On April 12, 2021 BriaCell Therapeutics Corp. (Nasdaq: BCTX, BCTXW) (TSX-V:BCT) ("BriaCell" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in targeted immunotherapies for advanced breast cancer, reported the presentation of results from clinical studies with its lead product candidate, Bria-IMT, summarized in a poster session held at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021, a virtual meeting, held over two weeks (Week 1: April 10-15; Week 2: May 17-21) (Press release, BriaCell Therapeutics, APR 12, 2021, View Source [SID1234578327]).
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The findings indicate disease control in advanced breast cancer patients, including stable disease (SD), partial responses (PR) or complete responses (CR). Disease control was especially noted in patients with Grade I/II (i.e. well or moderately differentiated) tumors or those that matched Bria-IMT at 2 or more HLA alleles. Patients with low or undetectable levels of circulating cancer cells were more likely to benefit from therapy.
Patients were treated with the Bria-IMT regimen alone (i.e. monotherapy study) or the Bria-IMT regimen in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors, including pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA; manufactured by Merck & Co., Inc.), and, more recently, Incyte’s retifanlimab (INCMGA00012, under a corporate collaboration with Incyte Corporation). Dr. Bill Williams, BriaCell’s President & CEO, presented the results of the clinical and pathological analysis. The patient data summarized and discussed belong to previously disclosed patients (i.e., no incremental numbers enrolled).
Details and results on the poster presentation are summarized below:
Poster Title: Predictors of response to a modified whole tumor cell immunotherapy in patients with advanced breast cancer from two phase I/IIa trials
Analysis and Discussion:
• The Bria-IMT regimen with or without checkpoint inhibitors is able to induce an effective immune response and disease control in heavily pre-treated advanced breast cancer patients. The patients were all heavily pretreated and failed multiple prior regimens.
• Delayed Type Hypersensitivity (DTH) to Bria-IMT analysis identified a group with significantly higher rates of disease control and progression-free survival (8 months) in both monotherapy and combination therapy studies suggesting a robust immune response is predictive of clinical benefit in these patients.
• Highest levels of disease control and PFS was observed in patients who matched Bria-IMT at 2 or more HLA alleles in the monotherapy study but not in the combination therapy study supporting our strategy to develop Bria-OTS, an off-the-shelf personalized immunotherapy for advanced breast cancer.
• Patients with Grade I/II tumors (median of 8 prior therapy regimens) were more likely to respond with disease control (67%) and longer progression free survival. The response was more pronounced in the patients in the combination therapy study suggesting additive or synergistic effects of checkpoint inhibitors when combined with the Bria-IMT regimen. Bria-IMT, with a molecular signature most closely related to Grade I/II tumors, may result in disease control and clinical benefit especially in this subset of patients.
A copy of the poster is posted at the following: View Source