At Onward Therapeutics, we identify and advance breakthrough cancer medicines to the clinic, spanning both biologics and small molecules. Our lead asset, OT-A201, is a first-in-class humanized bispecific antibody licensed from Biomunex that targets both an immune checkpoint and a tumor-associated marker, and is engineered with a functional Fc domain to support ADCC activity.
As part of our IND-enabling work for OT-A201, we needed to demonstrate its ability to reverse tumor-associated macrophage–mediated immunosuppression and to better characterize its activity in a relevant ex vivo setting.
Explicyte developed a stepwise ex vivo assay combining M2 macrophages, PBMCs, and tumor cells, together with relevant benchmark controls, to assess both reversal of M2-driven immunosuppression and binding to immune and tumor cells. For this type of complex custom study, we particularly valued their ability to design the work in a staged and rigorous way, with intermediate reports, regular scientific discussions, and deep, ready-to-use deliverables rather than simple raw data files.
The study generated a robust translational dataset supporting the characterization of OT-A201’s mechanism of action in a biologically relevant system. OT-A201 is now in Phase 1 clinical development in relapsed/refractory hematologic malignancies and advanced/metastatic solid tumors.
