• HMBD-001 is a proprietary anti-HER3 antibody in an ongoing Phase 1 trial targeting multiple solid tumors
• HMBD-001 has the potential to fully block both ligand-dependent and -independent HER3 signaling

SINGAPORE, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hummingbird Bioscience, a data-driven precision biotherapeutics company discovering and developing transformative biologic medicines for hard-to-treat diseases, today announced that Johann de Bono, Regius Professor of Cancer Research and a Professor in Experimental Cancer Medicine at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, will present a trial in progress poster outlining the Phase 1 clinical trial design for HMBD-001 at the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress (ESMO 2022). Hummingbird Bioscience management will attend ESMO 2022, which takes place in Paris from 9-13 September 2022.

The Phase 1 clinical trial in the United Kingdom is being sponsored and managed by Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development and led by Chief Investigator, Professor Johann De Bono.

The trial began enrolling in October 2021 and is ongoing in the UK. The trial in progress poster will summarize the Phase 1 clinical trial design for HMBD-001 (NCT05057013). The Phase 1, open-label, multi-center, first-in-human trial seeks to evaluate HMBD-001 as a monotherapy and in combination with other agents to determine the maximum tolerated dose and investigate the anti-cancer activity of HMBD-001.

"We are excited to discuss our Phase 1 clinical strategy for HMBD-001 and longer-term clinical development plans with the wider oncology community at ESMO 2022," said Jerome Boyd-Kirkup, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer. "The unique mechanism of action of HMBD-001 gives us hope that HMBD-001 will provide significant benefit to patients with HER3-driven cancers."

Nigel Blackburn, Ph.D., Director of Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development, said: "Our Centre for Drug Development has an outstanding track record in designing and managing clinical trials, so we are really proud to see that this work, in collaboration with Hummingbird Bioscience, will be showcased to an audience of our peers at the ESMO 2022 conference."

ESMO Poster Presentation Details
Poster Title: A CRUK phase I/IIA, first in human dose-escalation and expansion trial of HMBD-001 (an anti-HER-3 antibody) in patients with advanced HER3-positive solid tumours
Number: 493 TiP
Date: Monday, 12^th September 2022
Poster Hours: 09:00-17:00 CEST (discussion: 12:00-13:00 CEST)
Location: Poster Area, Hall 4, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris, France

About HMBD-001

HMBD-001 is a clinical-stage IgG1 antibody designed to target HER3. Discovered using Hummingbird Bioscience's proprietary Rational Antibody Discovery (RAD) platform, HMBD-001 is now in development for the treatment of multiple solid tumors. We believe HMBD-001 is the only anti-HER3 antibody in development that has the potential to fully block both ligand-dependent and -independent HER3 activation and oncogenic signaling, by targeting a key epitope located at the interface where HER3 forms heterodimers with HER2 or EGFR. In preclinical models evaluating HMBD-001, the company has observed superior affinity and more potent tumor growth inhibition compared to existing anti-HER3 antibodies. Near-term development plans for HMBD-001 focus on a few priority, high-value indications with strong scientific rationale and supporting preclinical data, which includes HER3-driven cancers and NRG1 fusion-driven cancers.

About Hummingbird Bioscience

Hummingbird Bioscience is a data-driven precision biotherapeutics company discovering and developing transformative biologic medicines for hard-to-treat diseases. The Hummingbird Bioscience model combines computational and systems biology with wet lab drug discovery in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative environment spanning initial discovery through clinical development. We harness this integrated approach across target identification and patient selection, enabling our team to increase the efficiency of translating novel scientific insights while reducing the inherent risk in drug discovery and development. We are currently developing two clinical-stage assets: HMBD-001, a humanized anti-HER3 monoclonal antibody targeting a novel epitope on HER3, and HMBD-002, a humanized anti-VISTA IgG4 monoclonal antibody. Both programs are currently in Phase 1 studies. At Hummingbird Bioscience, our commitment to rigorous science, teamwork, and intellectual integrity underpins our passion to accelerate the journey of new drugs from concept to clinic. 

For more information, please visit www.hummingbirdbioscience.com, and follow Hummingbird Bioscience on LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube.

About Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development 

Cancer Research UK has an impressive record of developing novel treatments for cancer. The Cancer Research UK Centre for Drug Development has been pioneering the development of new cancer treatments for 25 years, taking over 140 potential new anti-cancer agents into clinical trials in patients. It currently has a portfolio of 21 new anti-cancer agents in preclinical development, Phase I or early Phase II clinical trials. Six of these new agents have made it to market including temozolomide for brain cancer, abiraterone for prostate cancer and rucaparib for ovarian cancer. Two other drugs are in late development Phase III trials.