Alphamab Oncology, a biopharmaceutical company started out in SIP in 2015, recently announced that its proprietary humanized PD-L1－CTLA-4 bispecific antibody (KN046) program, the first of its class, has recently started phase I clinical trial in Australia, and will soon enter clinical trials in the country based on the approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China.

KN046, targeting both PD-L1 and CTLA-4, the only two clinically-validated immune-oncology checkpoint targets so far in the world, is engineered to target the tumor microenvironment with reduced side effects on human peripheral systems. In preclinical studies, it has demonstrated excellent anti-tumor efficacy and significantly reduced toxicity compared with the existing CTLA-4 antibody Yervoy (ipilimumab).

"We are pleased to see that the clinical trial of KN046 in Australia is progressing well and has achieved the anticipated therapeutic dose. We expect the overall clinical profile of KN046 to be superior to monotherapy with the PD-(L) 1 or CTLA-4 antibody, as well as to the combination of the two antibody drugs," said Dr. Xu Ting, chairman and CEO of Alphamab Oncology.

"We plan to kick off its clinical development for multiple indications simultaneously in the near future, with the aim of benefiting more cancer patients around the world," Xu added.