Awarded Significant Grant from Innovate UK’s Prestigious Cancer Therapeutics Program to Accelerate the Path to the Clinic for MST-0300
Summary
Mestag data in hard-to-treat cancer models, recently presented at the 2024 American Association of Cancer Research conference, demonstrate potent anti-tumor effects.Susan Hill, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Mestag Therapeutics, said, We are honored to have been selected as a recipient for this highly competitive translational award. Leveraging the dynamic UK biotech ecosystem, Innovate UK funding will enable us to advance MST-0300 rapidly to solid tumor patients who urgently need new treatment options.MST-0300 is a first-in-class bispecific antibody that co-engages fibroblast activated protein (FAP) and lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTBR) to conditionally activate LTBR and induce tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in the tumor. We are progressing a pipeline of sophisticated first-in-class antibodies designed to direct and drive the immune system using known and emerging fibroblast-immune biology for a distinctly differentiated class of therapeutics.Our pipeline includes a bispecific antibody MST-0300, which leverages a new understanding of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in solid tumors and their role in driving improved patient outcomes; the M402 program, targeting a stromal checkpoint to dampen down the activation of specific immune cell subsets in inflammatory disease; and earlier programs in discovery stage. Separately, in a collaboration with Janssen Biotech, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, we are also identifying novel targets for future therapies.Our founding investigators comprise global experts in inflammatory disease, cancer, computational biology and fibroblast biology from the University of Oxford, Brigham & Womens Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. We are supported by leading life science investors SV Health Investors, Johnson & Johnson Innovation JJDC, Inc., Forbion, GV (formerly Google Ventures) and Northpond Ventures.Mestag is headquartered in Cambridge, UK, and in 2021 was recognized on the Fierce 15 list of innovative biotechnology companies.For further information please visit our website www.mestagtherapeutics.com