Alector Enters into a Licensing Agreement with Innovent Biologics to Develop and Commercialize AL008 in Oncology Indications in China - Seite 2

“Alector has been a pioneer in discovering and developing first-in-class therapeutics that modulate the innate immune system since their founding. AL008 is an example of a distinctive immuno-oncology program generated from their broad innate immunology-focused discovery platform,” said Michael Yu, Ph.D., Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Innovent Biologics. “At Innovent, we are committed to developing leading cancer immunotherapies that target the adaptive immune system. We are excited about adding AL008 to our pipeline as an important innate immune system modulating therapeutic that complements our cancer immunotherapy strategy.”

About AL008

AL008 is a dual function SIRP-alpha inhibitor antibody that non‑competitively antagonizes the CD47‑SIRP-alpha pathway by inducing the internalization and degradation of the inhibitory receptor on macrophages to relieve immune suppression (a “don’t eat me” signal) while also engaging an activating Fc gamma receptor that drives anti-tumor immunity. Tumor associated macrophages are associated with a poor prognosis in many cancer types and are believed to inhibit the anti-tumor immune response.  Targeting the CD47-SIRP-alpha pathway has shown activity in myeloid and lymphoid cancers. However, additional agents targeting this pathway are needed to enhance activity and improve safety in solid tumors.  AL008’s dual function reduces tumor growth and enhances M1 macrophage activation in a humanized pre-clinical model. It prevents the suppression of the innate immune system by binding to all common alleles of SIRP-alpha and blocking multiple inhibitory SIRP-alpha ligands. In addition, AL008 activates the innate immune system through activating the Fc gamma receptor system.  AL008 promotes T cell function, and in pre-clinical studies is not associated with depletion of red blood cells or platelets. These data highlight the differentiated mechanism of AL008 which simultaneously provides immune-activating signals while removing an inhibitory immune-checkpoint signal.

About Alector

Alector is a clinical stage biotechnology company and leader in the discovery and development of immune system therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegeneration and cancer. Alector is developing a broad portfolio of programs designed to enable innate immune cells to counteract underlying pathologies in neurodegeneration and oncology indications. The Company’s product candidates are supported by biomarkers and its clinical stage programs target genetically defined neurodegenerative patient populations in frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Alector is headquartered in South San Francisco, California. For additional information, please visit www.alector.com.