The German National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg and Protagen AG Investigate Responsiveness to Checkpoint Inhibitors in Melanoma

HEIDELBERG, Germany & DORTMUND, Germany--()--The German National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg and Protagen AG today announced a collaboration to utilize Protagen’s SeroTag® technology to identify biomarkers that predict therapy responsiveness and the detection of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) in melanoma patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors.

Checkpoint inhibitors offer great potential for the treatment of many indications, including melanoma. Yet, only a subset of patients respond favorably to such treatment and it is not currently possible to predict who will benefit from the therapy in clinical routine. In addition, checkpoint inhibitors also trigger immune-related Adverse Events (irAEs) and even the onset of autoimmune diseases. Through this collaboration, Protagen and NCT will utilize Protagen's proprietary immune system profiling platform to predict response, monitor patients and detect immune related adverse events.

PD Dr. Jessica Hassel from the DermatoOncologic department of the Department of Dermatology and the NCT commented: “Checkpoint inhibitors offer exciting potential to cure cancer patients. However, at least half of the patients with a metastasized melanoma do not benefit long-term. Response rates can be increased via combination therapies such as a combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab, but such combinations also significantly increase the risk of suffering from sometimes serious irAEs, which have prevalence as high as 60% in these patients. To overcome the challenges posed by irAEs and to better select the appropriate therapy for each patient, we must learn more about the immune system status of these patients in general and their production of specific autoantibodies. Utilizing Protagen’s SeroTag® platform enables this insight and we look forward to this collaboration.”

Dr. Peter Schulz-Knappe, Protagen’s Chief Scientific Officer, added: “Our unique SeroTag® technology has already proven that it can be used to define homogeneous patient subgroups in autoimmune diseases with the potential to predict treatment response. Based on the link between immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease, it is a natural extension to apply our profiling approach to checkpoint inhibitors to address some of the most challenging questions in this field. We feel privileged that Dr. Hassel and the NCT share this view and we are excited about our collaboration.”

About the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT)

The National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg is a joint institution of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg University Hospital and German Cancer Aid. The NCT's goal is to link promising approaches from cancer research with patient care from diagnosis to treatment, aftercare and prevention. The interdisciplinary tumor outpatient clinic is the central element of the NCT. Here the patients benefit from an individual treatment plan prepared in a timely manner in interdisciplinary expert tumor boards. Participation in clinical studies provides access to innovative biomarker strategies and therapies. The NCT thereby acts as a pioneering platform that translates novel research results from the laboratory into clinical practice. The NCT also cooperates with self-help groups and supports them in their work. Since 2015, a second site for the NCT beside Heidelberg has been under development in Dresden.

About Protagen – Diagnostics Differentiated

Headquartered in Dortmund Germany, Protagen specializes in Pharma development services and novel companion diagnostics, in the field of immuno-oncology and autoimmune disease.

Protagen uses its proprietary SeroTag® biomarker discovery platform to identify valuable biomarkers that support Pharma development and its NavigAID products to personalize treatment with targeted therapies. With state-of-the-art bioscience techniques, extensive scientific expertise and a broad patent portfolio, Protagen is expanding its own pipeline of critically informative biomarkers and collaborates with other organizations to commercialize valuable tools for better personalized treatment strategies for cancer and autoimmune disease patients.

For more information, please visit www.protagen.com.

Contacts

Company Contact:
Protagen AG
Dr. Georg Lautscham
Chief Business Officer
T +49 231 9742 6300
M +49 151 5503 5087
bd@protagen.com
or
Media Inquiries:
BioStrata
Dr. Clare Russell
Managing Director
T +44 1223 253787
M +44 7812 343412
crussell@biostratamarketing.com

Contacts

Company Contact:
Protagen AG
Dr. Georg Lautscham
Chief Business Officer
T +49 231 9742 6300
M +49 151 5503 5087
bd@protagen.com
or
Media Inquiries:
BioStrata
Dr. Clare Russell
Managing Director
T +44 1223 253787
M +44 7812 343412
crussell@biostratamarketing.com