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Highlights
- Avacta has added two new preclinical oncology assets, AVA6103 and AVA7100, to its pipeline, utilizing its pre|CISION® technology.
- AVA6103 targets tumors with exatecan, a potent antitumor drug, while reducing its systemic toxicities.
- AVA7100 is an Affimer® drug conjugate with broad applications across various cancers, offering flexibility in therapeutic payload selection.
Avacta Group plc (LSE:AVCT), a leading life sciences company focused on developing targeted cancer therapies, has announced the addition of two novel preclinical assets, AVA6103 and AVA7100, to its innovative oncology pipeline. Both programs leverage Avacta's proprietary pre|CISION® platform, designed to improve antitumor effectiveness while minimizing systemic side effects, and represent a significant expansion of the company's portfolio of targeted drug conjugates.
The pre|CISION® technology enables selective activation of cancer therapies within the tumor microenvironment by utilizing a peptide that is cleaved by Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP), a protein found primarily in tumors. This targeted activation approach allows Avacta to reduce the harmful systemic toxicities commonly associated with cancer treatments, while simultaneously enhancing their antitumor activity.
AVA6103: A Safer, Targeted Approach to Exatecan
The first new program, AVA6103, is a pre|CISION®-enabled peptide drug conjugate (PDC) designed to deliver exatecan directly to tumors. Exatecan is one of the most potent topoisomerase I inhibitors in clinical development and has shown promising clinical activity in various cancers, including breast, lung, gastric, and pancreatic cancers. However, its high toxicity and short half-life in patients have limited its development as a standalone treatment.
With AVA6103, Avacta has developed a safer method to utilize exatecan. By linking exatecan to the pre|CISION® peptide, which is cleaved only in the tumor environment, the drug is activated selectively within the tumor, reducing exposure to healthy tissues. This design allows patients to benefit from exatecan’s potent antitumor effects while mitigating the dose-limiting toxicities that have hampered its development in the past.
AVA6103 represents a promising advancement in cancer treatment, particularly for cancers where exatecan has already shown effectiveness, such as breast, lung, and gastric cancers. By enabling the delivery of this powerful drug directly to tumors, AVA6103 aims to provide therapeutic benefit with reduced side effects.
AVA7100: Expanding Therapeutic Options with Affimer® Technology
The second new preclinical program, AVA7100, is a pre|CISION®-enabled Affimer® drug conjugate. Affimer® molecules are engineered small proteins designed to bind to target molecules similarly to antibodies, but with several advantages, such as smaller size and enhanced binding affinity. These properties make Affimer® molecules particularly suited for use in cancer therapies.
AVA7100 incorporates a novel FAP-targeting Affimer® conjugated to a pre|CISION® peptide linker. The flexible design allows for the incorporation of various therapeutic payloads, enabling its application across a wide range of cancers, including those with lower levels of FAP expression. This expands the potential use of pre|CISION®-enabled therapies beyond tumors with high FAP expression, making it a versatile option for tackling different cancer types.
By developing a new class of Affimer®-based therapies, Avacta aims to address unmet needs in cancer treatment. AVA7100 holds promise in treating a broader range of cancers, as it offers flexibility in payload selection and can be tailored to specific cancer types.
