FLX Bio., Inc. announced the selection of FLX475 as its first immuno-oncology clinical candidate for the treatment of cancer. FLX475 is a best-in-class, oral, small molecule antagonist of CCR4. By blocking CCR4, a receptor protein that plays a role in the recruitment and accumulation of regulatory T (Treg) cells in the tumor environment, FLX475 has the potential to provide a new mechanism to treat cancer. FLX Bio expects to begin clinical trials of FLX475 in late 2017.

The company also announced the appointment of Scott J. Antonia, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the department of thoracic surgery for Moffitt Cancer Center, to its scientific advisory board (SAB).Dr. Antonia serves as the chair of the thoracic oncology department at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute as well as professor of Oncologic Sciences at the University of South Florida College of Medicine. His expertise lies in treating cancer patients through immunotherapeutic strategies to thwart the immunosuppressive mechanisms used by tumors to evade T cell-mediated rejection.