Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals (Beijing) Co., Ltd. and CtM Biotech (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. jointly announce that the development of a tri-specific T cell engager for an intracellular target achieved milestone progress. In just one year since the start of the collaboration, the companies have identified a WT1/HLA-A02-specific T cell engager (WT1xCD3x4-1BB tri-specific antibody) with outstanding preclinical anti-tumor activities for both hematological malignancies and solid tumors. The incorporation of the T co-stimulatory signal for WT1-targeting T cell engager further gives it the best-in-class properties and first-in-class potential.

Its preclinical data has been accepted for presentation at the upcoming 2024 AACR annual meeting. WT1 (Wilms? tumor gene 1) is an intracellular protein highly enriched in certain cancer cells compared to normal tissues, making it an attractive tumor target for cancer immunotherapy.

To identify novel WT1-targeting antibody-based therapeutics, Biocytogen harnessed its RenTCR-mimicTM mice and high-throughput in vivo and in vitro screening platforms to successfully generate WT1 antibodies with superior specificity and high affinity to the HLA/peptide complex. These antibodies were further engineered using CtM?s T cell engager technology, which is specifically designed to overcome T cell over-activation toxicity and prevent T cell exhaustion, leading to highly effective, safe and controllable multi-specific engagers.