- BrightEdge has made a secondary investment out of its ACS Impact Venture Fund (AIVF) to support CellCentric’s clinical development of inobrodib, a pioneering oral p300/CBP inhibitor.
- Inobrodib has the potential to address a clear unmet clinical need, as an easy to take drug that may minimalise hospitalisation and help reduce inequity in cancer treatment.
- Patients are receiving the drug as part of ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical trials.
Cambridge, UK, 11h September 2023: CellCentric, a UK-based biotechnology company, today announces it has received a further $3 million investment from BrightEdge LLC, the impact investment and innovation arm of the American Cancer Society (ACS). This funding follows an initial strategic investment in January 2022.
The investment will help finance further development of inobrodib, CellCentric’s first-in-class p300/CBP inhibitor to treat specific types of cancer. CellCentric’s ongoing blood cancer trial (NCT04068597) involves patients with a range of haematological malignancies, with a lead application in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
BrightEdge supports companies with the potential for clinical and social impact. Inobrodib’s potential, in terms of clinical activity and good safety profile, allows it to be used by patients unable to tolerate other treatments, including the elderly and frail. This may represent a significant benefit over existing treatment options. It can also be taken in combination with a number of existing standard of care drugs.
Many new cancer therapeutics require significant repeat time at hospital, with a marked impact on patients’ quality of life. Inobrodib is an easy to take drug that can be self-administered at home without requiring intensive monitoring, reducing the number of hospital visits, and has the potential to support the FDA’s goal of addressing inequities in cancer care.
Alongside the additional funding, CellCentric will be expanding its outreach and engagement with patients. Both the company and the American Cancer Society share the common aim of developing novel high impact treatments for cancer, that can reach the widest communities.
“We are pleased to support the continued development of inobrodib and its advancement through clinical trials,” said Alice Pomponio, vice president of innovation and impact investing and managing director of BrightEdge. “By meeting an unmet need whilst also offering ease of administration for vulnerable populations, CellCentric’s program aligns with our goals of improving patient outcomes and reducing inequities in care.”
“Support from the American Cancer Society is a vote of confidence in inobrodib as a treatment which is both efficacious and easy for patients to take,” says Will West, CellCentric’s CEO. “Its good safety profile and ability to reduce disruption means elderly and frail patients stand to benefit from treatment.”
CellCentric will announce expansion cohort data at the 65th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition which will take place December 9-12, 2023, in San Diego. This will include data from a trial of inobrodib to treat relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma focusing on the combination of inobrodib with pomalidomide and dexamethasone, but supporting monotherapy data also.
About inobrodib
Inobrodib works by binding to a specific part of proteins p300 and CBP (bromodomain). It is highly selective and does not impact similar pockets on other proteins. Through this action inobrodib reduces the expression of key cancer drivers: IRF4, MYC, and the androgen receptor (AR and its variants).
It is a new type of treatment for people with cancer. Delivered as an oral capsule, it is easy for patients to take and can be used at home without the need for intensive monitoring. As it has a good safety profile for a drug in this setting, it can also be used by those who are unable to tolerate other treatments, including the elderly and frail. This potentially represents a significant benefit over existing treatment options as it enables a wider range of patients to be treated, including those who want to be treated closer to home. Being an oral capsule, it has the potential to present a lower overall burden on the healthcare system as compared to more complex therapies, such as cell-based therapies.
In June 2023, CellCentric was granted orphan drug and fast track designation status from the FDA for inobrodib.
About CellCentric
CellCentric is an innovative UK-based biotechnology company with offices in Cambridge and Manchester. The company was spun out from the University of Cambridge, by pioneering developmental biologist Professor Azim Surani FRS, CBE, who wanted to further explore the potential of epigenetics to deliver new treatments. From its origins, CellCentric built a network of research and evaluation relationships with over 25 leading academic research groups worldwide.
CellCentric’s research evolved to focus on twin acetyl transferase proteins, p300 and CBP, that act as transcription co-activation factors, and that drive the expression of genes important in cancer progression. CellCentric has investigated over 50 epigenetic-related targets as new ways to treat disease, and specifically cancer. The company actively pursued multiple drug discovery programmes before focusing on p300/CBP inhibition and inobrodib.
From research to drug development, the growth of CellCentric reflects its ability to harness academic and research ecosystems to deliver real world treatments for patients.
