Boston Immune Technologies and Therapeutics (BITT) has received a $4m award from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute to support its ongoing Phase I clinical trial of its lead tumour necrosis factor superfamily receptor (TNFSR) antagonist.

This funding marks a significant milestone in the development of new treatments for cancer.

BITT focuses on developing clinical-stage TNFSR antagonist antibodies.

The company also entered a sponsored research and exclusivity agreement with the McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD).

MSRD is a member of the worldwide Otsuka family of pharmaceutical companies.

Under this agreement, MSRD will finance essential non-human primate studies for the pre-clinical development of BITT’s CD40 antagonist.

BITT CEO and co-founder Russell LaMontagne said: “Our agreement with Otsuka will provide significant resources in furtherance of our goal of filing an IND related to our CD40 antagonist programme in 2025.

“This is our second NIH/NCI grant to support our TNFR2 oncology programme and confirm the novelty of our antibody and the potential of TNFR2 as a therapeutic target.”

In August 2023, BITT received funding from the NIH to aid the preclinical development of its CD40 antagonist antibody.

The award for ‘Advancing BITT-101: A Novel Dominant CD40 Antagonist for Use in the Treatment of Sjögren’s Syndrome’ will help the company support steps toward filing an investigational new drug application (IND) this year.

Based in the US, BITT is pioneering a new class of antagonist antibodies targeting TNF superfamily receptors.

These are designed for applications in oncology, inflammation, autoimmunity, and infectious disease, leveraging the company’s proprietary DOMab platform.

The clinical trials for BIR2101, a monoclonal antibody targeting TNFR2, are currently underway.