Company Licenses Experimental Cancer Treatment to Treat Anaphylaxis

A biopharma company based in New York City has expanded it’s licensing agreement with North Carolina State University to include the development and commercialization of a therapeutic for a rare form of cancer as well as anaphylaxis.

Hoth Therapeutics — a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new generation therapies for unmet medical needs — has licensed an investigational drug that targets tyrosine kinase KIT, a specific receptor on mast cells. Using the platform, Hoth hopes to target mast cell neoplasms, a rare and extremely aggressive form of cancer.

That same receptor target also plays a significant role in mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis, a serious, life-threatening reaction to an external antigen such as a food, insect venom, or latex. Hoth intends to pursue an anaphylaxis indication for the new drug in addition to the cancer treatment.

Said Robb Knie, CEO of Hoth Therapeutics:

We are delighted to expand this strategic alliance with NC State and our Scientific Advisory Board member, Dr. Glenn Cruse. We believe that the HT-KIT pathway is a promising novel target for combating both mast cell-derived cancers and mast cell-mediated anaphylaxis. This expanded license agreement highlights the broad potential of our diverse pipeline that is aimed at meeting critical unmet patient needs and further supports Hoth’s strategy to build a sustainable therapeutics company that is patient focused.