Taiwan-based Anbogen Therapeutics Inc. (TPEx: 7784) entered a research collaboration with the University of Tokyo to evaluate ABT-301 (imofinostat), its selective Class I histone deacetylase inhibitor, across solid tumors using the university's comparative oncology platform. The program will examine osteosarcoma, melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and bladder cancer. Financial terms were not disclosed.
ABT-301 is an orally available HDAC inhibitor designed to alter epigenetic regulation of the tumor immune microenvironment, including antigen presentation, with the aim of increasing sensitivity to immune checkpoint inhibition. The candidate is currently in a Phase I/II trial with tislelizumab and bevacizumab in patients with proficient mismatch repair or non-microsatellite instability-high metastatic colorectal cancer (NCT07244705).
Under the collaboration, researchers at the University of Tokyo's Laboratory of Veterinary Surgery will evaluate ABT-301 as monotherapy and in combinations using tumor cell lines, organoids, and spontaneously occurring cancers in dogs and cats. Naturally occurring animal tumors can share histopathological, genomic, and immunological characteristics with corresponding human cancers, allowing the researchers to investigate drug activity and potential response biomarkers in an immunologically intact setting.
Anbogen plans to use the resulting data to guide indication selection, patient stratification, and combination strategies for subsequent human development. The targeted tumor types extend beyond the company's current clinical program, which is focused on metastatic colorectal cancer.