Domain Wins RHU SPRINT Grant for CCR8 Antibody Development

Domain Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical firm focused on developing innovative drugs in immuno-oncology, has received a substantial grant to advance its cutting-edge drug candidate, DT-7012. This monoclonal antibody, which targets the depletion of regulatory T cells (Tregs), was nominated in June 2023 and is anticipated to initiate a Phase I clinical trial by mid-2025. The grant is part of the Hospital-University Research in Health (RHU) SPRINT consortium, which aims to revolutionize the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

The SPRINT project, coordinated by Université Paris Cité and supported by a nearly €10 million grant from the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR), brings together a consortium of five distinguished academic institutions and two innovative companies. The goal is to develop precision medicine for CTCL patients, a disease that has seen a nearly threefold increase in the last three decades and severely impacts the quality of life and survival rates of those affected.

CTCL is a rare condition, with approximately one in 100,000 adults diagnosed each year. The consortium's approach involves a multidisciplinary team of physicians, researchers, drug discovery experts, and specialists in artificial intelligence. Their mission is to investigate the immune tumor microenvironment, understand the mechanisms of immuno-resistance, develop a non-invasive prognostic tool, and introduce innovative therapeutic solutions.

Domain Therapeutics and its partners will employ a triad strategy that includes improving early prognostication through AI, validating a molecular signature of response to monoclonal antibodies, and developing innovative drugs that target tumor cells and the mechanisms of resistance. This strategy is built upon extensive research into the tumor microenvironment in CTCL.

Dr. Stephan Schann, Vice-President of Research at Domain Therapeutics, expressed pride in being part of the SPRINT consortium and the potential of DT-7012 as a best-in-class therapeutic for CTCL. Professor Adèle de Masson, the project coordinator at Saint-Louis Hospital, Paris, thanked the ANR for its support and expressed hope for the consortium's impact on improving the lives of CTCL patients.

Domain Therapeutics has already been recognized for its excellence in science and collaboration, having received a previous RHU grant for another project. The company is committed to turning non-responder patients into responders through its novel immunotherapies, with the aim of increasing the clinical success rate of treatments for cancer patients.

The SPRINT consortium's work is endorsed by several organizations, including Medicen, EuroBloodNet, GFELC, and the French National Cancer Institute (INCa), as well as the patients association ELLyE. The consortium's efforts are crucial in the fight against CTCL, a disease that requires new treatments to address its profound effects on patients' health and well-being.