Data Published in Nature Cell Biology Reveal Novel Function of Drug Target EpCAM in Cancer Cell ...( Findings Support Development of Micro...)

Findings Support Development of Micromet's EpCAM-specific Antibody Therapeutics

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micromet, Inc. (Nasdaq: MITI), a biopharmaceutical company developing novel, proprietary antibodies for the treatment of cancer, inflammation and autoimmune diseases today announced the publication of an article in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Cell Biology(1) revealing a novel signalling function of the epithelial cell adhesion molecule, or EpCAM (CD326), which is expressed with high frequency on many types of solid tumors. Micromet is developing two antibody drug candidates that target EpCAM: MT110, a T-cell engaging BiTE(R) antibody, and adecatumumab (MT201), a human monoclonal antibody.

Principal investigator and senior author of the article was Micromet's scientific collaborator Olivier Gires at the Grosshadern Hospital of Munich University, Germany. The new data by Gires and colleagues show that only cancer cells have an actively signalling form of EpCAM, while normal cells have an inactive form of EpCAM. When normal cells received the activated form of EpCAM, as is found in tumor cells, and were then injected into mice, they behaved like cancer cells in that they formed tumors.

"The findings of our latest publication may explain why certain cancer patients with a high level of EpCAM expression on their tumor cells have a reduced overall survival compared to patients with low levels of EpCAM on their tumor cells. Since activated EpCAM is expressed on the surface of cancer cells and their stem cells, it is a very promising target for our antibody-based drug candidates," commented Micromet's Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Patrick Baeuerle.

Micromet is developing two antibodies binding to EpCAM. MT110, an EpCAM-specific BiTE an
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