TEL AVIV, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:
CGEN) today announced the initiation of a multi-year research
collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, under
the direction of Prof. Drew Pardoll and Dr. Charles Drake. Prof. Pardoll
and Dr. Drake, members of Compugen’s Scientific Advisory Board, are
pioneers in the field of immuno-oncology. The collaboration will focus
on further evaluation of selected novel B7/CD28-like immune checkpoint
candidates discovered by Compugen for the potential treatment of cancer.
This evaluation will include the candidates’ differentiation profile
with respect to known checkpoints and their potential to serve either
for monotherapy or in combination with other cancer treatments.
This collaborative research will expand Compugen’s ongoing assessment of
the biology and mechanism of actions of its novel B7/CD28-like immune
checkpoint proteins, and provide access to the world-class
immuno-oncology research tools and expertise at Johns Hopkins
University. The specific studies under the collaboration will assist
Compugen in further substantiating the potential of its novel proteins
as targets for cancer immunotherapy. It is anticipated that the results
of this collaboration will significantly broaden the underlying
scientific knowledge of Compugen’s targets and will support their
translation toward the clinic.
Dr. Anat Cohen-Dayag, President and CEO of Compugen, stated, “Prof.
Pardoll and Dr. Drake are recognized as world leaders in the field of
immuno-oncology. We are very enthusiastic to be collaborating with them
and with Johns Hopkins University in this comprehensive research program
to further characterize and differentiate our novel cancer immunotherapy
B7/CD28-like candidates. We anticipate that this research will provide
important insights for the continuing development by us and our
potential future partners of our therapeutic candidates in the
exceptionally promising field of cancer immunotherapy.”
Prof. Pardoll stated, “In this intensely researched area of immune
checkpoints, it is remarkable that Compugen, through the use of its
unique predictive methodologies, has discovered such a large number of
novel and highly promising immune checkpoint candidates. Although these
programs are at early stages, we very much look forward to collaborating
with the scientists at Compugen in order to add to the understanding of
these novel checkpoints and assess their potential applications in
immuno-oncology.”
Dr. Drake added, “Immunotherapy is dramatically changing the landscape
for cancer treatment, but current therapies appear to address only a
small percentage of patients. It is widely believed that the
availability of monoclonal antibody drugs addressing additional
checkpoint targets will significantly broaden the applicability of this
breakthrough approach. Therefore, the large number of novel checkpoint
candidates discovered to date by Compugen represents a potential major
contribution to this rapidly growing field.”
The selected immune checkpoint candidates included in this collaboration
are part of the eleven B7/CD28-like proteins discovered to date by
Compugen through the use of its broadly applicable and unique predictive
discovery infrastructure. The different characteristics and potential
mechanisms of action of these novel candidates as demonstrated in past
and ongoing validation studies, show that these drug target candidates
have the potential to give rise to multiple first-in-class cancer
immunotherapies.
Prof. Pardoll is Abeloff Professor of Oncology, Medicine, Pathology and
Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine and the Director of the Cancer Immunology Program in the Sidney
Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. For the past two
decades, Prof. Pardoll has studied molecular aspects of immune
regulation, particularly related to mechanisms by which cancer cells
evade elimination by the immune system. Prof. Pardoll has made seminal
advances in immunology, including the discovery of new types of immune
cells and regulatory mechanisms.
Dr. Drake specializes in cancer immunotherapies, focusing on immune
checkpoints and cancer vaccines. He has significant experience
conducting clinical trials involving these therapies. He is Co-Director
of the Multi-disciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic at Johns Hopkins Kimmel
Cancer Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and is an Associate Professor,
Medical Oncology, Immunology, and Urology. Dr. Drake is also a member of
the Prostate Cancer Foundation Scientific Advisory Board.
About Immune Checkpoints
Immune checkpoints are inhibitory receptors and their ligands, which are
crucial for the maintenance of self-tolerance (that is, the prevention
of autoimmunity) and for the protection of tissues from damage when the
immune system is responding to pathogenic infection or other injuries.
Immune checkpoints, which are "hijacked" by tumors to block the ability
of the immune system to destroy the tumor (immune resistance), have
lately emerged as "game changers" and promising targets for cancer
immunotherapy. Therapeutic blockade of immune checkpoints can boost
anti-tumor immunity, enabling the patient’s immune system to recognize
and attack the tumor cells, and mount durable anti-tumor responses and
tumor destruction.
The blockade of immune checkpoints unleashes the potential of the
anti-tumor immune response in a fashion that is transforming cancer
therapeutics. Checkpoint-blocking antibodies have lately demonstrated
impressive clinical benefits and long-term survival, even for end-stage
patients, raising hopes that this novel approach will lead to effective
therapeutic strategies and valuable additions in the fight against
cancer.
About Compugen
Compugen is a leading drug discovery company focused on therapeutic
proteins and monoclonal antibodies to address important unmet needs in
the fields of oncology and immunology. The Company utilizes a broad and
continuously growing integrated infrastructure of proprietary scientific
understandings and predictive platforms, algorithms, machine learning
systems and other computational biology capabilities for the in
silico (by computer) prediction and selection of product candidates,
which are then advanced in its Pipeline Program. The Company's business
model includes collaborations covering the further development and
commercialization of product candidates at various stages from its
Pipeline Program and various forms of research and discovery agreements,
in both cases providing Compugen with potential milestone payments and
royalties on product sales or other forms of revenue sharing. Compugen’s
wholly-owned U.S. subsidiary located in South San Francisco is
developing monoclonal antibody therapeutic candidates against its drug
targets. For additional information, please visit Compugen's corporate
website at www.cgen.com.
Forward-Looking Statement
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of
terminology such as “will,” “may,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “believes,”
and “intends,” and describe opinions about future events and include
statements related to the research collaboration to be undertaken with
Johns Hopkins University to assist Compugen in assessing the potential
of its novel B7/CD28-like immune checkpoint proteins; in broadening the
knowledge of these novel checkpoints; in supporting the translation
towards the clinic of Compugen’s novel proteins as targets for cancer
immunotherapy, either as monotherapy or combination treatments; and in
broadening the immunotherapy approach by generating monoclonal antibody
drugs addressing additional checkpoint targets. These forward-looking
statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may
cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Compugen to be
materially different from any future results, performance or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Some of these risks are: changes in relationships with collaborators;
the inability to reach mutually agreeable terms and conditions with
respect to potential new collaborations; the impact of competitive
products and technological changes; risks relating to the development of
new products; and the ability to implement technological improvements.
These and other factors are discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of
Compugen’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F as filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission as well as other documents that may
be subsequently filed by Compugen from time to time with the Securities
and Exchange Commission. In addition, any forward-looking statements
represent Compugen’s views only as of the date of this release and
should not be relied upon as representing its views as of any subsequent
date. Compugen does not assume any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements unless required by law.