Micromet Demonstrates that the Antibodies in Commercial Products
Herceptin, Erbitux, Vectibix and Xolair Can Be Converted into Highly
Potent, T Cell-engaging BiTE Antibodies
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BETHESDA, MD - April 14, 2008 - Micromet, Inc. (Nasdaq: MITI), a
biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies
for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases,
presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for
Cancer Research (AACR) in San Diego, CA, data showing that commercial
anti-cancer antibodies trastuzumab (Herceptin®; Genentech, Roche),
cetuximab (Erbitux®; Bristol-Myers Squibb, Imclone, Merck Serono),
and panitumumab (Vectibix®; Amgen) can be converted to highly potent
BiTE® antibodies (1). Likewise, the anti-IgE antibody omalizumab
(Xolair®; Genentech, Novartis) for the treatment of asthma can also
be successfully converted into a BiTE antibody. BiTE antibodies are
designed to direct the body's cytotoxic, or cell-destroying, T cells
against selected target cells, and represent a new therapeutic
approach to therapy of cancer and other diseases.
All four BiTE antibodies were constructed using Micromet's novel
proprietary BiTE platform that is fully human and cross-reactive with
a wide variety of non-human primates. The presentation at AACR shows
that all BiTE antibodies are active in eliminating cells expressing
the respective target antigens of human and macaque origin. The four
BiTE antibodies with specificity for EGFR, HER2/neu and IgE target
antigens, all showed high potency as demonstrated by redirected lysis
of respective target cells at half maximal concentrations below 1
ng/ml (18 picomolar).
"Our data show that commercially successful monoclonal antibody
therapeutics can be converted into the T cell-engaging BiTE antibody
format using our new BiTE platform," comments Patrick Baeuerle, chief
scientific officer of Micromet. "With the BiTE antibody platform, we
can teach conventional monoclonal antibodies how to recruit T cells
for a very selective and highly effective lysis of target cells.
Proof of concept has been established for the BiTE platform by
MT103/MEDI-538, which has shown clinical responses in relapsed and
refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients."
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Reference
1. Lutterbuese, R. et al. Conversion of Cetuximab and Trastuzumab
into T Cell-engaging BiTE Antibodies Creates Novel Drug
Candidates with Superior Anti-tumor Activity. Annual Meeting of
AACR, San Diego, 2008, Abstract No. 2402.
About BiTE Antibodies
BiTE® antibodies are designed to direct the body's cytotoxic, or
cell- destroying, T cells against tumor cells, and represent a new
therapeutic approach to cancer therapy. BiTE antibodies have been
shown to induce an immunological synapse between a T cell and a tumor
cell in the same manner as observed during physiological T cell
attacks. These cytolytic synapses enable the delivery of cytotoxic
proteins from T cells into tumor cells, ultimately inducing a
self-destruction process in the tumor cell referred to as apoptosis,
or programmed cell death. In the presence of BiTE antibodies, T cells
have been demonstrated to serially eliminate tumor cells, which
explains the activity of BiTE antibodies at very low concentrations
and at very low ratios of T cells to target cells. Through the
process of killing cancer cells, T cells proliferate, which leads to
an increased number of T cells at the site of attack.
Several antibodies in Micromet's product pipeline are BiTE antibodies
and have been generated based on Micromet's proprietary BiTE antibody
platform. The most advanced BiTE antibody is MT103 (MEDI-538),
targeting CD19, and has provided proof-of-concept in an ongoing phase
1 clinical study in patients with advanced non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
MT110, which is targeting EpCAM (CD326) and is the first BiTE
antibody with potential applications in the treatment of solid
tumors, has completed preclinical development. Two additional BiTE
antibodies, targeting CEA and MCSP, are in preclinical development.
About Micromet, Inc. (www.micromet-inc.com)
Micromet, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing novel,
proprietary antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and
autoimmune diseases. Three of its antibodies are currently in
clinical trials, while the remainder of the product pipeline is in
preclinical development. The BiTE® antibody MT103 is in a phase 2
clinical trial for the treatment of patients with acute lymphoblastic
leukemia and in a phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of
patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. BiTE antibodies represent a new
class of antibodies that activate a patient's own cytotoxic T cells,
considered the most powerful "killer cells" of the human immune
system, to eliminate cancer cells. Micromet
(more)
is developing MT103 in collaboration with MedImmune, Inc., a
subsidiary of AstraZeneca plc. The second clinical stage antibody is
adecatumumab, also known as MT201, a human monoclonal antibody which
targets epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-expressing solid
tumors. Micromet is developing adecatumumab in collaboration with
Merck Serono in a phase 1b clinical trial evaluating adecatumumab in
combination with docetaxel for the treatment of patients with
metastatic breast cancer. The third clinical stage antibody, MT293 is
licensed to TRACON Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and is being developed in a
phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of patients with cancer. In
addition, Micromet has established a collaboration with Nycomed for
the development and commercialization of MT203, a human antibody
neutralizing the activity of granulocyte/macrophage colony
stimulating factor (GM-CSF), which has potential applications in the
treatment of various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as
rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or multiple sclerosis.
Forward-Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve
risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be
materially different from historical results or from any future
results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from any
future results expressed or implied by any forward-looking statements
include the risk that product candidates that appeared promising in
early research, preclinical studies or clinical trials do not
demonstrate safety and/or efficacy in subsequent clinical trials, the
risk that encouraging results from early research, preclinical
studies or clinical trials may not be confirmed upon further analysis
of the detailed results of such research, preclinical study or
clinical trial, the risk that additional information relating to the
safety, efficacy or tolerability of our product candidates may be
discovered upon further analysis of preclinical or clinical trial
data, the risk that we or our collaborators will not obtain approval
to market our product candidates, the risks associated with reliance
on outside financing to meet capital requirements, and the risks
associated with reliance on collaborators, including MedImmune, Merck
Serono, TRACON and Nycomed, for the funding or conduct of further
development and commercialization activities relating to our product
candidates. You are urged to consider statements that include the
words "ongoing," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should,"
"believes," "estimates," "projects," "potential," "expects,"
"suggests," "plans," "anticipates," "intends," "continues,"
"forecast," "designed," "goal," or the negative of those words or
other comparable words to be uncertain and forward-looking. These
factors and others are more fully discussed in our periodic reports
and other filings with the SEC.
(more)
Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to Section 27A of
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and, as such, speak only
as of the date made. Micromet, Inc. undertakes no obligation to
publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result
of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Contact Information
Media: Investors:
Andrea tenBroek/Chris Stamm Susan Noonan
(781)-684-0770 (212) 966-3650
micromet@schwartz-pr.com susan@sanoonan.com
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Micromet Inc.
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