NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / July 20, 2022 / Manhattan BioSolutions, Inc. today announced it has entered into two commercial evaluation license agreements with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), to generate and validate novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) therapies using monoclonal antibodies developed by NCI. ADCs harness the targeting ability of antibodies to deliver drugs to the tumor microenvironment or directly to cancer cells.

Under the first agreement, Manhattan BioSolutions obtained the proprietary monoclonal antibody discovered and validated by Drs. Ira Pastan, MD, Distinguished Investigator, Chief Emeritus of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Mitchell Ho, PhD, Director of the Antibody Engineering Program and Deputy Chief of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the NCI Center for Cancer Research. This antibody targets a cell surface glycoprotein overexpressed in multiple cancers including mesothelioma, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer. Dr. Ira Pastan is recognized for his pioneering contributions to the fields of receptor biology, which led to the discovery of the new class of antibody drugs called recombinant immunotoxins. The targeted immunotoxin he developed to treat a deadly form of leukemia is now an approved medication marketed by Astra Zeneca under the name Lumoxiti.

The second license agreement provides access rights toa new monoclonal antibody directed to a cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase overexpressed and mutationally activated in a rare pediatric cancer as well as in other solid tumors. This antibody was discovered by the team of Dr. Javed Khan, MD, Senior Investigator and Deputy Chief at the Genetics Branch at the NCI Center for Cancer Research.

The partnerships allow Manhattan BioSolutions to further expand its preclinical pipeline of innovative biologic agents for oncology applications. The antibodies discovered at NCI will be combined with the proprietary immune-stimulating linker-payloads invented by Dr. L. Nathan Tumey, an ex-Pfizer medicinal chemist, who is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Binghamton University. The current collaboration follows the previously announced grant award and collaborative research agreement with the laboratory of Dr. Dhaval Shah, a former Pfizer scientist, now an Associate Professor at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo.

"The synergistic combination of assets and platforms enables the discovery of novel classes of medicines designed to activate innate, microbial host-defense immunity in tumor microenvironment," said Dr. Borys Shor, CEO of Manhattan BioSolutions. "We have assembled a world-class team of drug discovery experts to develop next-generation ADCs: a trio of ex-Pfizer scientific leaders, including Drs. Dhaval Shah and Nathan Tumey, all with a proven track record of bringing transformative oncology medicines to clinical development."

About Manhattan BioSolutions

Manhattan BioSolutions, Inc is a privately held biotechnology company focused on the development of biologic immunotherapies that target microbial recognition and host defense pathways for the treatment of advanced cancers. The company has established partnerships with the Stony Brook University, The University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, INSERM, EVQLV and has been awarded grants by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology (CSIT), the New York State Center For Biotechnology at the Stony Brook University and the University at Buffalo Center for Advanced Technology in Big Data and Health Sciences (UBCAT). Learn more at manhattanbiosolutions.com.

Contact for investor inquiries:
Jordana Lovett, PhD
Director of Investor Relations
(857) 600-1021
ir@manhattanbiosolutions.com

SOURCE: Manhattan BioSolutions, Inc.