On November 11, 2022 CureVac N.V. (Nasdaq: CVAC), a global biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of transformative medicines based on messenger ribonucleic acid ("mRNA"), reported data from the Phase 1 expansion study of CV8102, the company’s non-coding RNA candidate in oncology (Press release, CureVac, NOV 11, 2022, View Source [SID1234623978]). Preliminary results from the completed Phase 1 expansion study in patients with PD-1 refractory melanoma confirm a robust safety profile of CV8102 as a single agent and in combination with anti-PD-1 antibodies. Preliminary efficacy was observed in a cohort of 30 patients treated in combination with anti-PD-1 antibodies, 40% of whom were pretreated with anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. As of June 15, 2022, in the anti-PD-1 combination cohort, five out of 30 patients (17%) experienced a partial response according to RECIST 1.1. Responses appeared durable for up to one year from the start of treatment. No objective responses were observed in the 10 patients of the single-agent cohort, 50% of whom were pretreated with anti-CTLA-4 antibodies. The data will be presented today at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper), held in Boston, Massachusetts.
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Extensive analysis of immune cell activation was performed to better understand CV8102’s mobilization of the immune system against injected tumors as well as non-injected tumors. The data confirm that single agent or combination treatment, after the first dose, activated systemic pathways of immune response. Preliminary analysis of the tumor microenvironment in a subgroup of patients showed the positive outcome of increased infiltration of T cells, following intra-tumoral injection in 4 out of 8 (single agent cohort) and 10 out of 18 (anti- PD1 combination cohort) analyzed paired biopsy samples.
"The data we collected in the heavily pretreated patients of our Phase 1 expansion study further confirm the safety and immuno-modulatory activity of CV8102" said Ulrike Gnad-Vogt, interim Chief Development Officer at CureVac. "As a non-coding RNA, CV8102 is designed to mimic a viral infection of the tumor and to induce an adaptive immune response against a broad panel of tumor antigens. The preliminary efficacy we see in the small group of pretreated patients further validates this technology. Given our strategic focus on developing a meaningful portfolio of mRNA-based therapeutic cancer vaccines, we will seek to assess CV8102’s potential as a complementary technology."
Final results are expected in H1 2023 and will be submitted for publication in a peer reviewed journal.
CV8102 is being tested in a fully recruited dose-escalation and expansion Phase 1 study to confirm its safety, tolerability and efficacy as a single agent and in combination with licensed anti-PD-1 antibodies. Preliminary results from the completed dose-escalation part of the study in a range of solid tumors, were previously reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) conference in September 2021.
About CV8102
CV8102 is a single-stranded non-coding RNA optimized to maximize activation of cellular receptors that normally detect viral pathogens entering the cells, such as toll-like receptors 7 and 8 (TLR7/8), and retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I), mimicking a viral infection of the tumor. CV8102 is designed to recruit and activate antigen-presenting cells at the site of injection to present tumor antigens released from tumor cells to T cells in the draining lymph node. This potentially leads to activation of tumor-specific T cells, which can kill tumor cells at the injected site, but also at distant non-injected tumor lesions or metastases. The Phase 1, open-label, dose escalation and expansion study of CV8102 aims to assess safety, tolerability and efficacy of CV8102 as a single agent and in combination with licensed PD1-antibodies. Preliminary results from the completed dose-escalation part in patients with advanced melanoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck or adenoid cystic carcinoma were reported at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) conference in September 2021. The expansion part of the study focuses on patients with PD-1 refractory melanoma treated with a recommended dose of 600µg.