(Wired) – The trial focused on tumor types where HER3 signaling is implicated. HER3 is a membrane-bound protein that mediates cell-to-cell communication on growth and division. But when cancer is present, HER3 signaling can act as a pro-cancer driver, contributing to cell proliferation, tumor growth, and resistance to therapy.

The HER3 protein was discovered more than 30 years ago, but HER3 has been a challenging target, and translating HER3 biology into real clinical treatments that benefit patients has proven difficult. That’s because cancer is tricky, and “HER3 biology isn’t a single switch—tumors have multiple ways to activate and adapt,” Ingram says. So to develop a molecule that could block cancer growth by stopping HER3’s signals, the Singapore team asked a more specific question: “Can we engineer an antibody that more effectively suppresses HER3 function and signaling—not just bind the target?”

As those first drops of the infusion trickled down the IV line, HMBD-001 became the first clinical test of that hypothesis. (Read More)