On August 4, 2025 Imugene Limited (ASX: IMU), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company, reported further encouraging efficacy data from its Phase 1b clinical trial evaluating azer-cel (azercabtagene zapreleucel) in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an aggressive form of blood cancer (Press release, Imugene, AUG 4, 2025, https://mcusercontent.com/e38c43331936a9627acb6427c/files/0cd26d83-b2ce-132b-a8a5-f76d576d40ed/79_Overall_Response_Rate_With_Two_Further_Partial_Responses.pdf [SID1234654707]).
In July 2025, Imugene announced that a total of nine out of twelve patients had achieved a ORR of 75%, defined as either Complete Response, (the disappearance of signs of cancer in response to treatment) or Partial Response, (defined as cancer reduction by at least 50%). Since then, two new patients have become evaluable for responses and both patients have achieved a Partial Response increasing the best ORR to 79% with eleven out of fourteen patients showing response to treatment. The duration of maintaining response continues to mature. These patients are being treated with azer-cel and interleukin 2 (IL -2).
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Azer-cel is being developed as a potential allogeneic, off-the-shelf, CAR T-cell therapy, addressing key limitations of approved autologous CAR T drugs, including geographical access to treatment centres, manufacturing complexity and time to receive treatment (on-demand).
Imugene is actively enrolling patients to the Phase 1b azer-cel trial at ten US sites with up to six sites in Australia planned, after the first Australian patient was dosed in January 2025 at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, resulting in a Complete Response.
About the Phase 1b azer-cel trial
The azer-cel allogeneic CAR T trial is an ongoing, open-label, multi-centre Phase 1b clinical trial in the U.S. and Australia, for CAR T relapsed patients with DLBCL. The study has recently expanded to include and treat CAR T naïve patients diagnosed with a broad range of Non-Hodgkins lymphomas including primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/ small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) and follicular lymphoma (FL). Treatment with azer-cel, lymphodepletion (LD) and IL-2 is showing promising results with evidence of meaningful clinical activity, and durability of response. Additionally, the safety profile is manageable and generally well tolerated.
About diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
DLBCL is an aggressive and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a type of blood cancer. DLBCL is the most common type of NHL, with approximately 160,000¹ global cases per year and approximately 30,000 new cases per year in the U.S. Relapsed/refractory DLBCL has a high unmet medical need; ~60% of patients treated with approved autologous CD19 CAR T relapse.
About primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL)
PCNSL is a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), a type of blood cancer that originates in the brain, spinal cord, leptomeninges, or eyes, usually without evidence of systemic disease. In the U.S., there are approximately 1,500 to 1,800 new cases per year with limited approved treatment options and is a high unmet need. Currently, there are no CAR T-cell products approved for the treatment of PCNSL providing a unique opportunity for azer-cel to treat CART naïve patients.
About other types of B Cell Lymphoma
Other subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) include chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), the most common slow growing leukemia that can become resistant to therapy; marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), a slow-growing B-cell lymphoma that arises in lymphoid tissues associated with mucosal sites like the stomach and lung; Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM), a rare slow-growing lymphoma characterized by excess IgM production, which can cause multiple complications ; and follicular lymphoma (FL), a common slow-growing NHL that can become more aggressive. While several targeted therapies and monoclonal antibodies are available for these types of B Cell Lymphoma, relapsed or refractory disease remains an ongoing challenge, highlighting the ongoing need for continued innovation and new and better treatments.
About Interleukin 2 (IL-2)
IL-2 is a cytokine (a protein that affects what happens between cells in the immune system) that helps T-cells (which are part of the immune system that help fight cancer) grow and survive. IL-2 has been shown to help T cells live longer and to enhance the cancer killing functions of CAR T cells, making them more effective at targeting and killing cancer cells.