development by Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc.). Alligator’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (ATORX). The Company is headquartered in Lund, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.alligatorbioscience.com.
About Scandion Oncology
Scandion Oncology A/S is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that addresses one of the greatest challenges in modern oncology – the effective treatment of cancer which contains chemotherapy-resistant cells, or which has developed resistance to a previously prescribed cancer drug. Scandion Oncology is now in clinical phase II trials with its lead compound, SCO-101, in patients with chemotherapy-resistant colorectal cancer. In addition to SCO-101 the Company has two other drug candidates, SCO-201 and SCO-301. Scandion Oncology was listed on Spotlight Stock Market, Sweden in November 2018. For more information, please visit www.scandiononcology.com.