AbeXXa Biologics: Re-Imagining Cancer Immunotherapy

A single phone call to a member of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Venture Fund at the beginning of 2016 proved to be a defining moment for AbeXXa Biologics. This was the start of a rapidly developing relationship that has, in addition to Venture Fund investment, resulted in a research collaboration and the award of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Innovation Prize – all in the space of a year. Named as one of the ‘40 Best University Startups’¹ in 2017, AbeXXa Biologics is a faculty startup from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a client of TechFW, a nonprofit technology incubator in Fort Worth, Texas, that mentors and coaches entrepreneurs as they develop and launch technology-based products. Applying scientific curiosity to address a challenging research question, this dynamic company is breaking new ground in a field of research that has the potential for developing a ‘menu’ of antibody-based therapies that could benefit much larger numbers of patients.

A Menu-Based Approach to Treatment

What makes AbeXXa’s research particularly exciting is that it’s re-imagining cancer immunotherapy to provide effective treatment for a majority of patients by providing multiple combination options, tailored to each patient’s tumour. Dr. Jon Weidanz, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of AbeXXa, is a biology professor and Associate Vice-President of Research at the University of Texas at Arlington. He has worked in the immuno-oncology field for more than 25 years exploring how to utilize the immune system to attack cancer cells. “Our idea was to go back and re-interrogate the immune system and explore which molecules are critical at regulating immune responses.”

The Cancer Immunotherapy Challenge

A major challenge in cancer immunotherapy is the need to develop agents that are consistently effective in a majority of patients and cancer types. While impressive results have been observed in some patients treated with cancer immunotherapies, many immunotherapy treatments have demonstrated efficacy in only a select group of cancers and usually in a minority of patients with those cancers.

AbeXXa’s innovative approach is to tap into the diverse set of cancer-specific proteins that are contained within the cell, rather than just those that are expressed on the membrane. Unlike other companies with research interests in this area that focus on classical Human Leucocyte Antigens (HLAs) – those that present antigens in a way that depend on the genetics of each person – AbeXXa is honing in on atypical HLAs which have much less variability. “This means we can envision therapies that target large numbers of patients with a particular cancer” explains Weidanz. “We're finding a growing list of peptides that are presented by atypical HLAs. And so if you develop a number of antibody-based therapies against these, the patient’s treatment will be a bespoke combination of these therapies to suit their individual tumor signature.”

A Meeting of Minds

Relationships matter. And Weidanz wanted to work with a partner he could trust in the journey to translate the scientific hypotheses into practice. He reconnected with Dr. Knut Elbers, Senior Scientific Advisor Innovation Beyond Borders, whom he first met at a conference 10 years previously. “It’s about the network. You have a group of people you feel confident reaching out to who have been supportive over the years and through our long-standing relationship and alignment in goals, AbeXXa was the fit that Boehringer Ingelheim was looking for” says Weidanz.

Cancer Immunology is a major research focus for Boehringer Ingelheim which has substantially increased its investment in this area and recently formed a new, global research department dedicated to exploring new ways of directing the immune system to profoundly affect the course of cancer. Set against this backdrop, the idea was born to invest in a company, through the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, that could develop this early and challenging area of science. In parallel, the discovery research team was also exploring opportunities for collaboration. AbeXXa fit the bill on both counts.

Dr. Paul Adam, Head of Cancer Immunology Target Discovery, recognizes the partnership ‘sweet spot’ with AbeXXa. “We saw very early on that AbeXXa was a company we could do great science with. We have a long-term commitment to oncology, and this opportunity to discover novel therapeutic antibodies supports our innovation strategy of exploring new target spaces. Our relationship with AbeXXa plays to each company’s strengths and is a great example of how we can use a combination of investment and partnership tools to support early science innovation.”

Weidanz describes the partnership as ‘a meeting of minds’. “One of the great things that AbeXXa has with Boehringer Ingelheim is a unique trust which starts with the leadership. We see a lot of support in trying to make the project work and a lot of intellectual input and exchange. There’s an academic feel to the relationship in terms of being inquisitive, curious and creative, but with a collegial approach to solving the problem – how do we defeat cancer?”

The initial investment from the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, which operates as a separate legal entity, was quickly followed by a collaborative research agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim and the award of the Company’s Innovation Prize at the end of 2016. The impact of this combination of events has enabled AbeXXa to accelerate its plans and grow its team of scientists not only in Texas but also in Boston, where AbeXXa now has a presence at LabCentral’s shared laboratory space in Cambridge, MA – the prize for winning the Innovation competition.

Weidanz acknowledges the significance of Boehringer Ingelheim’s involvement. “In just a little over a year, we’ve become operational and, through the significant support of Boehringer Ingelheim, we have pulled something together that’s very special. We’re bringing our unique technology and know-how together with Boehringer Ingelheim’s discovery and development expertise. Everything has been set up for AbeXXa to be very successful and this, to a great extent, is due to the confidence that Boehringer Ingelheim has in our science and our team. We hope that through this unique partnership, together we will be able to apply our innovative science to reimagine the future of cancer treatment.”