BMS and Calithera Biosciences team up against cancer

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Calithera Biosciences, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drugs directed against tumor metabolism and tumor immunology targets for the treatment of cancer, have announced a clinical trial collaboration to evaluate Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo in combination with Calithera’s CB-839 in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

CB-839 is an orally administered glutaminase inhibitor currently in Phase 1/2 clinical studies.

Preclinical data suggest that CB-839, which is designed to target a pathway to starve tumor cells of the key nutrient glutamine, may enhance the effects of checkpoint inhibitors and may also reverse tumor resistance to checkpoint inhibitors by altering the immune-suppressive microenvironment and promoting an anti-tumor immune response. Opdivo is designed to overcome immune suppression. The companies will explore the potential of combining these two agents with the goal of achieving improved and sustained efficacy in ccRCC patients with cancer that is stable or growing on a PD-1 inhibitor therapy, said the companies.

Fouad Namouni, M.D., senior vice president, head of Oncology Development, Bristol-Myers Squibb said: “Influencing the tumor microenvironment remains a key area of focus of research, and we are excited to explore the potential benefits of Opdivo plus CB-839 in an effort to advance new combination therapies for difficult to treat cancers,”.

“The combination with Opdivo follows our strategy to combine CB-839 with therapies to improve outcomes for RCC patients,” said Susan Molineaux, CEO of Calithera Biosciences. “We believe that by blocking glutamine consumption in tumors, and redirecting this key nutrient for cell growth and proliferation to T-cells, CB-839 could enhance the effects of Opdivo. With support from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Calithera is excited to advance this combination into the Phase 2 portion of CX-839-004, our ongoing study in ccRCC patients.”