OncoHost Collaborates with BGN Technologies to Predict Cancer Patient Response to Anti-PD-1 Treatment with IcAR Biosensing Tech

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Groundbreaking technology has proven significantly greater accuracy than current PD-L1 testing methods; Impact to be felt by cancer community across the globe

BEER-SHEVA, Israel and BINYAMINA, Israel, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoHost, a technology company transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes, today announced that it has signed an option agreement with BGN Technologies, the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), to receive a license for a novel biosensing technology called IcAR (Immuno-checkpoint Artificial Reporter). IcAR was developed by a team of researchers from BGU.

With only 20-40% of cancer patients responding to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment, better biomarkers are desperately needed. The existing PD-L1 biomarker is not only limited to few cancer types, but has low predictive power and is, unfortunately, non-predictive for most indications.

The IcAR biosensing technology measures the binding functionality of PD-1 ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, to their receptor, PD-1. The researchers found that assessing the functionality of PD-1 ligands was an effective predictor to identify who will positively respond to anti-PD-1 and clinically benefit from this treatment – answering a long-standing clinical question in the oncology industry. IcAR has excellent functionality, high predictive powers, utility across all cancer types and, potentially, for different immunotherapy treatments.

The project was led by Bar Kaufman and Orli Abramov under the guidance of Prof. Moshe Elkabets and Prof. Angel Porgador from the Faculty of Health Sciences at BGU.

"IcAR technology is expected to be a game-changer in the world of cancer treatment diagnostics," said Prof. Elkabets. "It will enable accurate prediction of patient response to ICI therapies, and has the potential to improve the lives of cancer patients by identifying effective treatment options in a personalized manner."

"IcAR boasts accuracy, sensitivity and logistical simplicity. The technology enables the screening of substantial samples without requiring additional biopsies or biological material, making it accessible to medical care both in Israel and abroad," added Prof. Porgador.

The IcAR technology enables the measurement of the functionality of any immuno-modulator targets in medical oncology, allowing physicians to understand which patients will respond best to anti-PD-1 therapies and tailor treatments accordingly, while sparing non-responders from ineffective treatment. In the future, this bioassay technology may help predict response to additional ICI therapies and could be used to tailor personalized treatment protocols.

"We are excited about the possibilities this technology presents due to its potential impact on patients' clinical outcomes, clinical trials and drug development," said Dr. Ofer Sharon, CEO of OncoHost. "Through collaboration and partnership, we are making great strides in shifting the landscape of current cancer care. Finally, we can increase the effectiveness of ICIs and advance our understanding of the mechanisms causing cancer resistance, providing truly personalized treatment for each individual patient."

"This agreement is an example of an outstanding technology which was developed at Ben-Gurion University that can make a revolutionary impact on personalized diagnosis and precision medicine," said Dr. Galit Mazooz-Perlmuter, VP Business Development Pharma & Bioconvergence at BGN Technologies. https://il.linkedin.com/in/galit-mazooz-perlmuter-ph-d-1b390918

About OncoHost
OncoHost is a technology company headquartered in Binyamina, Israel, and Cary, North Carolina, transforming the approach to precision medicine for improved patient outcomes. OncoHost's proprietary platform, PROphet®, is a plasma-based, proteomic pattern analysis tool whose initial offering in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) uses a single blood sample to guide first-line immunotherapy decision-making. The PROphet® NSCLC test provides clear clinical utility by offering physicians crucial guidance on the optimal first-line immunotherapy treatment plan for each individual patient, with a significant effect on overall survival. Led by an experienced team of entrepreneurs and industry experts and supported by a large-scale prospective clinical trial with over 40 sites and 1,700 patients recruited worldwide, OncoHost is well-positioned to lead precision diagnostics and biomarker development to the next stage.

For more information, visit http://www.oncohost.com, or follow OncoHost on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

About BGN Technologies
BGN Technologies is the technology transfer company of Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel. Located in the heart of the University's Advanced Technologies Park, BGN Technologies is the driving force behind industry-academia collaborations, supporting the University's mission of cultivating a high-tech eco-system within the Negev region. With a track-record of over 100 startup companies, as well as partnerships in technology incubators and accelerators, BGN Technologies brings inventions from the labs to the market, in the following fields: high-tech, biotechnology, materials, agriculture and environment. BGN Technologies fosters research collaborations and entrepreneurship among researchers and students.