On June 20, 2024 Kiromic BioPharma, Inc. (OTCQB: KRBP) ("Kiromic" or the "Company") reported follow-up results from the second, third and fourth patients enrolled in its Deltacel-01 Phase 1 clinical trial (Press release, Kiromic, JUN 20, 2024, View Source [SID1234644452]). This trial is evaluating Deltacel (KB-GDT-01), the Company’s allogeneic, off-the-shelf, Gamma Delta T-cell (GDT) therapy, in patients with stage 4 metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have failed to respond to standard therapies.

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The third and fourth patients showed stable disease at their four- and two-month follow-up visits, respectively. Both patients are doing well, and neither showed any dose-limiting toxicities. Patients three and four are being treated at the Beverly Hills Cancer Center (BHCC).

The second patient, also being treated at the BHCC, previously had stable disease and showed a complete response in their brain metastasis. At the four-month follow-up visit, while stable disease of previously treated sites and a clean brain MRI were confirmed, a new site of disease, a sub-cutaneous metastasis, was detected by CT and PET scans. This patient is in generally good condition and tolerated their initial treatment well. As such, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a single-use, single-patient protocol, and on June 19, the patient started a new course of treatment with low-dose radiation and gamma-delta T cells under a single patient IND.

"We are optimistic the latest targeted treatment with Deltacel will control the second patient’s new lesion, which is suspected to have originated from a micro-metastasis not detected and therefore not targeted with radiation during the first course of treatment. This new protocol might be applied to all patients who received or will receive the Deltacel treatment and could be instrumental in controlling any new tumor lesions or progressing lesions," said Pietro Bersani, CEO of Kiromic BioPharma.

Kiromic BioPharma also reports submitting a request for Fast Track designation for Deltacel to the FDA. Fast Track designation facilitates and expedites the development and review of drugs that treat serious conditions and address unmet medical needs. For further information on Fast Track designation, please visit the FDA’s website.

"We continue to be encouraged by the favorable results of the Deltacel-01 trial, which reinforce our confidence in the potential of Deltacel to provide meaningful clinical benefits to patients in need. This confidence underscores the recent open-market purchases of common stock by several Kiromic directors and executive officers, as reported on Form 4 filings," noted Mr. Bersani.

"Proceeding with a single-use, single-patient protocol of Deltacel supports our commitment to advancing innovative therapies that address unmet clinical needs in unique ways, which include the possibility for retreatment," he added. "We are also excited about the potential of expediting Deltacel clinical development through Fast Track designation."

The fifth patient in the trial completed their 30-day safety visit at the BHCC with no toxicities reported, and the sixth patient is expected to be enrolled in July.

About Deltacel-01

In Kiromic’s open-label Phase 1 clinical trial, titled "Phase 1 Trial Evaluating the Safety and Tolerability of Gamma Delta T Cell Infusions in Combination With Low Dose Radiotherapy in Subjects With Stage 4 Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer" (NCT06069570), patients with stage 4 NSCLC will receive two intravenous infusions of Deltacel with four courses of low-dose, localized radiation over a 10-day period. The primary objective of the Deltacel-01 trial is to evaluate safety, while secondary measurements include objective response, progression-free survival, overall survival, time to progression, time to treatment response and disease control rates.

About Deltacel

Deltacel (KB-GDT-01) is an investigational gamma delta T-cell (GDT) therapy currently in the Deltacel-01 Phase 1 trial for the treatment of stage 4 metastatic NSCLC. An allogeneic product consisting of unmodified, donor-derived gamma delta T cells, Deltacel is the leading candidate in Kiromic’s GDT platform. Deltacel is designed to exploit the natural potency of GDT cells to target solid cancers, with an initial clinical focus on NSCLC, which represents about 80% to 85% of all lung cancer cases. Data from two preclinical studies demonstrated Deltacel’s favorable safety and efficacy profile when it was combined with low-dose radiation.

On June 20, 2024 Mendus AB ("Mendus" publ; IMMU.ST), a biopharmaceutical company focused on immunotherapies targeting tumor recurrence, reported that updated clinical data from the ALISON clinical trial with its lead product vididencel in ovarian cancer will be presented at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Gynaecological Cancers Annual Congress, being held from June 20-22, 2024 in Florence, Italy (Press release, mendus, JUN 20, 2024, View Source [SID1234644451]). The trial reached its primary objective of inducing tumor-directed immune responses in at least 10 patients treated with vididencel.

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Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynaecological cancer, mainly due to its high recurrence rate. Improving disease free and overall survival in advanced high grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC) after primary treatment remains challenging. The Phase 1 ALISON trial explores the potential of vididencel to induce clinically relevant immune responses in ovarian cancer. The trial is fully enrolled (17 participants) and all participants have completed the vididencel treatment phase per April 2024. Vididencel-induced immune responses against tumor antigens that are regularly upregulated in HGSC were observed in 10 out of 15 patients evaluated so far, with 3 patients not reaching a vaccine induced response (VIR) due to high baseline responses. Vididencel treatment only gave mild adverse reactions, predominantly at the site of injection. The observed immune responses following vididencel treatment may provide the basis for an effective anti-tumor response. At week 22, 10 patients had stable disease and 7 patients had imaging-confirmed recurrence. To further evaluate clinical benefit, long-term follow-up of patients is ongoing.

Mendus anticipates to report the primary read-out of the ALISON trial based on immune response evaluation of all treated patients in 2024Q4.

Please see below for abstract details:

Abstract Number: 50P (poster presentation)

Abstract Title: Vididencel, a cell-based cancer vaccine, induces tumor-directed immune responses in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma patients

Authors: A. Vledder, H. van Zeeburg, K. Brummel, A.L. Eerkens, N. van Rooij, A. Plat, J. Rovers, M. de Bruyn, H. Nijman

Session Date & Time: Thursday, 20 June 2024 between 12:30 – 13:30 CEST

After presentation, the poster will be made available on the Mendus website.

On June 20, 2024 ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX) reported the initial treatment of multiple patients in the United States to receive therapy with ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln), ImmunityBio’s recently approved immunotherapy for Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) carcinoma in situ (Press release, ImmunityBio, JUN 20, 2024, https://immunitybio.com/immunitybio-announces-insurance-coverage-of-anktiva-across-multiple-states-with-first-commercial-doses-administered-just-weeks-after-fda-approval-opening-new-era-for-immunotherapy-beyond/ [SID1234644450]). ANKTIVA was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on April 22, 2024 for the treatment of patients with BCG-unresponsive NMIBC CIS with or without papillary tumors.

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The intravesical therapy employs a combination of ANKTIVA, an IL-15 agonist in combination with BCG. The combination is the first FDA-approved immunotherapy in NMIBC that functions by activating the body’s NK and killer T-cell immune system to attack tumor cells, while simultaneously activating memory T cells, leading to a prolonged duration of complete response exceeding 47 months for some patients.

"We are grateful to be able to offer this first-in-class immunotherapy to qualified bladder cancer patients less than two months after the therapeutic was approved by the FDA," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., Executive Chairman and Global Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at ImmunityBio. "The interest in this next era of immunotherapy beyond checkpoint inhibitors—the era of cytokines—from urologists treating NMIBC patients has been strong and we look forward to offering more patients an alternative to bladder removal."

The first patients to receive commercial doses are located throughout the U.S. and several are being treated by community urologists, as the therapy does not require any special handling or equipment that would limit its use to specialty medical centers.

"In addition to its unique mechanism of action, ANKTIVA can be readily administered by urologists in their own offices and clinics enabling more patients to receive it in familiar settings from their own providers," said Richard Adcock, President and CEO of ImmunityBio. "We look forward to ANKTIVA reaching more and more eligible NMIBC patients and for our science to deliver even more therapies from our pipeline."

ANKTIVA received Breakthrough Therapy Designation and approval from the FDA based on the safety and efficacy outcome of complete responses (CR) and duration of complete response (DOR) in BCG-unresponsive NMIBC CIS. The 77 evaluable patients in this single-arm, multicenter trial received ANKTIVA with BCG maintenance therapy for up to 37 months. The tumor status was assessed with cystoscopy and urine cytology and will continue for up to five years after each patient began their participation in the trial.

The CR rate for the 77 evaluable patients was 62% with the upper end of the confidence interval being 73%. The duration of complete response as of the November 2023 cut-off was more than 47 months and is ongoing to date. These prolonged duration of complete response results beyond 24 months with ANKTIVA and BCG exceed the benchmark for the magnitude of meaningful clinical results suggested by a panel of experts at the International Bladder Cancer Group.

In May, ImmunityBio announced it had drug substance sufficient for 170,000 doses of ANKTIVA for commercial and clinical trial use.

ImmunityBio CARE

The ImmunityBio CARE program is designed to help patients access ImmunityBio’s innovative treatment for NMIBC CIS. The program offers services and resources for benefits investigation, prior authorization support and tracking, coding and billing assistance, claim denial guidance and payer specific appeal assistance. More information for patients and healthcare professionals is available on Anktiva.com.

How ANKTIVA Works
The cytokine interleukin-15 (IL-15) plays a crucial role in the immune system by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells—NK and CD8+ killer T cells—that are involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity with resultant prolonged duration of complete response.

ANKTIVA is a first-in-class IL-15 agonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha, which binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on NK, CD4+, and CD8+ T cells. This fusion complex of ANKTIVA mimics the natural biological properties of the membrane-bound IL-15 receptor alpha, delivering IL-15 by dendritic cells and drives the activation and proliferation of NK cells with the generation of memory killer T cells that have retained immune memory against these tumor clones. The proliferation of the trifecta of these immune killing cells and the activation of trained immune memory results in immunogenic cell death, inducing a state of equilibrium with durable complete responses. ANKTIVA has improved pharmacokinetic properties, longer persistence in lymphoid tissues, and enhanced anti-tumor activity compared to native, non-complexed IL-15 in-vivo.

Selected Safety Information for ANKTIVA

The most common (≥15%) adverse reactions, including laboratory test abnormalities, are increased creatinine, dysuria, hematuria, urinary frequency, micturition urgency, urinary tract infection, increased potassium, musculoskeletal pain, chills, and pyrexia.

On June 20, 2024 Astellas Pharma US, Inc. ("Astellas") reported the company has entered into a sponsored research agreement with the UMass Chan Medical School to proceed with research for an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector mediated gene therapy for the treatment of Alexander disease, a fatal, ultra-rare disease for which the only current treatment option is supportive care (Press release, Astellas, JUN 20, 2024, View Source [SID1234644449]). This collaboration is part of a focused initiative to deliver value to patients with rare disease through innovative R&D models including investigator-led research.

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Under the terms of the agreement, UMass Chan will lead research activities to accelerate the program toward clinical study while Astellas will support UMass Chan activities by providing drug discovery research expertise. The current agreement lasts for one year with an opportunity for Astellas to extend to two years.

Alexander disease is an ultra-rare and progressive central nervous system (CNS) disorder caused by mutations in the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene that usually has a fatal outcome. Most affected patients do not live beyond their first few years. Alexander disease affects astrocytes, a type of cell that makes up the majority of cells in the CNS and leads to the destruction of white matter in the brain, causing progressively worsening severe intellectual and physical disabilities; and eventually affected individuals will lose life-sustaining abilities.1

Yoshitsugu Shitaka, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Astellas

"We are pleased to partner with UMass Chan, a leading medical academic center in Massachusetts, and help foster innovation in this important ecosystem. At Astellas, we strive to find innovative ways to treat patients with the highest unmet medical needs, who have traditionally been left behind, including rare and ultra-rare diseases.

Gene therapy is a complex breakthrough area where traditional approaches might not be sufficient or optimal, and ultra-rare diseases like Alexander disease cannot be appropriately addressed with the usual pharma models. Only by working alongside all the key players such as patients, physicians, academic centers, can we advance pioneering work to challenge the status quo, by turning innovative science into meaningful treatments for those patients who are waiting."

The sponsored research agreement supports investigations being done by Jun Xie, PhD, associate professor of microbiology & physiological systems, and Guangping Gao, PhD, the Penelope Booth Rockwell Professor in Biomedical Research, professor of microbiology & physiological systems, director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center and co-director of the Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research at UMass Chan, who have developed an adeno-associated virus vector that can express a small RNA silencer that suppresses the mutant proteins that cause AxD in mice.

Guangping Gao, PhD, the Penelope Booth Rockwell Professor in Biomedical Research, professor of microbiology & physiological systems, director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center and co-director of the Li Weibo Institute for Rare Diseases Research, UMass Chan

"We are enthused to be working with Astellas. Their drug discovery research expertise is a critical component in translating this work from bench to bedside, and bringing gene therapy to patients in the clinic who are struggling with this deadly disease."

Jun Xie, Ph.D., associate professor of microbiology & physiological system, UMass Chan

"Silencing GFAP, the mutant protein that causes AxD, with our artificial miRNA could be a promising therapeutic approach to treatment. Collaborating with Astellas will bring us one step closer to our goal of helping patients with this disease."

On June 20, 2024 Allogene Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: ALLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering the development of allogeneic CAR T (AlloCAR T) products, and Foresight Diagnostics (Foresight), a leader in ultra-sensitive liquid biopsy-based minimal residual disease (MRD) detection, reported the initiation of the pivotal Phase 2 ALPHA3 trial evaluating the use of cemacabtagene ansegedleucel (cema-cel) as part of the first line (1L) treatment regimen for newly diagnosed LBCL patients who are likely to relapse after standard 1L treatment and need further therapy (Press release, Allogene, JUN 20, 2024, View Source [SID1234644448]).

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"The transformative impact that the ALPHA3 trial could have on the treatment of first line LBCL is hard to overstate," said David Chang, M.D., Ph.D., President, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Allogene. "Our investigational allogeneic CAR T product is designed to eliminate the complex logistics that have hindered autologous CAR T adoption to date and open the door for access by doctors in the community setting. ALPHA3 will proactively offer this potentially curative modality only to those patients who are likely to relapse."

The ALPHA3 trial will screen patients who are likely to relapse after 1L treatment for enrollment in the trial by using the Foresight CLARITY Investigational Use Only (IUO) MRD test, powered by PhasED-Seq, which recently received Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Leveraging CLARITY’s ultra-sensitive MRD technology, cema-cel will be administered as a one-time infusion immediately upon detection of MRD at the completion of six cycles of R-CHOP or other standard 1L chemoimmunotherapy regimen. When given as a "7th cycle" of frontline treatment to eligible patients with MRD, consolidation treatment with cema-cel has the potential to meaningfully improve 1L cure rates in LBCL.

"Following the FDA Advisory Committee’s recent recommendation to include MRD as an endpoint to accelerate clinical trials in multiple myeloma, the ALPHA3 trial is yet another step forward towards broader implementation of MRD detection in drug development and clinical decision making," said Dr. Sandra Close, Chief Operating and Compliance Officer at Foresight Diagnostics. "We believe the Foresight CLARITY MRD platform has the performance to enable actionable treatment decisions at end of therapy when residual disease levels are challenging to detect using conventional methods."

The ALPHA3 trial will be conducted in a wide array of cancer treatment centers, including community cancer centers where most earlier line patients seek care. This randomized study will enroll approximately 240 patients and is designed to demonstrate a meaningful improvement in event free survival (EFS) in patients treated with cema-cel relative to patients who receive the current standard of care (observation). Efficacy analyses are expected to occur in 2026 and will include an interim EFS analysis monitored by the independent Data Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) in 1H 2026 and the data readout of the primary EFS analysis in 2H 2026 with a potential biologics license application (BLA) submission targeted for 2027.

About Foresight Diagnostics
Foresight Diagnostics is a privately-held cancer diagnostics company and CLIA-registered laboratory. Its liquid biopsy platform, Foresight CLARITY, is a novel assay that measures minimal residual disease (MRD) with reported detection limits in parts per million1. The improved sensitivity of Foresight CLARITY has the potential to provide actionable information to physicians and biopharmaceutical companies to enable more personalized treatment approaches for patients with solid tumor and hematologic malignancies. For more information, please visit foresight-dx.com and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Foresight CLARITY IUO is an investigational device. Limited by United States Law to investigational use.

About Cemacabtagene Ansegedleucel (cema-cel)
Cemacabtagene ansegedleucel, or cema-cel is a next generation anti-CD19 AlloCAR T investigational product for the treatment of large B cell lymphoma (LBCL). In June 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to cema-cel in third line (3L) r/r LBCL. The ALPHA3 pivotal Phase 2 trial in first line (1L) consolidation for the treatment of LBCL launched in June 2024. Allogene has oncology rights to cema-cel in the US, EU and UK with options for rights in China and Japan.

About the ALPHA3 Trial
Over 60,000 patients are expected to be treated for LBCL annually in the US, the EU and the UK. While first line (1L) R-CHOP or other chemoimmunotherapy is effective for most patients, approximately 30% will relapse and require subsequent treatment. The current standard of care (SOC) after 1L treatment has been simply to "watch and wait" to see if the disease relapses. The pivotal Phase 2 ALPHA3 study takes advantage of cema-cel as a one-time, off-the-shelf treatment that can be administered immediately upon discovery of MRD following six cycles of R-CHOP or other chemoimmunotherapy, positioning it to become the standard "7th cycle" of frontline treatment available to all eligible patients with MRD.