In 2011, MedImmune licensed the OX40 agonist platform from AgonOx as a result of a partnership between the Providence Cancer Center and AgonOx, a spin-off company from the Providence Cancer Center.
OX40 agonists are currently being developed to determine their anti-tumor effect, as they may improve T-cell stimulation and promote the immune system’s potential to kill tumor cells.
The multi-center Phase I trial is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of MEDI6383 as a treatment for patients with solid tumors.
The company said that the new clinical trial builds upon the translational research and clinical evaluation of an OX40 agonist carried out at the Robert Franz Cancer Research Institute at Providence Cancer Center by a research team led by Andrew Weinberg and Brendan Curti.
AgonOx founder and president Andrew Weinberg said currently immuno-oncology is one of the most promising areas of clinical stage drug development.
"The evaluation of this new OX40 agonist, MEDI6383, represents an opportunity to improve immune-based cancer therapies," Weinberg said.