Application:

  • Cancer immunotherapy addressing immune checkpoints by blocking antibodies has been a breakthrough in the past few years.
  • However, the clinical effectiveness of certain immune checkpoint inhibitors, the overall response rate, and overall survival in patients remain limited. Consequently, there is a substantial need to identify further immune checkpoint receptors and learn about their mechanisms of action to ultimately obtain new therapy options for targeting cancer.
  • The carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1/CD66a) was recently suggested as a new checkpoint inhibitor. CEACAM1 appears to be dysregulated in several tumors and even neo-expression in malignant transformed cell types has been described.

Our innovation:

A new anti-Ceacam1 mAb for treatment of tumors. The anti-Ceacam1 antibody directly activates the Ceacam1 receptor expressed on the tumor cells and induces their apoptosis.

Advantages:

  • In our novel approach, we target inhibitory receptor (Ceacam1) expressed by the tumors themselves with activating antibodies.
  • Activation of the Ceacam 1 receptor with our anti-Ceacam1 monoclonal antibody has a direct inhibitory effect on tumor growth and survival.
  • Our mAb also induces immune cell killing of tumor cells via ADCC, complement etc.
  • It is efficient on several melanoma cell lines and on other cancers such as embryonic kidney and metastatic colon cancer.

Opportunity:

  • Since cancer affects the lives of each of us, the potential economic and social benefits of this innovation are bluntly evident. Any drug that can provide a reasonable survival of more than five years for the cancer patients can achieve a blockbuster status.
  • Within the cancer therapeutics, the immunotherapeutic drugs have gained worldwide acceptance, because they only target the cancer cells. Cancer immunotherapy drugs have captured 35% of the overall oncology drugs market, generating about USD 151 billion in 2020.
  • We are seeking collaboration with start-up companies, incubators, venture capital funds, Israeli drug companies and international pharmaceutical companies with development centers in Israel.