BridgeBio Presents Posters on 'Imminent Clinical' BBT-207 and Others at International Conference

Bridge Biotherapeutics announced on the 16th that it presented a total of two posters on its internally discovered clinical and non-clinical projects at the international cancer research conference ‘2023 AACR-NCI-EORTC,’ held in Boston, USA, from the 11th to the 15th.

The AACR-NCI-EORTC is an international conference jointly hosted by 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), held annually in rotation between the United States and Europe. Experts and industry stakeholders in the global cancer research field gather in one place to engage in diverse discussions on anticancer treatments and new drug development.

On the 14th (local time), the company disclosed preclinical research data and future clinical plans for 'BBT-207,' a lung cancer clinical project under development. Additionally, through its U.S. subsidiary Boston Discovery Center (BDC), it presented the anticancer effects of a newly discovered solid tumor therapeutic candidate 'BBT-4437' in cell and animal models, as well as the synergistic effects when combined with existing lung cancer targeted therapies.

BBT-207 is Bridge Biotherapeutics’ first internally discovered candidate drug, developed as a 4th-generation lung cancer targeted therapy that selectively inhibits various mutations, including the C797S-positive double mutation that arises as resistance after treatment with 3rd-generation epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer patients. In preclinical studies, it demonstrated antitumor efficacy that surpasses the limitations of existing treatments against a broad range of EGFR mutations in non-small cell lung cancer. Furthermore, in patient-derived lung cancer cell-based animal models, the drug showed inhibition of brain metastasis and improved survival outcomes.

Following the Investigational New Drug (IND) approval in April, BBT-207 was introduced for the first time on the global stage through this presentation, outlining the overview of clinical phases 1 and 2 and future development plans. The clinical trials are scheduled to be conducted simultaneously in the United States and Korea, involving approximately 92 non-small cell lung cancer patients to evaluate the drug’s safety, tolerability, and antitumor efficacy. The company also added that it held in-depth discussions with global lung cancer clinical researchers gathered at the conference to ensure the prompt initiation and efficient progress of the clinical trials.

The new TEAD-targeting inhibitor BBT-4437, which exhibits anticancer efficacy by inhibiting the Hippo signaling pathway, was also unveiled for the first time at this conference. The Hippo signaling pathway is known to regulate cell numbers within normal ranges in tissues. When mutations occur in the pathway’s constituent proteins, regulatory molecules called YAP/TAZ bind to specific DNA regions and interact with TEAD, a key transcription factor that promotes or suppresses gene expression, leading to various diseases including cancer.

According to the disclosed poster, BBT-4437 was confirmed to broadly and selectively bind to the TEAD family in various in vitro studies, including reporter gene assays. It was also observed to inhibit TEAD’s transcriptional activity that induces the expression of disease-associated genes, and further demonstrated strong inhibition of palmitoylation, a process that prevents TEAD degradation.

BBT-4437 showed excellent antitumor activity in animal model experiments as well. In a malignant mesothelioma animal model, a prime target disease for TEAD inhibitors, it dose-dependently suppressed tumor growth without notable weight loss, and consistent transcriptional activity inhibition was observed in the same model as in vitro studies. Evaluation of the potential to overcome drug resistance in non-small cell lung cancer also showed synergistic tumor growth inhibition when BBT-4437 was combined with the EGFR inhibitor ‘Osimertinib’ or the KRAS inhibitor ‘Sotorasib,’ demonstrating the possibility of combination therapy with currently leading market treatments.

Lee Jung-kyu, CEO of Bridge Biotherapeutics, said, “We are very honored to introduce the research achievements of two internally discovered candidate drugs on the global stage. In particular, we confirmed high interest in the clinical entry of BBT-207, and based on this, we will actively continue business development discussions while efficiently initiating patient clinical trials.”

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