On August 10, 2022 Bolt Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BOLT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immuno-oncology therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022 and provided a business update (Press release, Bolt Biotherapeutics, AUG 10, 2022, View Source [SID1234618043]).

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"The second quarter was one of continued progress, highlighted by steady clinical enrollment in our BDC-1001 monotherapy and combination dose-escalation studies. While we are fortunate to be operating from a position of financial strength, we have implemented a pipeline prioritization and new capital allocation initiative focused on advancing BDC-1001 and BDC-3042, two drug candidates that we believe have high potential to benefit patients," said Randall C. Schatzman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bolt Biotherapeutics. "We are winding down spending on BDC-2034, pausing other early-stage research programs, and prioritizing ISAC programs that bring forward the latest generation of our ISAC technology – including our collaboration programs. The combination of these strategic initiatives extends our expected cash runway an additional two years through 2025."

Dr. Schatzman continued, "We have a lot to look forward to with strong investigator and collaborator interest in our programs, data readouts from the BDC-1001 monotherapy and combination dose-escalation studies on the horizon as well as the advancement of BDC-3042 through IND-enabling activities."

Recent Business Highlights and Anticipated Milestones

Clinical data and recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) expected in the second half of 2022 from BDC-1001 monotherapy and combination dose-escalation study – Weekly dosing is well underway in the Phase 1/2 multi-dose, multi-center study of BDC-1001, a HER2-targeting Boltbody immune-stimulating antibody conjugate (ISAC), in monotherapy and in combination with Bristol Myers Squibb’s PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab).
To date, BDC-1001 has demonstrated a favorable safety profile, changes in intratumoral biomarkers consistent with its novel mechanism of action, and early signs of durable clinical disease control.
Completed companywide review and prioritization of portfolio and capital allocation strategy – Bolt now expects its current cash position to fund operations for an additional two years through 2025 based on the following initiatives:
Focus on development of our internal BDC-1001 and BDC-3042 programs while advancing next-generation ISAC technology and programs with partners.
Discontinue development of BDC-2034 and focus on most promising next-generation ISAC programs, including our collaborations. The decision to discontinue BDC-2034 was based on off-target toxicity related to the targeting antibody. CEA remains a viable Boltbody ISAC target with a more selective antibody
BDC-3042 advancing toward the clinic in 2023; IND-enabling studies underway – BDC-3042 is an agonist antibody that stimulates Dectin-2, a novel target found on tumor-associated macrophages across a broad range of solid tumors. Stimulating Dectin-2 leads to tumor macrophage reprogramming and anti-cancer activity in our preclinical studies. Bolt is currently conducting IND-enabling studies for BDC-3042 and is on track to initiate clinical development of BDC-3042 in 2023.
Presented poster at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting – In June, Bolt presented ex vivo data demonstrating that myeloid cells are abundant in many solid tumors, even when T cells are not present. These data support the potential for myeloid-directed therapies to activate the innate immune system as a bridge to adaptive immunity in patients, independent of T cell-mediated immune checkpoint blockade.
Presented data from three preclinical pipeline programs at the 2022 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting – In April, Bolt Biotherapeutics’ scientists presented three posters at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2022 highlighting the Company’s proprietary pipeline, including BDC-2034, BDC-3042, and a PD-L1 Boltbody ISAC.
Third U.S. patent issued covering lead HER2-targeting Boltbody ISAC BDC-1001 – The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued the U.S. Patent 11,400,164 on Aug. 2, 2022, titled "Immunoconjugates Targeting HER2." This U.S. patent strengthens the Company’s intellectual property position and contains composition of matter claims covering BDC-1001. This patent provides the Company coverage on the composition of matter of BDC-1001 until 2040, without any patent term extension.
Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $223.6 million as of June 30, 2022 – Cash on hand, including long-term marketable securities, is expected to fund multiple key milestones and operations through 2025.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Collaboration Revenue – Collaboration revenue was $1.4 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $0 for the same quarter in 2021. This represents 75% growth over the first quarter of 2022 as Bolt ramps up activities supporting its collaborations. Revenue in 2022 was generated from the services performed under the R&D collaborations with Genmab A/S and Innovent Biologics, Inc.
Research and Development (R&D) Expenses – R&D expenses were $18.9 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $19.7 million for the same quarter in 2021. The decrease was primarily due to a reduction in manufacturing expenses, offset by an increase in expenses due to continued progress in our clinical trial for BDC-1001 and the development of other product candidates, including an increase in contract and consulting services and higher personnel-related expenses relating to an increase in headcount.
General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses – G&A expenses were $5.5 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $4.1 million for the same quarter in 2021, primarily due to increased expenses related to being a public company, including higher personnel expenses relating to increased headcount.
Loss from Operations – Loss from operations was $23.1 million for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, compared to $23.8 million for the same quarter in 2021.
About the Boltbody Immune-Stimulating Antibody Conjugate (ISAC) Platform
Bolt Biotherapeutics’ Boltbody ISAC platform unites the precision of antibodies with the power of the innate and adaptive immune system to reprogram the tumor microenvironment for a productive anti-cancer response. Each Boltbody ISAC candidate comprises a tumor-targeting antibody, a non-cleavable linker, and a proprietary immune stimulant. The antibody is designed to target one or more markers on the surface of a tumor cell and the immune stimulant is designed to recruit and activate myeloid cells. Activated myeloid cells initiate a positive feedback loop by releasing cytokines and chemokines, chemical signals that attract other immune cells and lowering the activation threshold for an immune response. This increases the population of activated immune system cells in the tumor microenvironment and promotes a robust immune response, with the goal of generating durable therapeutic responses for patients with cancer.