Researchers may have found a promising candidate for the next generation of immunotherapy drugs: bispecific antibodies targeting PD1 or PD-L1 and VEGF. A small early trial on BioNTech's bispecific compound, BNT-327, presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, showed positive results in patients with triple-negative breast cancer. These findings suggest BNT-327 could become a critical part of how triple-negative breast cancer, and potentially other cancers, are treated.
This research builds on the discovery of checkpoint inhibitors in the 1990s, which BioNTech co-founder and CMO Özlem Türeci called "transformative" in oncology. Drugs like Merck’s Keytruda stimulate the immune system to find and kill cancer cells and have become a mainstay in treating many cancer types. However, there's room for improvement, leading to the search for next-generation checkpoint inhibitors. Türeci believes PD-L1 or PD1 and anti-VEGF bispecifics represent this advancement.
The potential of these antibodies gained attention when Summit Therapeutics released data showing their PD1 and VEGF bispecific antibody outperformed Keytruda in a Phase 3 trial in advanced lung cancer. Experts described the results as "striking" and "impressive," while also recommending caution until investigators can confirm the drug extends overall survival.
