CNIO and Highlight Therapeutics test a compound against the most common skin cancer

• Findings from the Melanoma Group at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) led to the creation of the Spanish company Highlight Therapeutics, which has developed the compound BO-112.
• BO-112 is the first cancer drug candidate based on CNIO research to reach studies in patients, where it has shown activity against different cancer types.
• Highlight Therapeutics and CNIO are collaborating to proof BO-112 effectiveness against the most common form of skin cancer, which is linked to sun exposure and is on the rise.
• It is a private-public collaboration project, which has received almost three million in funding from the Spanish Ministry of for Science, Innovation and Universities.
• CNIO researcher Marisol Soengas says, “it’s a thrill for us to contribute to the testing of BO-112 in basal cell carcinoma, one of the most common types of cancer, is exciting.”

Around 15 years ago, in 2009, the team led by Marisol Soengas at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) discovered a new way to destroy tumour cells: by making them believe they had been infected by a virus. They developed a compound called BO-110, endowed with a highly innovative mechanism: triggering self-digestion in melanoma cells, the deadliest form of skin cancer. This finding was so striking that it featured on the cover of Cancer Cell journal.

BO-110 proved effective in different experimental models, and because of its relevance, it served as the basis for the creation of the first CNIO spin off company, Bioncotech Therapeutics. Bioncotech expanded its scope, developed a clinical derivative, BO-112, and became Highlight Therapeutics. For the first time a company was created to start developing a cancer drug which resulted from research carried out at CNIO.

“BO-110 surprised us with its ability to attack tumour cells, but it became even more interesting when we demonstrated its powerful activity on the immune system,” Soengas says.

“In recent years, several trials with patients have shown that BO-112 acts as an alarm that awakens the body’s defences and prompt them to attack tumour cells,” says Marisol Quintero, former director of innovation at CNIO and current CEO of Highlight Therapeutics.

Independent studies conducted in more than 20 clinical centres in several countries, some of them recently published, support the use of BO-112 as a new strategy for treating different types of immunotherapy-resistant tumours.

Immunotherapy against the most common skin cancer

Now CNIO is joining forces with Highlight Therapeutics to explore the treatment of basal cell carcinoma, the most common skin cancer that affects more than four million people every year and which is on the rise. The study is part of a private-public collaboration, which has received almost three million in funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. 

Highlight Therapeutics will manage the clinical trial in different hospitals, and CNIO will analyse the mechanism of action of BO-112 and define response markers by combining patient biopsies with different experimental models of skin cancer.  The project will run until 2027.

“I am so proud my research is being turned into a drug”

Soengas makes no secret of her satisfaction at seeing her research results show real potential to become a cancer treatment: “I’m proud that findings from my laboratory led to the creation of a start-up, the first to emerge from CNIO.  This company already has six clinical trials in progress in patients. It is a thrill for us to be able to contribute to the seventh clinical trial, in this case to test BO112 in basal cell carcinoma, which is one of the most common tumours today.”

The risk of developing basal cell carcinoma at some point in life is 28% in men and 39% in women. Every year, there are four million new cases in Europe and the United States, and the incidence doubles every 25 years. Although the tumour is usually localised and can be removed, surgery is not always viable or effective. Given how common this cancer is, there is an urgent need to develop alternative therapies.

According to Quintero, “this project is a natural collaboration between Highlight Therapeutics and CNIO, bringing together clinical and scientific expertise to explore new treatments for skin cancer. It will undoubtedly benefit both parties and could lay the groundwork for future clinical trials and other therapeutic developments.”

About the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO)

The National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) is a public research centre under the Department of Science, Innovation and Universities. It is the largest cancer research centre in Spain and one of the most important in Europe. It includes around five hundred scientists, along with support staff, who are working to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.