Abstract LB429: Discovery and identification of a novel cancer associated fibroblast target using Oxford Biotherapeutics (OBTs) OGAP discovery platform

Abstract Cancer Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs) are a major component of the tumor stromal microenvironment and have been indicated in promoting tumor growth as well as inhibiting tumor suppression mechanisms. One of the challenges in this field has been a lack of molecules that target CAFs specifically and can interfere with the CAF function. Here we describe a novel target discovered using OBTs proprietary OGAP platform, that appears to be specific for CAFs in a variety of tumor tissues. Interestingly this target appears to be minimally expressed in normal tissue fibroblasts by in situ hybridization RNA analysis but is highly upregulated in solid tissue stroma fibroblasts of colon, breast and pancreatic cancer tissues. The OGAP Discovery Platform utilizes a mass spectrometry approach to identify membrane targets on the surface of tumor cells as well as tumor microenvironment associated cells. This suggests that this novel target is expressed on the membrane of the CAFs making it a unique target for drug intervention. The identification of such a novel target is both exciting and a wonderful validation of OBTs OGAP Discovery Platform. Citation Format: Jeremy Sarnecky, Joseph Lewis, Jason Allen, Daniel Davies, Matthew Metzger, Ben Thomas, Christian Rohlff, Belinda Cairns. Discovery and identification of a novel cancer associated fibroblast target using Oxford Biotherapeutics (OBTs) OGAP discovery platform abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts) ; 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84 (7Suppl): Abstract nr LB429.