The company will receive a 500 000 SEK grant from Sweden’s government agency for innovation, Vinnova, for the project “Verification of the unique functionality of ATOR-1017 by 3D structure determination”.

The project category was “Industrial pilot projects for neutron- and photon-based experiments at large-scale research infrastructures”. The grant will be used to obtain, in collaboration with the contract protein crystallography company SARomics Biostructures AB, three-dimensional structural data on Alligator’s 4-1BB antibody ATOR-1017, to further confirm its unique profile. The studies will be performed at the BioMAX beamline of the MAX IV Laboratory in Lund, Sweden.

ATOR-1017

ATOR-1017 is an immunostimulatory antibody in development for the treatment of metastatic cancer. It binds to the receptor 4-1BB on tumor-specific T cells and NK cells. ATOR-1017 is differentiated from other 4-1BB antibodies, partly because of its unique binding profile, but also because its immunostimulatory function is dependent on cross-linking to Fc-gamma receptors on immune cells. The aim is to achieve effective tumor-targeted immune stimulation with minimum side effects. ATOR-1017 is planned to enter clinical studies in cancer patients 2019.

Photo of Per Norlén, CEO Alligator Biosciences. Photographer: Jenny Leyman