DOS47 – A broad anti-cancer therapeutic platform

DOS47 is based upon a naturally occurring enzyme isolated from the jack bean plant called urease that breaks down a natural substance found in the body, urea, into metabolites that include ammonium and hydroxyl ions.  By doing so at the site of cancerous tissues in the body, the Company believes DOS47 can modify the micro environmental conditions of cancerous cells in a manner that leads to apoptosis (programmed cell death).

DOS47 - A patented oncology platform technology that offers a new and potentially revolutionary approach to the debilitation and destruction of cancer cells

DOS47 is designed to stimulate an increase in the pH of the microenvironment surrounding the cancerous cells, effectively reversing the acidic extra cellular conditions that are believed to act to defend the tumour. The local production of ammonia at the site of cancerous tissues is thought to readily diffuse into the cancer cells to exert a potent cytotoxic effect by interfering with their critical metabolic functions.

Helix believes that DOS47 may have applications both as a monotherapy and in certain combined adjunct chemotherapy regimens

L-DOS47 is the Company’s first targeted therapeutic immunoconjugate under development based on the DOS47 technology.  L-DOS47 is  an antibody protein conjugate where the urease component enzymatically converts naturally occurring urea to ammonia.  The L-DOS47 drug molecule includes a highly specialized camelid-derived single domain antibody and is currently under clinical study for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pancreatic cancer.

V-DOS47 is the second immuno-oncology drug candidate derived from the Company’s DOS47 technology platform. V-DOS47 targets the vascular endothelial growth factor 2 receptor (VEGFR2). 

Helix continues to explore opportunities to expand upon its product pipeline with new DOS47 based therapeutics

DOS47 candidates are produced by conjugating urease with a targeting antibody or antibody fragment that can specifically direct the urease to the surface of a cancer cell.  Once docked to the cell, the urease produces ammonia enzymatically through the conversion of urea found throughout the body.  These conjugates of antibodies to urease are called DOS47 candidates.  By selecting antibodies that are selective to different tumour cell surface receptors, the Company believes that DOS47 candidates can be used in several types of solid tumors.