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aTyr Pharma Announces Research Study with Stanford Medicine
Study to explore role of the Company’s anti-NRP2 antibodies in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common type of primary brain cancer. SAN DIEGO, July
About this update from Atyr Pharma, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Study to explore role of the Company’s anti-NRP2 antibodies in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common type of primary brain cancer.\nSAN DIEGO, July 30, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- aTyr Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATYR) (“aTyr” or “the Company”), a clinical stage biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of first-in-class medicines from its proprietary tRNA synthetase platform, today announced that it has entered into a research agreement with Stanford Medicine. Michael Lim, M.D., Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford Medicine, will serve as the principal investigator for the study. Dr. Lim’s research focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms of immunosuppression in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). “We know that the immune system plays an important role in GBM recurrence, and we have studied stimulating myeloid cells as a way to reverse immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment,” said Dr. Lim. “We look forward to looking at the role in which anti-neuropilin-2 (NRP2) antibodies in combination with other therapies may play in reactivating the immune system in order to reduce tumor recurrence.” The research collaboration aims to explore the role of the Company’s novel function blocking antibodies against NRP2 in combination with chemotherapy to evaluate their role in reversing immune evasion in GBM. If preliminary studies are successful, the researchers plan to evaluate the NRP2 antibodies in combination with other immunomodulating agents, such as anti-PD-1, STING, or anti-CSF-1R, to address multiple targets of myeloid and T cell immunosuppression for the potential treatment of GBM. “We are pleased to initiate this research collaboration with Stanford Medicine and Dr. Lim, a leader in immunotherapy for brain tumors, to explore the potential for combination therapy with NRP2-targeted antibodies in GBM,” said Sanjay S. Shukla, M.D., M.S., President and Chief Executive Officer of aTyr. “While we are focused on advancing our tRNA synthetase derived therapies, we believe NRP2 may play an important yet largely underappreciated role in immune cross talk in many cancers, including GBM. This study presents an important opportunity to enhance our mechanistic understanding regarding the role of NRP2 in mediating immune suppression in an extremely aggressive cancer where there is a high unmet medical n...