SEOUL, South Korea & NESS ZIONA, Israel--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genuv Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on innovative drug discovery for central nervous system disorders and advanced antibody therapies, and Nanocarry Therapeutics, a private company developing a new class of therapeutics capable of crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB), announced an agreement to collaborate on the development of an experimental drug to treat metastatic lung cancer. Specifically, this collaboration will further develop GNUV201 to treat metastatic tumors in the brain, using Nanocarry’s AxS platform to cross the BBB.
GNUV201 is an experimental, novel anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody developed with Genuv’s proprietary antibody development platform Shine Mouse®. GNUV201 exhibits strong cross-reactivity to both human and mouse PD-1, increasing the likelihood that animal models of disease are predictive of human clinical results. The experimental drug candidate also demonstrates superior binding affinity compared to Keytruda® and Opdivo®. The goal is to deliver this powerful cancer-fighting experimental antibody to treat metastatic tumors in the brain from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
“Genuv is excited to partner with Nanocarry to explore the potential of pairing their platform with our GNUV201 antibody to deliver cancer-fighting medicine directly to metastatic brain tumors,” said Sungho Han, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Genuv. “We believe our collaboration could provide proof-of-concept for the first-ever brain-penetrating anti-PD-1 antibody. If we are successful, it may open up the possibility of expanding this therapy to other brain tumor types.”
Revital Mandil Levin, Ph.D., cofounder and CEO of Nanocarry Therapeutics, said, “This project is an exciting opportunity to enable Genuv’s novel anti-PD-1 antibody treatments to reach its full potential, by accessing the brain. We look forward to partnering with Genuv for the development of this experimental treatment with our engineered nanoparticles and to bring new hope to patients in need.”
The two firms have applied for a grant from the Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation (KORIL-RDF) to support an initial feasibility study including in vitro and in vivo studies to explore targeting the brain with antibodies to treat tumors.
ABOUT GENUV
Genuv Inc. is a leader in discovering drugs for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and advanced antibody therapies. The ATRIVIEW® drug screening platform uses cell phenotypic and biomarker analyses to discover substances for the development of neurodegenerative disease treatment. The company’s SHINE MOUSE® and NuvoMabTM platform generate antibodies with superior affinity, solubility, and stability. Based in Seoul, Korea, Genuv launched its first clinical trial in Korea in 2020. Genuv uses scientific imagination and unique platform technologies to overcome the challenges in debilitating diseases. Learn more at www.genuv.com.
ABOUT SHINE MOUSE®
SHINE MOUSE® is Genuv’s proprietary platform for developing antibodies with greater diversity compared to conventional mouse antibodies. Our antibodies are able to recognize new and different epitopes, potentially enabling the use of antibodies to treat many more diseases. Antibodies developed with SHINE MOUSE® also exhibit powerful cross-reactivity to human and mouse PD-1. SHINE MOUSE® is a powerful tool in the development of advanced biologics to treat cancer and other life-altering diseases.
ABOUT NANOCARRY THERAPEUTICS
Nanocarry is developing a new class of therapeutics based on bioengineered nanoparticles with novel capabilities to treat oncology indications and brain diseases. Using a proprietary “Plug and Play” approach, Nanocarry’s AxS platform can be easily modified to deliver a wide array of biologics, safely and effectively, to the brain and beyond. Nanocarry’s first products in development are for brain metastases of HER2+ breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer.
