Abbott and Genentech, Inc. have formed a collaboration for the global research, development and commercialization of two of Abbott's investigational anti-cancer compounds. The companies will work together on all aspects of further development and commercialization of ABT-263 and ABT-869, which were discovered by Abbott scientists.
The companies will co-promote any resulting products in the United States. Abbott will promote any resulting products outside the United States. Financial terms of the collaboration will not be disclosed.
These compounds are targeted therapies that represent promising, unique scientific approaches to treating cancer. ABT-263, a Bcl-2 family protein antagonist, restores apoptosis - a natural process by which damaged or unwanted cells die and are cleared from the body - in a variety of cancer cells. ABT-869, a VEGFR-based multi-targeted kinase inhibitor, suppresses tumour growth by preventing the growth of new blood vessels that supply the tumour with oxygen and nutrients and by inhibiting key angiogenic signalling pathways. Both compounds are currently in Phase I clinical trials in a number of tumour types. Phase II clinical trials for ABT-869 in several tumour types will begin this year.
Beyond those two compounds, scientists at the two companies will use their expertise to conduct additional follow-on research in the area of Bcl-2 family protein antagonists and VEGFR-targeted (vascular endothelial growth factor receptor) kinase inhibitors.
"We hope that the combination of Abbott's scientific discoveries and Genentech's proven experience in the oncology arena can help bring these promising anti-cancer compounds to patients," said John Leonard, M.D., vice president, Global Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abbott. "It takes significant resources to discover and develop new medicines. We believe that our collaboration with Genentech, in addition to our pipeline of other cutting-edge scientific approaches to fighting cancer, will allow Abbott to build a world-class oncology franchise."
"We are very pleased to be entering into this collaboration with Abbott for the development of therapies that may offer new options to treat patients with cancer," said Hal Barron, M.D., senior vice president, Development and chief medical officer for Genentech. "We believe that these molecules are strong complements to our existing anti-angiogenesis and apoptosis research and development programs and have the potential to broaden our pipeline with important, innovative compounds."
Apoptosis, also known as programmed cell death, is a natural process by which damaged or unwanted cells, including those that are or could become cancerous, die and are cleared from the body. The Bcl-2 family proteins, which are expressed at high levels in many tumours, play a central role in regulating apoptosis and, consequently, in tumour formation, tumour growth and resistance to treatment. Researchers have been interested in the pro-survival members of the Bcl-2 family since their role in preventing apoptosis was established more than a decade ago. Pioneering structural biology work at Abbott showed how Bcl-2-like proteins interact with one another, thereby setting the stage for Abbott researchers to develop novel compounds that cause cancer cells to self-destruct.
ABT-263 restores programmed cell death by blocking the function of pro-survival Bcl-2 family proteins. Pre-clinical data have shown that Abbott's Bcl-2 family protein antagonists effectively kill certain cancer cell types. Additionally, Abbott Bcl-2 family antagonists were found to enhance the effects of chemotherapy and radiation in other types of cancer, such as non-small cell lung cancer. ABT-263 recently entered Phase I clinical trials for lymphomas, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and solid tumours, including small cell lung cancer.
Oncology researchers are currently developing agents that target kinases, a class of enzymes that are often overly activated in cancer patients. ABT-869 inhibits a distinct set of kinases that are involved in angiogenesis, a process by which tumours gain access to new blood vessels. Inhibition of these kinases suppresses tumour growth by cutting off tumour blood supply. ABT-869 is currently being tested against several tumour types in Phase I clinical trials. Phase II clinical trials will begin this year.