Objective

GSK2857916 is an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) which recognises B-Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) for the treatment of Multiple Myeloma (MM). This molecule is currently progressing in Phase II clinical trials. Here we present the non-clinical data package which supported the identification of GSK2857916. The molecule has been designed to elicit 2 distinct modes of action: enhanced antibody-dependent cellular toxicity and the delivery of a cytotoxic auristatin moiety to the MM diseased cell population. Antibodies are the most rapidly growing drug class and have a major impact on human health, particularly in oncology, autoimmunity and chronic inflammatory diseases. As well as their ability to confer exquisite specificity, antibodies also offer the ability to harness the patient’s own immune system to drive efficacy. As GSK2857916 progresses in early clinical studies and shows considerable promise for MM patients, there is an opportunity to learn from this success: the features of the data package which were pivotal to the project’s progression, early insights informing the final molecule design and current technologies and processes which might enable further shortening of the discovery cycle-time?