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Symphogen’s Sym004 Demonstrates Superior Efficacy in Cancer Treatment
Jan. 19, 2010
Symphogen has announced the publication of encouraging data for Sym004 in the on-line edition of Cancer Research.
The data showed that Sym004 provided synergistic inhibitory effects against cancer cell lines of different tissue
origin in vitro and in vivo.
Sym004 is a therapeutic composed of two anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies against
different nonoverlapping EGFR epitopes. Like other anti-EGFR antibodies, Sym004 inhibits cancer cells by blocking
ligand binding, receptor activation/phosphorylation, and downstream signaling. However, Sym004 also showed a unique
ability to induce rapid and efficient removal of the EGFR receptors from the cancer cell surface by inducing EGFR
internalization and degradation.
“We believe that Sym004’s novel mechanism of action resulted in these impressive results demonstrating antitumor
activity in EGFR-expressing tumors and that the combination of these two antibodies to form Sym004 led to the powerful
synergistic effects demonstrated in this study,” stated Kirsten Drejer, M.Sc. and Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of
Symphogen. “We are hopeful that Sym004 proves to be a safe and efficacious agent for patients and we look forward to
advancing Sym004 into Phase 1 clinical trials soon.”
“Sym004 specifically targets EGFR on cancer cells, which is a proven and attractive therapeutic target and represents
a potential multi-billion dollar market opportunity,” continued Dr. Drejer. “This data validates the ability of our
proprietary antibody discovery and screening platforms to identify and select potent monoclonal antibody combinations
that more effectively address the multi-mechanistic nature of cancer. We believe our approach should translate to other
ligand-dependent cancers as well as other serious diseases with complex target antigens, including many autoimmune and
infectious diseases.
About Symphogen
Symphogen is developing superior antibody therapeutics (monoclonal, biclonal and polyclonal) to help people with serious
diseases and significant unmet medical needs. With its proprietary, unique Symplex™ discovery and Sympress™ manufacturing
platforms, the company captures the diversity and specificity of the natural immune response in rationally designed
recombinant antibody compositions. Symphogen is maturing a diversified pipeline of internal and partnered products across
multiple indications including cancer, autoimmune and infectious disease. Symphogen is a private biopharmaceutical company
headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a US subsidiary in Princeton, New Jersey.
For further information, please contact:
Kirsten Drejer, Chief Executive Officer
Symphogen A/S
+45 6118 7494 or +45 2210 9959
Or visit: www.symphogen.com
The data showed that Sym004 provided synergistic inhibitory effects against cancer cell lines of different tissue
origin in vitro and in vivo.
Sym004 is a therapeutic composed of two anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies against
different nonoverlapping EGFR epitopes. Like other anti-EGFR antibodies, Sym004 inhibits cancer cells by blocking
ligand binding, receptor activation/phosphorylation, and downstream signaling. However, Sym004 also showed a unique
ability to induce rapid and efficient removal of the EGFR receptors from the cancer cell surface by inducing EGFR
internalization and degradation.
“We believe that Sym004’s novel mechanism of action resulted in these impressive results demonstrating antitumor
activity in EGFR-expressing tumors and that the combination of these two antibodies to form Sym004 led to the powerful
synergistic effects demonstrated in this study,” stated Kirsten Drejer, M.Sc. and Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of
Symphogen. “We are hopeful that Sym004 proves to be a safe and efficacious agent for patients and we look forward to
advancing Sym004 into Phase 1 clinical trials soon.”
“Sym004 specifically targets EGFR on cancer cells, which is a proven and attractive therapeutic target and represents
a potential multi-billion dollar market opportunity,” continued Dr. Drejer. “This data validates the ability of our
proprietary antibody discovery and screening platforms to identify and select potent monoclonal antibody combinations
that more effectively address the multi-mechanistic nature of cancer. We believe our approach should translate to other
ligand-dependent cancers as well as other serious diseases with complex target antigens, including many autoimmune and
infectious diseases.
About Symphogen
Symphogen is developing superior antibody therapeutics (monoclonal, biclonal and polyclonal) to help people with serious
diseases and significant unmet medical needs. With its proprietary, unique Symplex™ discovery and Sympress™ manufacturing
platforms, the company captures the diversity and specificity of the natural immune response in rationally designed
recombinant antibody compositions. Symphogen is maturing a diversified pipeline of internal and partnered products across
multiple indications including cancer, autoimmune and infectious disease. Symphogen is a private biopharmaceutical company
headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a US subsidiary in Princeton, New Jersey.
For further information, please contact:
Kirsten Drejer, Chief Executive Officer
Symphogen A/S
+45 6118 7494 or +45 2210 9959
Or visit: www.symphogen.com
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