Bone metastases develop from virulent tumour cells that are spread through the body mostly via the circulation of the blood and which then settle in the medulla
Armbruster Biotechnology and Antibodies by Design have received a grant of approximately euro 1 million by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
The goal of this project is the research of new therapies against bone cancer metastasis, a life-threatening disease associated with various advanced cancers.
The project will be supported by the BMBF within the BioChance Plus programme.
This programme supports small and medium-sized biotechnology enterprises in the implementation of application-oriented and high-risk research and development projects.
Bone metastases develop from virulent tumour cells that are spread through the body mostly via the circulation of the blood and which then settle in the medulla.
The resulting bone tumours are among those tumours with the smallest chance of healing since they can rarely be treated by surgery.
Breast and prostate cancers, lymphomas, and tumours of the lung, kidney, and thyroid have a high probability of forming bone metastases.
According to the Deutsche Krebshilfe, an estimated 120,000 people in Germany are affected annually with tumours that can metastasize into the bone tissue.
The American Cancer Society estimates that the number of affected people in the USA is in the region of 570,000 patients per year.
The goal of the project is to explore the effectiveness of highly specific recombinant antibodies in preventing the formation of bone metastases and in the destruction of already formed bone tissue tumours.
These therapeutic antibodies should bind to tumour cells via the tumour-specific Bone-Sialo-Protein (BSP).
In contrast to the therapeutic antibodies presently used in tumour therapy, these antibodies will not only recognise proliferating tumour cells, but also silent tumour cells that circulate in the blood and affect already developed bone metastases.
BSP is a heavily glycosylated matrix protein that occurs normally in bone and cartilage tissue, and has recently been shown to form in cells of different tumour types.
More than 70% of breast cancer tumours and a majority of tumours from diseases such as multiple myeloma, and prostate, lung, kidney and nephritic carcinoma produce a tumour-specific variant of naturally occurring BSP.
It seems that BSP supports the accumulation, proliferation, and migration of the tumour cells in the bone tissue.
"The funds from the BioChance Plus programme will allow us to advance the study of the possibilities of an antibody-based therapy against bone metastases", explains Franz Paul Armbruster, head of the Armbruster Biotechnology.
"We have extensive knowledge about BSP plus a lot of experience in the field of highly glycosylated antigens, and we have found initial indications in models regarding the effectiveness of such an approach.
"However we need substantially more specific and above all fully human antibodies to further advance this project".
The antibodies will be delivered by Antibodies by Design, a division of MorphoSys.
MorphoSys has more than ten years experience in the development of recombinant antibodies using its proprietary HuCAL technology.
The fully synthetic and fully human HuCAL antibodies show many advantages compared to traditionally produced animal antibodies.
In order to identify and generate cancer antibodies, Antibodies by Design uses the so-called Antibody Phage Display System.
"We are very pleased to work with Armbruster Biotechnology to the research of this very promising therapeutic approach", stated Dieter Lingelbach, head of Antibodies by Design and vice president of MorphoSys.
"Antibody generation against target molecules such as the glycoprotein BSP are a challenge, since their surface is heavily covered with sugar molecules.
"Our HuCAL technology has shown clear advantages over other animal-based methods of for generating antibodies against such challenging targets."
