On Mar. 24, 2020, aTyr Pharma announced announced that the companyﾒs Hong Kong subsidiary, Pangu BioPharma, together with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been awarded a $750,000 grant to build a high-throughput platform for the development of bi-specific antibodies. Initially the research focus will be on diseases, including cancer, in which Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) overexpression is strongly implicated.

The two-year project is being funded by the Hong Kong Governmentﾒs Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) under the Partnership Research Program (PRP). The PRP aims to support research and development projects undertaken by companies in collaboration with local universities and public research institutions. The grant will fund approximately 50% of the total estimated project cost, with aTyr contributing the remaining 50%.

Neuropilin-2 (NRP2) is a cell surface receptor that plays a key role in lymphatic development and in regulating inflammatory responses. In many forms of cancer, high NRP2 expression is associated with worse outcomes.

NRP2 can interact with multiple ligands and co-receptors through distinct domains to influence their functional roles, making it a potential drug target with multiple distinct therapeutic applications. NRP2 interacts with type 3 semaphorins and plexins to impact inflammation and with forms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and their receptors, to impact lymphangiogenesis.

In addition, NRP2 modulates interactions between CCL21 and CCR7 potentially impacting homing of dendritic cells to lymphoid organs. aTyr is currently investigating NRP2 receptor biology, both internally and in collaboration with key academic thought leaders, as a novel target for new product candidates for a variety of diseases, including cancer and inflammation.