ImmunoGen,
Inc. (Nasdaq: IMGN), a biotechnology
company that develops anticancer therapeutics using its antibody
expertise and Targeted Antibody Payload (TAP) technology, today
announced the start of clinical testing with its IMGN529 product
candidate. The Phase I trial initiated evaluates the safety,
tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile and anticancer activity of
escalating doses of IMGN529 in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
(NHL) to establish the dose for future clinical trials.
Today NHL is frequently treated with the anticancer antibody, rituximab
(Rituxan®), and/or with chemotherapy. The novel agent IMGN529, a TAP
compound, contains a B-cell-targeting antibody that has demonstrated
marked anticancer activity in preclinical testing.1 Attached
to this antibody is a potent ImmunoGen cell-killing agent, DM1. The
antibody serves: (1) to kill the cancer cells through multiple
antibody-mediated mechanisms; and (2) to deliver the DM1 specifically to
the cancer cells for additional, targeted anticancer potency.
"The Phase I trial now underway, together with our market research, is
expected to provide the information needed to define a clear development
path for IMGN529 in NHL," commented James O'Leary, MD, Vice President
and Chief Medical Officer. "With its unique profile, we believe IMGN529
has the potential to be an important new therapy for the treatment of
key B-cell malignancies."
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