Ellipses Pharma licences SRB22 from SunRock Biopharma

Under the agreement, British Ellipses Pharma Ltd has been granted global rights to develop and commercialise SBR22 (which it renamed to EP0017) from Spanish SunRock Biopharma S.L. The London-based cancer specialist said it will assume the full cost and responsibility for the remaining pre-clinical and clinical development of the first-in-class bifunctional HER3:TRAIL fusion protein. In line with its strategy, Ellipses intends to out-licence EP0017 followíng clinical proof-of-concept. SunRock (Santiago di Campostola) will continue to be involved in the development of the bispecific antibody to ensure efficient translational activities through a service agreement with Ellipses. If Ellipses out-licences EP0017, SunRock will also receive milestone payments and royalties.Further financial details were not available upon request

SCR22/EP0017 is a first-in-class bifunctional fusion protein with a dual mechanism of action. It selectively targets HER3, which is overexpressed in several different tumour types, and additionally, binds to the tumour death receptors DR4 and DR5, inducing tumour cell death. Promising data has been generated in a range of preclinical models that demonstrate the potential of the bispecific antibody.