IBIO stock exploded more than 123% in after-hours trading on February 16, 2023, after the company put out a press release on its anti-cancer targeting technology.
iBio Announces MUC16 as its Latest Immune-Oncology Target Program
iBio declared on February 16, 2023 that they used A. I. to locate and specifically target the MUC16 region of a cancer cell’s genome.
A well-known cancer target called MUC16 is frequently overexpressed in various solid tumors, such as ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancers. More specifically, MUC16 is a sizable extracellular protein that is expressed on more than 80% of ovarian tumors. By shedding or glycosylating MUC16, tumor cells can evade immune attack, making it challenging for conventional antibody therapies to effectively target and eradicate the cancer cells.
Using its patented epitope steering AI platform, iBio’s innovative approach to this challenge allows its new monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to bind to a specific region of MUC16 that is not shed or glycosylated, circumventing both tumor evasion mechanisms and potentially providing a powerful tool in the fight against cancer.
“The targeting of a very specific, patho-physiologically relevant, region of MUC16 is a testament to the versatility of our AI technology, as it successfully shows it can be applied to a broad range of targets,” said iBio’s Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Scientific Officer, Martin Brenner. “This success adds to the growing list of target classes to which we have made differentiated antibodies using our patented epitope steering technology.”
With the addition of the MUC16 program, iBio expands its Immuno-Oncology Portfolio complementing its Treg depleting programs IBIO-101 and CCR8, as well as its program targeting the tumor-specific EGFRvIII protein.
