STCube Reveals Innovative Drug Candidate 'BTN1A1' Binding Partner Gal-9 at US-Europe Cancer Conference

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] STCube, a bio company developing immune checkpoint inhibitors, announced on the 12th that it has presented additional research results on ‘BTN1A1,’ a newly discovered immune checkpoint protein first identified worldwide at the 2021 AACR-NCI-EORTC conference.

The ‘2021 AACR-NCI-EORTC,’ held online from the 7th to the 10th, is a regular academic event jointly hosted by three of the world’s most prestigious cancer research institutions: the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), and the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). It is regarded as the most influential conference in the field of cancer treatment.

At the ‘2021 AACR-NCI-EORTC,’ STCube presented research results on the binding partner of ‘BTN1A1.’ While the known binding partner of the existing immune checkpoint protein ‘PD-1’ is ‘PD-L1,’ STCube discovered that depending on the glycosylation state of ‘BTN1A1,’ it binds to Gal-9, confirming that Gal-9 is the binding partner of ‘BTN1A1.’

They also confirmed that ‘BTN1A1’ interacts with ‘PD-1’ through Gal-9 to suppress T cell activation, and that a complex formed by BTN1A1-Gal-9-PD-1 binding via Gal-9 exists. Since it has been reported that Gal-9 is highly expressed in cancer patients and correlates with poor prognosis, the development of a new immune checkpoint inhibitor based on the BTN1A1-Gal-9-PD-1 complex is expected to be possible.

STCube plans to accelerate global clinical trials of the ‘hSTC810’ antibody targeting ‘BTN1A1’ starting early next year. In September, prior to submitting the global Phase 1 clinical trial application (IND) for ‘hSTC810,’ they completed a Pre-IND meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are steadily preparing for entry into global clinical trials.

A company official stated, “We plan to continue attending academic conferences and publishing papers to promote the excellent efficacy of ‘BTN1A1.’ We intend to proceed with global clinical trials simultaneously with FDA clinical approval and expect to engage in technology transfer discussions with global pharmaceutical companies at the same time.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.