Zelluna ASA has submitted a clinical trial application (CTA) to the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for ZI-MA4-1 (ZIMA-101), the company’s lead candidate. ZI-MA4-1 is a novel MAGE-A4-targeting T-cell receptor-natural killer (TCR-NK) therapy.
Modex Therapeutics Inc. has developed MDX-2003, a first-in-class tetraspecific T-cell engager targeting CD19 and CD20 on B cells, while co-engaging CD3 and CD28 on T cells.
Approaches that recruit and activate tumor-infiltrating T cells could help reshape the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, making immunotherapy more effective for patients with microsatellite stability and low microsatellite instability colorectal cancers. Oncolytic viruses can offer an alternative to help stimulate the antitumor immunity in ‘cold’ tumors.
Genome Therapeutics Ltd. has disclosed compounds and their immunoconjugates comprising an antibody covalently linked to a cytotoxic drug through a linker reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.
Abpro Holdings Inc. and Celltrion Inc. have announced the submission of an IND application to the FDA for ABP-102 (CT-P72), a HER2 x CD3 T-cell engager. Pending clearance, a phase I trial in patients with HER2-positive cancers, including breast and gastric cancers, is anticipated to begin in the first half of next year.
Pilatus Biosciences Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for PLT-012, a first-in-class anti-CD36 monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of solid tumors. Pilatus plans to initiate a first-in-human phase I trial with this metabolic checkpoint antibody in the first quarter of next year.
Nectin-4 is a cell-surface protein that is highly expressed in a variety of solid tumors, including bladder, head and neck, and certain aggressive breast cancers. Its low-level expression in some normal tissues creates a challenge for therapies, which can unintentionally damage healthy cells and trigger severe side effects.
Pancreatic cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and presents a 5-year survival rate of under 12%. Most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, with over half of them presenting with metastatic disease at diagnosis.
Antibodies targeting CD269 and GPRC5D have shown unprecedented clinical efficacy in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), but many patients still develop progressive disease. It was hypothesized that dual-targeting T-cell immunotherapies might improve the efficacy by addressing the difficulty of heterogenous target expression and preventing resistance development due to antigen escape.
Scientists at East China Normal University and East China University of Science & Technology have synthesized 5’-nucleotidase (CD73) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer.