Pipeline
CytomX’s proprietary Probody™ Platform is driving the development of a pipeline of Probodies targeting validated and novel targets in oncology, inflammation and other areas of high unmet medical need.
The company's discovery and development programs are directed toward a portfolio of promising targets and pathways that have been limited by safety challenges (e.g. the Delta/Notch/Jagged pathway) and cancer immunotherapy targets such as PD-L1, together with clinically and commercially validated targets for which severe toxicities have limited their full commercial potential (e.g. EGFR, IL-6R, VEGF).
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor
CytomX's most advanced program targets the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) and is currently in preclinical development. The lead candidate has been shown to have an expanded therapeutic index in preclinical models.
Preclinical studies show that CytomX's EGFR Probody is activated and retained in the tumor microenvironment and does not incur the significant dermatological toxicity that is a hallmark of currently approved treatments targeting EGFR. This improved therapeutic profile and tissue-specific targeting enables CytomX to develop its EGFR Probody in a broad range of tumor types and as a Probody-Drug Conjugate (PDC) using antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) technology.
While an EGFR-ADC has considerable potential for treatment of a wide range of EGFR positive solid tumors, the broad expression of EGFR in healthy tissue imposes a high bar for a manageable therapeutic index. CytomX's Probody technology allows the development of a tumor-directed EGFR-PDC with a viable therapeutic index, which has broad potential to expand EGFR-directed therapy into areas of high unmet need including EGFR Kras-mutant-expressing metastatic colorectal cancers and triple negative breast cancer.
Notch Pathway
The Notch pathway is an important focus of the CytomX discovery and development efforts. Recent findings suggest that the Notch pathway, a developmental signaling pathway, can be reactivated and involved in the carcinogenesis of a number of cancers, including triple negative breast cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer and multiple myeloma. Recent efforts to target the Notch pathway have been limited by significant toxicity, such as observed gastrointestinal toxicity with gamma secretase inhibitors. Utilizing Probody therapeutics against a number of novel targets within the Notch pathway represents an important opportunity to widen the therapeutic index and develop meaningful new cancer therapies.