aTyr Pharma Presents Preclinical Research Showing NRP2 Antibody Effects in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer at the 2020 AACR Vir...
June 22 2020 - 7:00AM
aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: LIFE), a biotherapeutics company engaged
in the discovery and development of innovative medicines based on
novel immunological pathways, today announced a poster and audio
presentation at the 2020 American Association for Cancer Research
(AACR) Virtual Annual Meeting II, which is being held June 22 – 24,
2020. The poster is available for browsing on the AACR website from
June 22 – 24, 2020.
The poster presents findings from a preclinical
study, conducted in collaboration with Dr. Arthur M. Mercurio and
his lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School,
demonstrating that aTyr has generated a panel of anti-human NRP2
monoclonal antibodies that have the potential to be developed for
the clinical management of solid tumors. Importantly, these
antibodies showed differential binding to specific domains of NRP2,
selectively inhibiting binding of either VEGF or Sema3F. In
combination with chemotherapy, an antibody blocking the VEGF
binding site of NRP2 was effective in preventing mammosphere
formation in organoids derived from triple-negative breast cancer
(TNBC) patients. Expression of NRP2 has been shown to be high in
TNBC tumors and has been linked to worsened outcomes for patients.
These results suggest that antibodies targeting NRP2 could
potentially be effective in certain types of solid tumors,
including breast cancer.
Presentation Details:
Title: Domain-Specific
Antibodies to Neuropilin 2 Implicate VEGF-C and not Semaphorin 3F
in Breast Cancer Stem Cell Function Authors:
Leslie A. Nangle, Luke Burman, Hira L. Goel, Zhiwen
Xu, Kristina Hamel, Nathaniel Bloom, Arthur M.
Mercurio. aTyr Pharma, San Diego, CA, UMass Medical School, Boston,
MA. Abstract Number: 7308
Session: Identification of Molecular Targets
1 Poster Number: 1785 Date and
Time: June 22, 2020 (9:00AM – 6:00PM EDT) Following the
virtual presentation, the poster will be available on the aTyr
website.
“I have been interested in understanding the
role of Neuropilins in cancer for over 20 years and exploiting them
as a therapeutic target for more aggressive cancers, such as
triple-negative breast cancer. I am particularly excited about the
work described in this AACR poster because the NRP2 antibodies that
aTyr has developed are highly specific and effective at blocking
the function of NRP2 in this breast cancer model,” said Dr. Arthur
M. Mercurio, Ph.D., Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of
Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology at the University of
Massachusetts Medical School and co-author of the poster. “What I
find most significant about this work is that these antibodies
increased the sensitivity of triple-negative breast cancer to
chemotherapy, a finding that could impact the ability to manage
this type of breast cancer, as well as other aggressive
cancers.”
“NRP2 has long been associated with the
progression of many cancers in addition to diseases of
inflammation, allowing us to leverage our groundbreaking work in
NRP2 signaling for the potential future development of oncology
therapeutics,” stated Dr. Sanjay Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and
Chief Executive Officer of aTyr. “Our development of high-quality
NRP2 antibodies that can target different domains of NRP2 and show
differential activity is noteworthy in that they appear to allow
for the precise targeting of VEGF-C, which is highly expressed in
certain breast cancers and is responsible for the mediation of
tumor progression. We look forward to building upon this research
as we continue to advance our understanding of the underlying role
of NRP2 in cancer progression.”
About NRP2
Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) is a cell surface receptor
that plays a key role in lymphatic development and in regulating
inflammatory responses. In many forms of cancer, high NRP2
expression is associated with worse outcomes. NRP2 can interact
with multiple ligands and co-receptors through distinct domains to
influence their functional roles, making it a potential drug target
with multiple distinct therapeutic applications. NRP2 interacts
with type 3 semaphorins and plexins to impact inflammation and with
forms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and their
receptors, to impact lymphangiogenesis. In addition, NRP2 modulates
interactions between CCL21 and CCR7 potentially impacting homing of
dendritic cells to lymphoid organs. aTyr is currently investigating
NRP2 receptor biology, both internally and in collaboration with
key academic thought leaders, as a novel target for new product
candidates for a variety of diseases, including cancer and
inflammation.
About aTyr
aTyr is a biotherapeutics company engaged in the
discovery and development of innovative medicines based on novel
immunological pathways. aTyr’s research and development efforts are
concentrated on a newly discovered area of biology, the
extracellular functionality and signaling pathways of tRNA
synthetases. aTyr has built a global intellectual property estate
directed to a potential pipeline of protein compositions derived
from 20 tRNA synthetase genes and their extracellular targets.
aTyr’s primary focus is ATYR1923, a clinical-stage product
candidate which binds to the neuropilin-2 receptor and is designed
to down-regulate immune engagement in inflammatory lung diseases.
For more information, please visit http://www.atyrpharma.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are usually
identified by the use of words such as “anticipates,” “believes,”
“estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,”
“seeks,” “should,” “will,” and variations of such words or similar
expressions. We intend these forward-looking statements to be
covered by such safe harbor provisions for forward-looking
statements and are making this statement for purposes of complying
with those safe harbor provisions. These forward-looking statements
include statements regarding the potential therapeutic benefits and
applications of our NRP2 antibodies; timelines and plans with
respect to certain development activities (including the further
development of NRP2 antibodies) and certain development goals.
These forward-looking statements also reflect our current views
about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and
prospects, which are based on the information currently available
to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our
plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, as
reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements, are
reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions,
expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. All
forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions
by our management that, although we believe to be reasonable, are
inherently uncertain. Furthermore, actual results may differ
materially from those described in these forward-looking statements
and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are
beyond our control including, without limitation, the fact that
NRP2 biology is not fully understood, uncertainty regarding the
COVID-19 pandemic, risks associated with the discovery, development
and regulation of our product candidates, including the risk that
results from clinical trials or other studies may not support
further development, the risk that we may cease or delay
preclinical or clinical development activities for any of our
existing or future product candidates for a variety of reasons, the
possibility of unexpected expenses or other demands on our cash
resources, and the risk that we may not be able to raise the
additional funding required for our business and product
development plans, as well as those risks set forth in our most
recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q
and in our other SEC filings. Except as required by law, we assume
no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
Contact: Ashlee Dunston
Investor Relations, aTyr Pharma adunston@atyrpharma.com
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