BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Optimism for A2A

Why two negative readouts haven't dimmed hope for A2A in cancer

March 24, 2018 2:46 AM UTC

Once considered solely a neurology target, the adenosine pathway has attracted interest in immuno-oncology based on its ability to control whether immune cells adopt a stimulatory or suppressive phenotype. The early results from A2A receptor antagonists first developed for neurological disease are a mixed bag. But several companies are persevering with new approaches intended to boost efficacy.

Sosei Group Corp. EVP and Chief R&D Officer Malcolm Weir told BioCentury the presence of A2A receptors on immune cells had been known for over a decade, but “it was with the advent of checkpoint inhibitors that the potential for clinical significance of this mechanism flourished.”...