Israeli Cancer-Fighting Startup Expands Clinical Trial In US

An Israeli biotechnology startup developing cancer treatments to address resistance to immunotherapy is expanding its clinical trial to additional sites in Israel and the US. 

Nectin Therapeutics has already developed a clinical-stage treatment that blocks PVR, a protein highly synthesized by cancer cells that prevents immunotherapies from being effective.

PVR is overly produced in many kinds of cancer, including lung, liver, ovarian, breast, and uterine. High PVR expression is associated with a poor prognosis and resistance to the PD-1 and PD-L1 immunotherapies.

The company has been evaluating the efficacy of its treatment as a standalone and in combination with another cancer therapy developed by pharma giant Merck (known as MSD in Europe) since the beginning of the year.

Now, its clinical trial has expanded to include participants in Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s biggest hospital; Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem; Ochsner Health in the New Orleans metropolitan area; and the City of Hope, a network of cancer treatment centers in the United States.

It will additionally continue to conduct the trial at its flagship site, the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas. 

Nectin aims to fight locally advanced and metastatic solid tumors – or cancer cells that have broken away from their original tumor and formed a new one in other organs – that evade existing immunotherapies.

“We are very pleased to treat Israeli patients as part of NTX1088’s clinical trial,” said Dr. Raanan Berger, Director of the Cancer Center at the Sheba Medical Center.

“We are impressed by the pre-clinical data and the novel mechanism of action of PVR blockade and are looking forward to collaborating with Nectin Therapeutics to evaluate the impact of this first-in-class therapy for cancer patients.”

Dr. Keren Paz, Chief Development Officer of Nectin Therapeutics, said: “Nectin’s innovative pipeline holds a therapeutic promise for patients with hard-to-treat cancers.”

“This transformational potential is proudly driven by dedicated research efforts in Israel, making it very compelling for Nectin to establish trial sites close to home,” she said.

“We are encouraged by the rapid progress of our NTX1088 clinical program and are excited to expand it globally.”

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