On May 11, 2023 Bolt Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: BOLT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, reported its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 and provided a business update (Press release, Bolt Biotherapeutics, MAY 11, 2023, View Source [SID1234631490]).

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"We are pleased to be advancing our lead Boltbody ISAC, BDC-1001, into a broader Phase 2 program in four different HER2-positive solid tumor types, following the recent positive topline results from our Phase 1 dose-escalation trial. We are looking forward to presenting a comprehensive dataset at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) from this first-in-human study, in which BDC-1001 achieved target drug exposure levels, was well tolerated from a safety perspective and demonstrated objective clinical responses and long-term durability both as a single agent and in combination with nivolumab," said Randall Schatzman, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Bolt Biotherapeutics. "As we prepare for Phase 2 studies in the U.S. and internationally, we look forward to investigating the benefits of BDC-1001 and our novel ISAC mechanism to aid HER2-positive cancer patients who are not benefitting from current therapeutic options. Additionally, the Bolt team is excited to be advancing our next program, BDC-3042, a proprietary Dectin-2 agonist antibody, into the clinic later this year."

Recent Highlights and Anticipated Milestones

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Topline BDC-1001 Phase 1 dose-escalation clinical data unveiled from a multi-center, multi-dose clinical trial in more than 100 patients. The data demonstrated BDC-1001 was well-tolerated at all dose levels and schedules. BDC-1001 achieved objective clinical responses as a monotherapy and in combination with the PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab across a diverse range of solid tumor types. Target drug exposure levels were achieved at or near the recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) by more frequent administration including every other week (q2w) and weekly (q1w) administration schedules.
Comprehensive first-in-human safety and efficacy data will be presented by Bob Li, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, medical oncologist, and principal investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) in a poster presentation at the upcoming 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (ASCO 2023) on Saturday, June 3 in Chicago, Illinois.

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Phase 2 BDC-1001 studies in four HER2+ solid tumor types are planned to initiate in 2023 with trials conducted at clinical sites in the U.S., Europe, and South Korea. Phase 2 dose expansions will investigate BDC-1001 as a monotherapy in three separate cohorts of patients with colorectal, endometrial, and gastroesophageal cancer. A separate combination arm with nivolumab is expected to initiate following demonstration of monotherapy anti-tumor activity in each of the three tumor types. An additional study, a randomized two-arm Phase 2 clinical trial, will investigate BDC-1001 as monotherapy and in combination with pertuzumab in patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer whose disease has progressed following treatment with Enhertu.
Under a new supply agreement with Roche announced in the first quarter of 2023, Roche will provide pertuzumab for the Phase 2 breast cancer study. Under a previously announced agreement, BMS will provide nivolumab for the Phase 2 expansion studies.

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New BDC-3042 data presented at the 2023 American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in April 2023 in Orlando, Florida. BDC-3042 is an agonist antibody targeting Dectin-2, an immune-activating receptor expressed by tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in solid tumors. These preclinical data highlight recent findings on key characteristics of BDC-3042 in reprogramming Dectin-2-expressing TAMs, leading to the production of an array of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines associated with anti-tumor immunity, and tumor growth inhibition in humanized mouse models of cancer, alone and in combination with a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor.
BDC-3042 to enter the clinic in 2023 following completion of Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling activities, and clearance of a U.S. IND to initiate first-in-human studies later in 2023.

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Boltbody ISAC collaborations with Genmab and Innovent to develop next-generation Boltbody ISACs continue to make progress. These collaborations are exploring proprietary linker-payloads from the Boltbody ISAC platform in combination with Genmab’s proprietary bispecific antibodies and with Innovent’s proprietary antibodies, respectively.
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Cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities were $171.0 million as of March 31, 2023. Cash on hand, coupled with collaboration revenues, is expected to fund clinical milestones and operations through 2025.

Upcoming Events

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BDC-1001 poster presentation at the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill.
Title: A phase 1/2 study of a first-in-human immune-stimulating antibody conjugate (ISAC) BDC-1001 in patients with advanced HER2-expressing solid tumors

Abstract ID: 2538

Abstract Category: Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy

Presenter: Dr. Bob Li, medical oncologist, and principal investigator at MSK

Poster Session: Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy

Details: Saturday, June 3, 2023, 8:00 – 11:00 a.m. CDT

Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois

First Quarter 2023 Financial Results

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Collaboration Revenue – Collaboration revenue was $1.8 million and $0.8 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively. The increase in revenue for the comparative periods was due to increased activity in our collaborations with Genmab and Innovent as we fulfill our performance obligations.

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Research and Development (R&D) Expenses – R&D expenses were $14.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $18.4 million for the same quarter in 2022. The decrease in R&D expenses was due to lower manufacturing expenses related to the timing of batch production of our product candidates and lower contract service expenses as well as our pipeline reprioritization in June of 2022, offset by higher clinical expenses related to the ongoing BDC-1001 clinical trial.

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General and Administrative (G&A) Expenses – G&A expenses were $5.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $6.3 million for the same quarter in 2022. The decrease in G&A expenses was due to lower consulting and professional services expenses.

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Loss from Operations – Loss from operations was $18.4 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $23.9 million for the same quarter in 2022.

About the Boltbody Immune-Stimulating Antibody Conjugate (ISAC) Platform
Bolt Biotherapeutics’ Boltbody ISAC platform harnesses the precision of antibodies with the power of the innate and adaptive immune system to reprogram the tumor microenvironment to generate 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 that attract other immune cells and lower the activation threshold for an immune response. This process increases the number of activated immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and promotes a robust immune response, with the goal of generating durable therapeutic responses for patients with cancer.