Invenra and WARF (Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) announced they have entered into a collaboration to discover and develop a bispecific antibody therapeutic for the treatment of neuroblastoma, a cancer that is the third most common childhood cancer, after leukemia and brain tumors. The collaboration will use Invenra’s proprietary SNIPER technology to allow for precise targeting of the cancer cells while sparing normal nerve cells, and potentially alleviating unwanted toxicities and pain related side effects. The idea for the therapeutic candidate came out of a collaboration between Invenra and University of Wisconsin, Madison Professor, Dr. Paul Sondel, a pediatric oncologist who treats these children in his practice.
“Invenra’s SNIPER technology should enable creation of antibody-based therapies that are specifically able to target tumor cells while not binding to normal tissues. We are excited to be working with Invenra to initiate this approach by directing it towards improving treatment for pediatric neuroblastoma,” notes Sondel.
Roland Green, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Invenra states, “We are very excited about this program and the potential it has for helping these children with neuroblastoma. This program also has the potential to treat patients with a variety of other cancers such as glioblastoma (a form of brain cancer), melanoma and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). This collaboration is a good example of the benefits that can come from partnerships between the UW-Madison and industry.”