In this edition of The Onco’Zine Brief Peter Hofland, Ph.D talks with Tony Polverino, PhD. In September 2918 Polverino joined Zymeworks, a clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation multifunctional biotherapeutics. He currently serves as the company's Executive Vice President of Early Development and Chief Scientific Officer. Prior to joining Zymeworks, from 2015 until 2018, Polverino was at Kite Pharma, which was acquired by Gilead Sciences in 2017.

Zymeworks’ lead clinical candidate, zanidatamab (ZW25), is a novel Azymetric™ bispecific antibody that has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation by the FDA and is currently enrolling in a pivotal clinical trial for refractory HER2-amplified biliary tract cancer (HERIZON-BTC-01)[1][2][3[[4] as well as several Phase 2 clinical trials for HER2-expressing gastroesophageal and breast cancers. Zymeworks’ second clinical candidate, ZW49, is a novel bispecific HER2-targeting antibody-drug conjugate currently in Phase 1 clinical development and combines the unique design and antibody framework of zanidatamab with Zymeworks’ proprietary ZymeLink™ linker and cytotoxin. Zymeworks is also advancing a deep preclinical pipeline in oncology (including immuno-oncology agents) and other therapeutic areas.

In our program today Hofland asks Polverino about his work in oncology, his work before joining Zymeworks, and the work he and his co-workers are doing at Zymeworks.

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Reference
[1] A Study of ZW25 (Zanidatamab) in Subjects With Advanced or Metastatic HER2-Amplified Biliary Tract Cancers - NCT04466891
[2] A Study of ZW25 (Zanidatamab) With Palbociclib Plus Fulvestrant in Patients With HER2+/HR+ Advanced Breast Cancer - NCT04224272
[3] A Safety and Efficacy Study of ZW25 (Zanidatamab) Plus Combination Chemotherapy in HER2-expressing Gastrointestinal Cancers, Including Gastroesophageal Adenocarcinoma, Biliary Tract Cancer, and Colorectal Cancer - NCT03929666
[4] A Dose-Finding Study of ZW49 in Patients With HER2-Positive Cancers - NCT03821233