June 10, 2020 -- Thermo Fisher Scientific has formed a strategic partnership with PharmAbcine for the development and manufacturing of PMC-309, a next-generation immune checkpoint blockade to treat cancer.
Under the agreement, PharmAbcine will use Thermo Fisher's Quick to Clinic integrated service offering, a program that accelerates drug development for investigational new drug (IND) submissions for phase I clinical trials.
PMC-309 is a fully human monoclonal antibody (immunoglobulin G) that targets the epitope of human V-domain immunoglobulin suppressor of T-cell activation (VISTA) that is primarily expressed on myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Inhibition of VISTA-positive immunosuppression is a promising immunotherapeutic strategy and an alternative to PD1/PDL1 targeting immuno-oncology drugs.
The drug will be developed at Thermo Fisher's site in Princeton, NJ, and PharmAbcine plans to initiate IND-enabling studies this year and submit global IND in 2021.