Resistance blocker of immune checkpoint inhibitors gets patented
The EPO has granted a patent to Domain Therapeutics Phase I candidate DT-9081 designed to reverse PGE2-mediated immunosuppression used by tumours to bypass the immune system.
DT-9081, Domain Therapeutics selective EP4 receptor antagonist, preclinically synergised with PD1-checkpoint blockers and shrinked tumours by reversal of prostaglandin E2-mediated immunosuppression (PGE2). The small molecule drug is currently being evaluated in a Phase I clinical trial in patients with certain metastatic malignancies. A €39m Series A financing from May 2022 secures that clinical testing will be carried out without delays.
According to the French company that was founded in 2010, DT9081 and derviatives have been granted patent protection until 2024 in 15 European territories. In the open-label safety study, Domain monitors outcomes with a panel of 63 BRET-based biomarkers each designed to follow one specific signaling event upon GPCR activation during the patients treatment. According to Domain, this precision research will enable a differentiated positioning of DT-9081.
To escape immunosurveillance, tumours inactivate the immune system not only via direct contact through immune checkpoint system, but also by releasing immunosuppressive molecules in the tumour microenvironment. Such strategies lead the tumour to escape the immune system and limit the therapeutic effects of therapies based on immune checkpoint inhibitor. Domain Therapeutics is a specialist for identifying GPCRs targets involved in immunosurveillance mechanisms
