BioAtla Inc. is pioneering the development of Conditionally Active Biologics (CABs), a novel therapeutic platform designed to enhance the safety and efficacy of cancer treatments. CAB technology leverages the unique microenvironments associated with various diseases, particularly cancer, to create antibodies that can be activated or inactivated based on specific physiological conditions. This mechanism utilizes naturally occurring chemicals, such as bicarbonate and hydrogen sulfide, which interact with the protein surface of the antibodies. In the acidic environment typical of tumors, these chemicals are neutralized, allowing the CABs to bind to and target tumor cells while remaining inactive in normal tissues, thereby reducing off-target toxicity.

The company’s robust pipeline includes a variety of CAB-based therapeutics, such as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and bispecific antibodies, which are engineered to selectively target tumor-specific antigens while minimizing harm to healthy cells. BioAtla's CAB-ADCs, for instance, are designed to preferentially bind to cancer cells, enhancing the therapeutic index compared to conventional ADCs. Additionally, the CAB platform is being applied to immune checkpoint inhibitors, enabling targeted activation of immune responses against tumors while mitigating systemic toxicity. This innovative approach not only expands the range of potential drug targets but also allows for higher dosing and improved combination therapies, addressing significant challenges in current cancer treatment paradigms.

United States

BioAtla is a leading San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company developing safer and more effective drugs for cancer. Its Conditionally Active Biologics™ (CAB) are designed to target and treat cancer with greater precision and fewer side effects.

Cancer

Liver Diseases

Lung Diseases

Urogenital Diseases

Bioatla Inc

Melanoma

BA3071, is a CAB anti-CTLA-4 antibody that is being developed as an immuno-oncology agent with the goal of delivering efficacy comparable to the approved anti-CTLA-4 antibody, &nbsp;ipilimumab, but with lower toxicities due to the CAB's tumor microenvironment-restricted activation. Like BA3011, BA3021 and our other CAB candidates, BA3071 is designed to be conditionally and reversibly activated in the tumor microenvironment via the Protein-associated Chemical SwitchTM or PaCSTM mechanism discovered by BioAtla scientists.&nbsp;

Evalstotug (BA3071) + Pembrolizumab

Bone sarcoma

Non-small cell lung carcinoma

Soft tissue sarcoma

Solid tumor/s

AXL is a receptor tyrosine kinase and oncogene involved in the stimulation of cell proliferation and associated with a variety of cancers including pancreatic, colon cancer, melanoma, CML and others. Like many cancer targets AXL is over-expressed in cancer but can also be found in some normal tissues, which would cause toxicity if treated with conventional Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADC’s). BioAtla’s CAB anti-AXL ADC however specifically targets the tumor microenvironment, reducing toxicity in normal tissue.

mecbotamab vedotin (BA3011) (anti-AXL ADC)

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

ROR2 is a receptor tyrosine kinase involved in Wnt signal transduction and thus in embryonic development and cancer. It is associated with cancers including osteosarcoma, melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), colorectal cancer, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and NSCLC. In many cancer types expression of ROR2 correlates with advanced stage of disease or poor prognosis.

Ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021) (CAB-ROR2-ADC)

Ozuriftamab vedotin (BA3021) (ROR2-ADC) 

Evalstotug (BA3071) (CAB anti-CTLA-4 antibody) w/ nivolumab

Carcinoma

BioAtla is developing BA3182 as a potential anticancer therapy for patients with advanced adenocarcinoma. BA3182 is a conditionally active biologic (CAB) EpCAM/CD3 bispecific T cell engager antibody that contains two binding sites for EpCAM and two binding sites for CD3ε. The binding sites for EpCAM and CD3ε have been designed to bind their respective targets specifically and reversibly under the conditions found in the TME and to have reduced binding outside of the TME. The CAB selective binding to both the CAB EpCAM and CAB CD3ε arms are required to activate the T cell engagement against the tumor, thus enabling the combined selectivity of each CAB binding arm in the bispecific antibody. BioAtla recently received FDA IND clearance to conduct a first-in-human, Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of BA3182 in advanced adenocarcinoma patients.
 
EpCAM is involved in the maintenance of epithelial integrity, and its expression is associated with proliferation during morphogenesis, tissue regeneration and stem cell maintenance. Expression levels of EpCAM vary amongst different organs and cell types, with epithelia of colon, small intestine, lung, pancreas, liver and gall bladder expressing the highest levels of EpCAM protein. Given the functions and properties of EpCAM protein, high levels of EpCAM expression have been found in many carcinomas. EpCAM is highly and frequently expressed in the vast majority of carcinomas and their metastasis and has been considered as a potential prognostic and therapeutic marker for many carcinomas.

Bioatla Inc

Company Details