OC-001 + avelumab

OC-001 + avelumab is an investigational combination of two monoclonal antibodies targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint pathway. OC-001, developed by Ocellaris Pharma, is an antibody with dual activity as both a PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitor, currently in phase 2 clinical trials for various locally advanced or metastatic cancers including bladder cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, cervical cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, head and neck cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), ovarian cancer, renal cell carcinoma (RCC), sarcoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), and triple negative breast cancer[6]. Avelumab is an approved human IgG1 lambda monoclonal antibody that binds to programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) on tumor cells and antigen-presenting cells to block its interaction with the PD-1 receptor on T cells. This blockade enhances T-cell mediated anti-tumor immune responses. Avelumab is approved for use in metastatic Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma as maintenance therapy after platinum-based chemotherapy or after progression on such therapy, and in combination with axitinib for first-line treatment of advanced RCC[1][2][3]. The combination aims to enhance anti-tumor immunity by more comprehensively inhibiting the PD-(L)1 axis.