myTomorrows, a global health technology company, and Merus N.V. (Nasdaq: MRUS), a clinical-stage oncology company developing innovative, full-length multispecific antibodies (Biclonics® and Triclonics™), today announced the expansion of their ongoing collaboration to raise awareness of screening opportunities for and recruitment of patients with neuregulin 1 (NRG1) fusion cancers.
Under a 2019 agreement, myTomorrows has been successfully providing support to eligible patients with NRG1 gene fusion cancers to participate in Merus’ Early Access Program and to receive zenocutuzumab (Zeno, MCLA-128). Expanding the relationship, myTomorrows has agreed to raise awareness of the molecular screening offered by Merus focusing on pancreatic cancer, to identify the presence of NRG1 fusions and to increase awareness of and potential enrollment in Merus’ eNRGy clinical trial. Patients recruited into the eNRGy clinical trial have cancers that harbor the NRG1 gene fusion, a rare and powerful driver of cancer cell growth found in lung, pancreatic and other solid tumor types.
“Our medical team engages daily with physicians and patients looking for treatment options for patients with high unmet medical need. This positions us well to bolster Merus’ screening and trial enrollment efforts,” said Michel van Harten, COO of myTomorrows. “Being able to apply our experience to help with diagnosis as well as raising awareness of Merus’ offer of free molecular profiling to eligible patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, is a natural extension of our mission to give patients more treatment options.”
myTomorrows plans to leverage its expertise and ability to engage with patients, physicians and advocacy groups to raise awareness of molecular analysis for patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. To further support clinical trial options for patients with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas harboring NRG1 fusion, for those eligible, Merus is offering to cover the cost of performing a full molecular analysis of the patient’s tumor, including DNA and RNA sequencing, by an independent molecular profiling company.
“At present there are limited treatment options for patients with pancreatic cancer, and many cancers are not screened routinely for gene mutations,” said Dr. Andrew Joe, Chief Medical Officer of Merus. “myTomorrows has been a welcome addition to our global efforts to raise awareness of molecular screening for patients with pancreatic cancer and to potentially identify and recruit patients harboring NRG1 fusions for our eNRGy trial. We look forward to continuing our work with the myTomorrows team in this broader capacity.”
Merus is currently enrolling patients on the Phase 1/2 eNRGy trial to assess the safety and anti-tumor activity of Zeno monotherapy in NRG1+ cancers. The eNRGy trial consists of three cohorts: NRG1+ pancreatic cancer; NRG1+ non-small cell lung cancer; and NRG1+ other solid tumors. Further details, including current trial sites, can be found at www.ClinicalTrials.gov and Merus’ trial website at www.nrg1.com or by calling 1-833-NRG-1234.
