News
Navrogen Inc Announces Publication and Presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting of a Novel Antibody Engineering Platform
Cheyney, PA, March 26, 2025 – Navrogen, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company specialized in developing antibody-based therapies for cancer, announces today a publication describing new criteria for monoclonal antibody (mAb) and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) development to treat cancers over-expressing the humoral immunosuppressive oncology (HIO) factor ICAM-1. The publication is presented in the international peer-reviewed European Journal of Immunology and can be accessed at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eji.202451611. The new antibody engineering technology will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago on April 29th, between 9:00 and 11:30 am, Abstract #4780, in poster section 36.
The publication highlights the negative impact of tumor-produced ICAM-1 on mAb and ADC anti-tumor efficacy caused by direct binding of ICAM-1 to the IgG1-type antibody CH3 domain that in turn suppresses its ability to effectively engage with the immune effector components C1q to initiate complement-mediated tumor killing, as well as engagement with the CD16a Fc-receptor on natural killer (NK) lymphocytes to initiate antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Moreover, the study found that ICAM-1 binding to the antibody component of ADCs suppresses internalization into antigen-expressing target cells, thereby lowering ADC therapeutic efficacy. Navrogen’s proprietary Block-Removed Immunoglobulin Technology (BRITE) platform has unveiled a consensus motif within the IgG1 CH3 domain that when modified enables mAbs and ADCs to be refractory to the immunosuppressive effects of ICAM-1. The platform is now being applied to improve the therapeutic efficacy of commercially-approved mAbs and ADC therapeutics as well as Navrogen’s proprietary oncology pipeline.
About Navrogen
Navrogen is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery of tumor-produced Humoral Immuno-Oncology (HIO) factors that are associated with suppressed humoral immunity, poor prognosis and limited therapeutic response of immune-mediated anti-cancer therapies. The company’s mission is to develop best and first-in-class agents that can overcome the immunosuppressive effects of HIO factors by employing its proprietary screening and engineering technologies as well as diagnostic assays that can identify patients whose tumors produce HIO factors to advise physicians on therapeutic options.
Contacts:
Nicholas Nicolaides
President and Chief Executive Officer
610-399-2717
Steven Kyriakos
VP of Finance and Operations
610-399-2718