Benzinga | Mar 15, 2021 08:24AM EDT

UroGen Pharma Announces Sponsored Research Agreement With Johns Hopkins University School Of Medicine To 'Expand Immuno-Oncology Pipeline'

UroGen Pharma Ltd. (NASDAQ:URGN), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to building and commercializing novel solutions that treat specialty cancers and urologic diseases, today announced a strategic, exploratory immunotherapy sponsored research agreement with the Johns Hopkins University to study the potential of checkpoint inhibitors combined with RTGel(tm) in glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, an aggressive and difficult to treat brain cancer. Johns Hopkins researchers expect to begin nonclinical research of RTGel combined with a PD-1 and a CTLA-4, respectively, in the second quarter of 2021.

UroGen's proprietary RTGel technology is a reverse-thermal hydrogel that may increase dwell time of current therapies and exposure of active drugs, potentially improving the therapeutic effects of existing products.

"Local delivery of checkpoint inhibitors has the potential to fundamentally change the treatment paradigm for some of the most devastating cancers. We are excited to work with Johns Hopkins investigators on this exciting frontier in immunotherapy," said Dr. Mark Schoenberg, Chief Medical Officer of UroGen Pharma. "This research will be an exciting addition to our current immuno-oncology pipeline, including UGN-302 which combines UGN-201, a toll-like receptor 7/8 agonist, with UGN-301, a CTLA-4 antagonist, for the treatment of high-grade non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. With our expanding programs in this field of research, we look forward to extending the potential of our RTGel platform in immunotherapy."

The goal of this research is to further understand the efficacy of local delivery of immunotherapy to tumor draining lymph nodes, where anti-tumor T cells are primed by antigen presenting cells. Based on research at the Johns Hopkins University, sustained release of immunotherapy such as anti-PD-1 delivered directly to the lymph nodes, may target myeloid cells and T cells with PD-1 expression to enhance proliferation and anti-tumor activity of T cells. Successful use of lymph-node targeting therapies may reduce the toxicities associated with systemic administration of immunotherapy.

GBM is an aggressive malignant brain tumor with a five-year survival rate of less than five percent. GBM is difficult to treat and treatment options today are limited, and typically include surgery followed by radiation and chemotherapy. It is the most common primary brain tumor, with around 12,000 cases diagnosed per year in the United States.