On June 17, 2020 Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients back their innate ability to fight cancer, reported the successful completion of the first dose cohort in a Phase 1/2a clinical trial of AFM24 (Press release, Affimed, JUN 17, 2020, View Source [SID1234561189]). This first-in-human study evaluates AFM24 as monotherapy in patients with advanced solid EGFR expressing malignancies whose disease has progressed after treatment with previous anticancer therapies. AFM24, a tetravalent, bispecific epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)- and CD16A-binding innate cell engager, is novel due to its activation of innate immunity to kill solid tumors, inducing both antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). Other therapies rely heavily on signal or checkpoint inhibition.
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The company reports that no dose limiting toxicity was observed and the study is cleared to proceed the next dose level (cohort 2). No efficacy yet was observed, however, efficacy was not expected at this dose level.
"As we progress to the 2nd dose cohort, we take another step closer to giving patients a new treatment option with a distinctive mechanism that mobilizes the innate immune system to attack cancer cells" said Dr. Andreas Harstrick, Chief Medical Officer of Affimed. "The innate immune system is inherently powerful, yet it has been largely untapped as a therapeutic approach to fight cancer. With the clinical progress we are making we are hopeful that AFM24 will become an important option to provide long-lasting, multilayered tumor control."
AFM24 has demonstrated preclinically the ability to bridge NK cells and macrophages to EGFR-expressing tumor cell lines, and to induce lysis through ADCC and ADCP, respectively, independent of RAS or BRAF mutational status.
The study is an open-label, non-randomized, multi-center, multiple ascending dose escalation/expansion study to evaluate AFM24 as monotherapy in adult patients with advanced solid malignancies known to be EGFR-positive. The aim of the dose escalation phase is the determination of the maximum tolerated dose and the establishment of a recommended Phase 2a dose. The dose expansion phase is intended to collect preliminary evidence of efficacy and to further confirm the safety of AFM24. For more information including eligibility criteria, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov, using Identifier NCT04259450.
About AFM24
AFM24 is a tetravalent, bispecific EGFR- and CD16A-binding innate cell engager generated from Affimed’s fit-for-purpose ROCK platform. AFM24 uses the cytotoxic potential of the innate immune system by redirecting and activating NK cells and macrophages to kill EGFR-positive cancer cells through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP), respectively. Due to its unique mechanism of action, AFM24 is potentially not limited to patient subtypes based on mutational status. Toxicology studies in cynomolgus monkeys with AFM24 showed a favorable safety profile, even when the animals were treated at high dose levels, demonstrating AFM24’s potential to have lower toxicities in humans compared to other EGFR-targeted therapies.