Home Font Size: 1 2 3 Send to a Friend
Source: Morphotek, Inc.
Contact: Nicholas Nicolaides Morphotek, Inc. 610-423-6100 info@morphotek.com
Bryan Evans Reverb—DBC 215-957-0300 bevans@dbcommunications.net
RESEARCH UNCOVERS MOLECULAR FUNCTION OF ENDOSIALIN TARGETOF MORAb-004, ANTI-ANGIOGENIC ANTIBODY BEING EVALUATED FOR CANCER, NEOVASCULAR DISEASE
Morphotek Announces Publication of Study in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the Biological Pathway of an Oncology Therapeutic Target
Exton-PA- November 20, 2007 – Morphotek, Inc. today announced that a scientific paper published in the recent issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds new light on the biological role of endosialin, also called TEM1, in promoting angiogenesis and tumor growth. Endosialin/TEM1 is a target of one of Morphotek’s therapeutic antibody programs. The article, titled “Interaction of Endosialin/TEM1 with Extra-cellular Matrix Proteins Mediates Adhesion and Cell Migration,” reports on a study performed by Morphotek researchers about the role of endosialin/TEM1 in neovascular biology.
Experimental data showed that endosialin/TEM1, which has been previously shown to be expressed on cells of neovessels in tumors, can elicit cell binding to extracellular matrix proteins (ECPs) via direct interaction. In addition, the ectopic expression of the protein in endosialin/TEM1-negative cells also mediated cell-cell contact via altered cellular morphology and promoted migration of cells exposed to chemotactic stimuli, both classical characteristics of angiogenesis pathways.
“During the study, we found that the humanized monoclonal antibody MORAb-004 was able to specifically bind to a region of endosialin/TEM1 and inhibit endosialin/TEM1-ECP interactions that in turn resulted in suppressed cell migration to chemotactic factors,” said Luigi Grasso, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Research and Development for Morphotek. “This data provides insight into a molecular mechanism by which endosialin/TEM1 supports neovascularization and supports the underlying principle of using MORAb-004 to block disease-associated angiogenesis.”
Endosialin/TEM1 was originally discovered by Drs. Lloyd Old, Pilar Garin-Chesa, and Wolfgang Rettig at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research using molecular immunology approaches to identify cell surface target proteins expressed by tumor stromal cells as a means to suppress/regress tumor growth. Endosialin/TEM1 expression has been found to be highly associated with neovascular disease, including a variety of different cancer types. In vivo studies using knockout mice have shown that deletion endosialin/TEM1 results in suppressed neovascularization, growth and metastasis of tumors in xenograft models as compared to wild type controls. Unlike the VEGF pathway, blockade of endosialin/TEM1 pathway did not lead to physiological changes in normal tissues, development or wound healing.
Morphotek®, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd., is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of protein and antibody products through the use of a novel and proprietary gene evolution technology. The technology has been successfully applied to a broad variety of cell lines and organisms to yield genetically diverse offspring that are suitable for pharmaceutical product development in the areas of antibody therapeutics, protein therapeutics, product manufacturing, drug target discovery, and improved output traits for commercial applications. The company is currently focusing its platform on the development and manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and infectious disease. For more information, please visit www.morphotek.com.
About Eisai Co., Ltd.
Eisai Co., Ltd. is a research-based human health care (hhc) company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the world. Eisai focuses its efforts in three areas of therapeutic focus: Integrative neuroscience including neurology and psychiatric medicines; gastrointestinal disorders; and integrative oncology including oncotherapy and supportive-care treatments. Through a global network of research facilities, manufacturing sites and marketing subsidiaries, Eisai actively participates in all aspects of the worldwide health care system. Eisai employs more than 9,000 people worldwide and reported worldwide sales of 674.1 billion in FY2006 (year ended March 31, 2007). More than 50 percent of the group sales are derived from overseas business. For more information, please visit www.eisai.co.jp.