Molecular Templates has developed a new class of targeted biologic therapies. ETBs are derived from bacterial toxins that have been engineered to have distinct target specificity and reduced immunogenicity while retaining the biologically active features and predictable pharmacokinetics of the parent toxin. ETBs possess unique biological properties that allow them to gain cell entry through targets that may not normally internalize, actively route themselves intracellularly, and enzymatically trigger apoptosis in the target cell. These features confer a host of advantages for target identification, lead discovery, and drug development over therapeutic antibody and small molecules approaches. Vast libraries of ETBs have been created that can be rapidly screened for specific and potent cell kill to identify promising therapeutics.
Molecular Templates is leveraging its Direct Select Platform (DSP) technology to identify ETBs for various disease settings including cancer, virology, autoimmune diseases, and neurological disorders. Because DSP screens directly on cell-killing specificity and function, a target does not necessarily need to be characterized or known a priori. This approach allows for the discovery of novel therapeutic targets that may be uniquely accessible by ETBs. Molecular Templates is developing ETBs in concert with select biopharmaceutical partners and on its own. A lead ETBs candidate for melanoma, MTI-SAM3, has been identified and is undergoing pre-clinical development.