NANOBIOTIX Partners With the Providence Cancer Institute

Nanobiotix recently announced it will begin a preclinical collaboration with Providence Cancer Institute to study Nanobiotix’s lead product, NBTXR3, a first-in-class nanoparticle designed for direct injection into cancerous tumors and activation by radiotherapy.

The collaboration with Providence Cancer Institute, located at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center in Portland, OR, one of the world’s leading oncological research centers, will provide essential preclinical data on the ability of NBTXR3 activated by radiotherapy to induce an antitumoral immune response. This is an in-depth study into the early immunologic mechanisms, triggered by nanoparticles activated by radiotherapy compared to radiotherapy alone, and their impact on tumor control, survival and metastasis spreading.

Marka R. Crittenden, M.D., Ph.D., radiation oncologist and director of Translational Radiation Research at the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center will lead the program. “Promising preclinical data suggests that nanoparticles combined with radiotherapy enhance tumor-specific immune responses and lead to an abscopal response, priming a patient’s immune system to attack cancer cells outside of the radiotherapy target area,” she said. “Furthermore, we are absolutely delighted to partner with Nanobiotix to advance our research on this phenomenon and the role NBTXR3 can play in immuno-oncology.”

The collaboration between Providence and Nanobiotix will take place over the course of 1 year, and will evaluate the use of NBTXR3 activated by radiotherapy in pancreatic cancer models (in vitro and in vivo). Pancreatic cancer is a disease with a substantial unmet medical need, poor response to standard of care and is the third leading cause of cancer mortality in both men and women in the United State. Pancreatic cancers have a non-immunogenic tumor microenvironnement, known as “cold tumors,” and often have a poor response rate to immunotherapies. The results of this joint program will enable the potential to explore future use of NBTXR3 in immuno-oncology as well as its potential to control metastatic disease.

In parallel, the company has received the approval of its Investigational New Drug (IND) and will launch its first clinical trial combining NBTXR3 with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the US with a multi-arm trial targeting a sub-population of advanced lung cancer patients and head and neck cancer patients. Nanobiotix’s immuno-oncology combination program opens the door to new developments, potential new indications and important value creation opportunities.

Providence Cancer Institute, a part of Providence Health & Services, offers the latest in cancer services, including diagnostic, treatment, prevention, education, support and internationally-renowned research. Located within the Robert W. Franz Cancer Center in Portland, OR, Providence Cancer Institute is home to the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a world-class research facility for cancer immunotherapy, a specialized field of study focused on triggering the immune system to fight cancer. For more information, visit www.providenceoregon.org/cancer.

NBTXR3 is an injectable aqueous suspension of hafnium oxide nanoparticles designed as an innovative therapeutic agent for the treatment of solid tumors, currently in clinical development by Nanobiotix. Once injected intratumorally, NBTXR3 can deposit high energy within tumors only when activated by an ionizing radiation source, notably radiotherapy. Upon activation, the high-energy radiation is physically designed to kill the tumor cells by triggering DNA damage and cell destruction and improve clinical outcomes.

Promising results indicate that NBTXR3 activity could be applicable across solid tumors triggering immunogenic cell death, leading to an immune response, reinforcing a local and potentially systemic effect, and contributing to transform “cold” tumors into “hot” tumors. NBTXR3’s major characteristics are represented by a high degree of biocompatibility, one single administration before and during the whole therapy and the ability to fit into current standards of radiotherapy care.
NBTXR3 entered clinical development in 2011 in a Phase I/II with patients suffering from advanced soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities and is currently in the final stages of its subsequent Phase II/III. In parallel, it is currently being tested in numerous Phase I/II clinical trials with patients suffering from locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity or oropharynx (head and neck), liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma and liver metastasis), locally advanced or unresectable rectal cancer in combination with chemotherapy, head and neck cancer in combination with concurrent chemotherapy, and prostate adenocarcinoma.

Nanobiotix is a late clinical-stage nanomedicine company pioneering novel approaches for the treatment of cancer. The company’s first-in-class, proprietary technology, NanoXray, enhances radiotherapy energy with a view to providing a new, more efficient treatment for cancer patients. NanoXray products are compatible with current radiotherapy treatments and are meant to treat potentially a wide variety of solid tumors including soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck cancers, liver cancers, prostate cancer, breast cancer, glioblastoma, etc., via multiple routes of administration. NBTXR3 is being evaluated in: soft tissue sarcoma (STS), head and neck cancers, prostate cancer, and liver cancers (primary and metastases). Additionally, head and neck cancer and rectal cancer trials led by Nanobiotix’s Taiwanese partner, PharmaEngine, are underway in the Asia Pacific region. The company started a new preclinical research program in Immuno-oncology with its lead product NBTXR3, which could have the potential to bring a new dimension to cancer immunotherapies. For more information, visit www.nanobiotix.com.