Sumitomo Pharma Oncology
Discovering Immunotherapy Agents with Persistence

When one hears the word ‘tumor,’ they often think only about cancer. However, a tumor is not made up of just cancer cells alone. It comprises a complex, heterogeneous mixture of cells where a minority, sometimes as low as ten percent of the makeup, are malignant cancer cells. This aspect, among a thousand others, curtails the progress of immunotherapy, drug discovery, and translational research for medical professionals everywhere. Thus, studying the tumor microenvironment (TME) more closely and understanding the nature and function of cancer cells and the TME is important for the identification of novel therapeutic targets and the advancement of drug discovery in oncology.

Sumitomo Pharma (SMP) Oncology is leading the charge to actively dive deeper into the tumor microenvironment, attempting to unlock the secrets of the immune system through many years of dedicated research from a drug discovery perspective. Owing to the same, SMP Oncology has quickly grown its presence as an international developer of novel cancer therapeutics with world-class research facilities spread around the globe dedicated to advancing immunotherapy. The company is interested in the complex tumor microenvironment, where sometimes there is a strong presence of the immune system and, other times, there is none. SMP Oncology has so far progressed nine agents to its clinical development pipeline, including DSP-7888, a Wilms tumor cancer vaccine.

Preliminary results have further motivated the researchers at the company to continue exploring specific targets, combinations, and stage of disease to achieve the most desirable outcomes of their various studies. The company’s toll-like receptor 7 antagonist (DSP-0509) is another particularly interesting area of focus. This immunomodulatory clinical development. SMP Oncology intends to study how the compound combines with other immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. “We continue to advance these studies and concentrate on understanding their modulation of the tumor immune microenvironment from a mechanistic perspective,” explains Steve Warner, Senior Vice President and Head of US Research at SMP Oncology.

With its pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) activator called TP-1454, SMP Oncology is continuing to further immunotherapy drug discovery. TP-1454 is an investigational oral pyruvate kinase M2 isoform (PKM2) activator. This activation is thought to starve cancer cells of important molecular building blocks, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation, and enhancing antitumor response. “TP-1454 further illustrates how we look at immunotherapy. Understanding how to best position this compound in the clinic required us to broaden our view of the immune system and how it functions in the context of the tumor microenvironment. Once we were able to connect the activation of PKM2 to tumor metabolism and immune function, we began to view TP-1454 as an immunomodulatory compound,” expresses Warner.

SMP Oncology is examining the possible use of TP-1454 as a viable approach to target nutrient metabolism in tumors. Typically, cancer cells win the tug-of-war for nutrients, such as glucose, against immune cells within the tumor microenvironment. SMP Oncology dedicated a significant amount of time to understand how and why this occurs. Recently, SMP Oncology research observed that its PKM2 activator shifts the metabolic balance of nutrients in favor of immune cells. The company, concerning this particular discovery, is advancing TP-1454 in future clinical tests and developments.

“We are really focused on these findings and challenge ourselves and ask how can we view cancer treatment from a holistic perspective, inclusive of all the complexities the tumor presents? How do we harness this information to create innovative and effective therapies?” says Warner. It is this culture of asking such deeply introspective questions that has empowered SMP Oncology to explore beyond the current immunotherapy landscape.

With such comprehensive research dedicated toward immunotherapy, SMP Oncology is a leader in the fight against cancer. The company moves with meaningful and purposeful tenets to achieve success in its work, accompanied by patience and persistence as well. The US-based teams collaborate with research teams based in Japan to advance the development of cancer therapies further. “SMP Oncology leverages the collaborative strengths and initiatives of our teams in Japan and the US. We have robust programs moving from research into development with transition teams already assembled, with more studies expected to follow,” concludes Warner.