CAMBRIDGE, MA, April 16, 2009 – Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that it will present pre-clinical data on MM-121 and MM-111, the two lead candidates in the company’s pipeline of five novel cancer antibodies, at the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) being held April 18-22, 2009, in Denver, CO.
MM-121
Two posters will show pre-clinical data on MM-121, a monoclonal antibody designed to block signaling of the ErbB3 receptor. The ErbB receptor family has been known for years to have an impact on cancer signaling, but in 2003, Merrimack gained insight into the critical role of the ErbB3 receptor in cancer biology through the use of their core technology, the Network Biology platform that led to novel design of MM-121.
Poster 1243 shows pre-clinical data on MM-121 with selected cancer therapies and their combined effect in different cancer models.
Title: In-vivo effect of combination therapy: An anti-ErbB3 antibody, MM121, plus selected cancer therapies
Poster Session: Antibody and Antibody Targets Number: 1243 Date/Time: Sunday April 19, 1-5pm Location: Hall B-F, poster section 12 Poster 3244 shows the benefit of using the Network Biology approach to select synergistic drug combinations of MM-121 with targeted therapies to treat ErbB pathway-driven tumors in multiple cancer models.
Title: Computational modeling guided the identification of beneficial combinations of MM121 and other targeted therapies Poster Session: Immunotoxins, Immunoconjugates, and Antibody Combinations Number: 3244
Date/Time: Tuesday, Apr 21, 2009, 8:00 AM Location: Hall B-F, Poster Section 12 In 2008, MM-121 became the first selective ErbB3 antagonist to enter human clinical development. Results of Phase I studies of MM-121 will be presented this fall.
MM-111
Two posters will show pre-clinical data on MM-111, a bi-specific antibody that links ErbB2 and ErbB3 to stop the signaling between these two cell receptors to disable their impact on pAKT, which plays an important role in cancer cell survival. Poster 5472 looks at MM-111 as a monotherapy to treat tumors overexpressing ErbB2 (HER2+).
Title: MM-111: a novel ErbB3 antagonist with potent antitumor activity in ErbB2 over-expressing malignancies Poster Session: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics 38 Number: 5472
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 8:00 AM Location: Hall B-F, Poster Section 33 Poster 3298 shows the discovery and development of MM-111 through the use of computational modeling of selected biological systems. Merrimack applies this systems biology-driven approach to drug discovery through the Network Biology platform.
Title: Computational modeling and simulation guide the development of MM-111, a bi-specific antibody targeting ErbB3 in ErbB2-overexpressing tumors Poster Session: Cellular and Molecular Biology 35 Number: 3298
Date/Time: Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 8:00 AM Location: Hall B-F, Poster Section 17
About Merrimack
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of novel treatments for cancer. The company’s proprietary Network Biology discovery platform, developed with the help of leading scientists from MIT and Harvard, uses computational modeling to enable the high-throughput profiling of protein networks as a basis for improved validation, lead identification and speed in the development of innovative, effective and well tolerated therapeutics. Merrimack is a privately-held company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For additional information, please visit http://www.merrimackpharma.com.
