Nextcure and Collaborators Publish Preclinical Data on Novel Immunomedicine Nc410
June 21, 2021 at 04:05 pm EDT
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NextCure, Inc. announced the publication of preclinical data in the online journal eLife establishing NC410 as a novel immunomedicine targeting immune-excluded regions of collagen-rich tumors and enabling normalization of the tumor immune microenvironment. NC410, currently being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors, is a first-in-class immunomedicine designed to block immune suppression mediated by LAIR-1, an immunomodulatory receptor expressed on T cells and myeloid cells, including dendritic cells.
The publication titled, "Cancer immunotherapy by NC410, a LAIR-2 Fc protein blocking LAIR-collagen interaction," details the preclinical development and characterization of NC410. It also highlights preclinical data from a series of murine xenograft efficacy studies demonstrating anti-tumor activity and the promotion of T cell expansion and infiltration in the TME by NC410.
NC410 is a dimeric LAIR-2 Fc fusion protein that is designed to act as a LAIR-1 decoy by binding with higher affinity to tumoral collagens than human LAIR-1, preventing LAIR-1-mediated immune suppression. This publication demonstrated that NC410 binding was most notable in collagen-rich tumors, such as gastric, ovarian, lung and head and neck, and in regions where immune cells were being excluded. As a result of T cell activation and effector function, NC410 induces specific collagen degradation products that may relate to the enhanced infiltration of immune cells in the tumor and have the potential to be used as clinical biomarkers.
NextCure, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. The Company is focused on advancing medicines that treat cancer patients that do not respond to, or have disease progression on, current therapies, through the use of differentiated mechanisms of actions including Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs), antibodies, and proteins. The Company focuses on advancing therapies that leverage its core strengths in understanding biological pathways and biomarkers, the interactions of cells, including in the tumor microenvironment, and the role each interaction plays in a biologic response. Its product candidates include NC410 and LNCB74. Its Clinical Oncology Programs are NC525 and NC318. Its Pre-Clinical Non-Oncology Programs are NC605 and NC181. NC410 is a LAIR-2 fusion protein that, in combination with pembrolizumab, demonstrated early evidence of clinical activity in colorectal (CRC) and ovarian cancers. NCB74 is an ADC that is directed to B7-H4, a clinically validated cancer target.
NEXTCURE, INC. 
