Benzinga | Apr 30, 2021 08:04AM EDT

Mereo BioPharma Reports Partnership with Cancer Focus For Phase 1b/2 Study Of Etigilimab In Clear Cell Ovarian Cancer

Mereo BioPharma Group plc (NASDAQ:MREO) ("Mereo" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology and rare diseases, and Cancer Focus Fund, LP, a unique venture capital fund established in collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center ("MD Anderson") to provide funding and clinical expertise to advance promising cancer therapies, today announced a partnership to evaluate Mereo's lead anti-TIGIT therapeutic antibody candidate, etigilimab, in clear cell ovarian cancer, a rare cancer that accounts for approximately 5--10% of all ovarian carcinomas in North America.

The Mereo and Cancer Focus Fund partnership will support a Phase 1b/2 clinical study of etigilimab in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody in clear cell ovarian cancer, to be conducted at MD Anderson and led by Shannon Westin, MD, MPH, associate professor of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine. The study will be financed by Cancer Focus Fund, in exchange for upfront consideration of $1.5 million of Mereo shares and additional payments based on the achievement of certain milestones.

"We are honored to partner with Cancer Focus Fund on clinical studies of etigilimab in this rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer," said Dr. Denise Scots-Knight, Chief Executive Officer of Mereo. "This program is the first investment made by Cancer Focus Fund since its inception. We believe that this speaks to the significant potential of etigilimab in the emerging TIGIT space. We look forward to working closely with the Cancer Focus Fund team and with Dr. Westin and her team at MD Anderson to design and execute the trial."

"Cancer Focus Fund is partnering with MD Anderson to help advance novel anticancer drug candidates through early clinical development, and we are delighted that our first investment is in support of Mereo's anti-TIGIT antibody, etigilimab," said Ross Barrett, a founder and Managing Partner of Cancer Focus Fund. "The TIGIT immune receptor is a promising new target for cancer immunotherapy. We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with Mereo and MD Anderson to jumpstart the clinical assessment of etigilimab in clear cell ovarian cancer, which lacks effective treatment options once advanced."