Kancera is developing two candidate drugs that are targeting the fractalkine axis. Fractalkine, a so-called chemokine, functions as a master regulator of certain specific immune cells and cancer cells. The fractalkine axis consists of the unique ligand-receptor pair CX3CL1-CX3CR1.
Kancera’s two fractalkine-blocking candidate drugs, KAND567 and KAND145, are so called receptor antagonists, i.e. they block the fractalkine receptor CX3CR1. The objective is to block certain specific disease-promoting immune cells and cancer cells.
Kancera’s lead project, KAND567, was initially developed by Astra Zeneca and acquired by Kancera in 2016. At that time, the project was in the preclinical phase and Kancera has thereafter advanced the project into clinical development and completed three phase I studies and two phase IIa studies. As of today, more than 150 healthy subjects and patients have been treated with KAND567, and currently it is being studied in the KANDOVA study, a combined phase Ib/IIa study in ovarian cancer.
KAND145 is Kancera’s second generation fractalkine blocker and has been solely developed by Kancera. KAND145 is a so-called pro drug, i.e. it is metabolized to KAND567 after administration. KAND145 has the same mechanism of action, but improved product properties.
"We have demonstrated in clinical studies that our CX3CR1 antagonists monitor non-classical monocytes, a form of immune cells known to promote multiple inflammatory diseases and resistant cancers."
Solid IP (Intellectual Properties) sets the foundation for profitable development and commercialization of pharmaceutical drugs. Kancera’s IP strategy relies on two main components – patent protection and market exclusivity through data protection. IP development is an integrated component of Kancera’s research and development.
The IP protection for KAND567 and KAND145 is based on four patent families and basis for data exclusivity according to the table below:
| Type of IP | Territories | Term | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical structure | Major markets1 | 2039 | Granted in US, Europe, Japan and China. |
| Manufacturing process2 | Major markets | 2039 | Granted in US, Japan and China. Review process ongoing in Europe. |
| Data exclusivity | US, Europe | 5–10 years from market approval | Application to be submitted after market approval |
| Type of IP | Territories | Term | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing process2 | Major markets | 2039 | Granted in US, Japan and China. Review process ongoing in Europe. |
| Product3 | US | 2039 | Granted |
| Chemical structure (2 patent families) | US, Europe-big 44, Japan and China. | 2027 | Granted |
| Data exclusivity | US and Europe | 5–10 years from market approval | Application to be submitted after market approval |
1 US, Canada, EU, Asia
2 One patent family covers the manufacturing processes for both KAND145 and KAND567
3 Divisional application from manufacturing process
4 EU-big 4 = Germany, France, UK and Italy
Source: Kancera