- Chicago-based biopharmaceutical company AbbVie recently announced it acquired Mavupharma
- These are the details behind the deal
Chicago-based biopharmaceutical giant AbbVie recently announced it acquired Seattle-based Mavupharma — which is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company focused on novel approaches to target the STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) pathway for the treatment of cancer. The financial terms of the deal were undisclosed.
“AbbVie’s vision in oncology is to advance breakthrough areas of science leading to a strong pipeline of innovative cancer therapies,” said Steve Davidsen, Ph.D. — VP of oncology discovery at AbbVie. “Mavupharma’s platform has the potential to further our immuno-oncology portfolio and assist in the development of transformative medicines for patients.”
STING pathway signaling also plays an important role in the generation of an immune response directed at tumors. And enhancing STING signaling has shown promise in a variety of tumor models. Plus STING pathway stimulation has the potential to increase the susceptibility of tumors and broaden treatment options for patients.
“AbbVie has built a leadership position in oncology and their world-class capabilities will enable the accelerated development of our pipeline of STING modulators,” added Michael Gallatin, Ph.D. — the former president and a co-founder of Mavupharma.
Mavupharma’s lead clinical candidate is MAVU-104 — which is a first-in-class, orally active, small molecule inhibitor of ENPP1, an enzyme involved in the regulation of the STING pathway. And inhibiting ENPP1 activity with MAVU-104 allows for highly controlled enhancement of STING signaling in tumors without the need for injections.
“We made tremendous strides in developing our novel STING modulators and advancing MAVU-104 towards the clinic. We are confident in AbbVie’s ability to continue to advance this exciting science for patients,” explained former chief scientific officer and co-founder Greg Dietsch, Ph.D.
