HaemaLogiX is committed to changing the outlook for multiple myeloma patients. The immunotherapies that we’re developing are uniquely designed to target cancerous plasma cells with exceptional precision. Importantly this enables them to spare normal plasma cells, delivering the potential to effectively treat myeloma, without impacting the patient’s immune response which is required to fight infection and the cancer itself. Our targeted approach has the potential to keep patients stronger and healthier during treatment - offering greater efficacy, yet reduced toxicity.
HaemaLogiX’s immunotherapies bind to unexploited and unique targets (antigens) on the surface of cancerous plasma cells. These antigens are called kappa myeloma antigen (KMA) and lambda myeloma antigen (LMA), and are absent on normal plasma cells . This may provide improved on-target efficacy, reduced off-tumour toxicity and preserve immune function, offering a key differentiation to current treatment. There are no competing immunotherapies for these targets in the market, providing a distinct competitive advantage.
Approximately 70% of myeloma patients are kappa-type and would express KMA and 30% are lambda-type and would express LMA on their myeloma plasma cells. Myeloma patients only express one or the other antigen on their myeloma plasma cells.
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have two antigen binding regions and one constant region that other immune cells, such as natural killer (NK) cells...
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With CAR T-cell therapy, a patient's own white blood cells are collected during a process called apheresis. Once apheresis is complete, the white...
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A bispecific antibody is designed to bind a cancer-associated target with one arm of the antibody, and a T cell-associated target, called CD3, with the other arm...
More +Most antibody and CAR-T targets in haematology (CD38, BCMA, SLAMF7, CD19) are expressed on healthy cells as well as cancer cells, so therapies against them cause broad immune depletion. KMA and LMA are distinctive because they appear on malignant plasma cells but not healthy ones — the basis for HaemaLogiX's selective-targeting hypothesis.
BCMA is the most widely used target in current myeloma immunotherapy and underpins therapies such as Abecma®, Carvykti®, teclistamab and elranatamab. BCMA is expressed on both malignant and healthy plasma cells. KMA, by contrast, is expressed on malignant kappa-restricted plasma cells but not healthy ones — a difference HaemaLogiX's clinical program is designed to evaluate.
HaemaLogiX's scientific team identified KMA and LMA as accessible cancer-specific targets and built the foundational intellectual property around them. KappaMab™, the KMCAR™ T-cell therapy and a pipeline of bispecific and trispecific antibodies all derive from this target biology, protected by 84 patent filings across 10 patent families.
Most current myeloma immunotherapies — anti-CD38 antibodies, anti-BCMA agents and BCMA-directed CAR-T — target antigens present on both malignant and healthy plasma cells. HaemaLogiX's KappaMab™ and KMCAR™ target the Kappa Myeloma Antigen, found on malignant but not healthy plasma cells. This selective targeting is the core scientific premise of its development program.
HaemaLogiX holds 84 patent filings across 10 patent families, covering monoclonal antibodies (KappaMab™, LambdaMab™), CAR-T therapies (KMCAR™, LMCAR™), bispecific and trispecific antibodies, and methods of treatment. The foundational CAR-T family is WO 2016/172703. KappaMab™ has also been granted US FDA Orphan Drug Designation in multiple myeloma.
HaemaLogiX is represented by FB Rice, an Australian patent and trade mark attorney firm specialising in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals. The partner responsible for the portfolio is Dr Cameron Smith, who prepared the Intellectual Property Report included in the Company's Prospectus.
HaemaLogiX's portfolio extends across major pharmaceutical jurisdictions, with patents filed or granted in Australia, the United States, Europe, Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong. Coverage and grant status vary by family; detailed status is set out in the FB Rice Intellectual Property Report in the Company's Prospectus.
Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) is a regulatory status for rare-disease therapies that provides benefits including market exclusivity, fee reductions and tax credits. KappaMab™ has been granted ODD by the US FDA for multiple myeloma, providing seven years of US market exclusivity following any approval. HaemaLogiX is pursuing ODD equivalence with the EMA and TGA.