On September 10, 2021 Elicio Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and other diseases, reported that it presented preclinical data on its Amphiphile (AMP) platform in combination with TCR-T therapy in solid tumors at the 6th Annual CAR-TCR summit, that was held virtually from August 30 – September 2, 2021 (Press release, Elicio Therapeutics, SEP 10, 2021, https://elicio.com/2021/09/elicio-therapeutics-presents-preclinical-data-on-amp-tcr-t-combination-therapy-in-solid-tumors-at-the-car-tcr-annual-summit-2021/ [SID1234587518]). The data was presented in a session co-chaired by industry leaders Adrian Bot, MD, PhD, Vice President of Translational Medicine at Kite, and member of Elicio’s Scientific Advisory Board, and Christopher Heery, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Arcellx Inc., as part of the "Understanding and Managing Toxicity to Enhance Patient Outcomes" workshop.
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"The preclinical data showed that AMP-boosting transformed an ineffective TCR-T cell monotherapy regimen into a combination which induced long-term non-progression in a fraction animals. It also showed that the AMP combination therapy not only enhanced the expansion and functionality of transferred TCR-T cells but also induced a T-cell response to additional tumor antigens from the original therapy, called antigen spreading, to more broadly attack the tumor." said Peter DeMuth, Ph.D., Elicio Vice President of Research. "We are encouraged by these results because they demonstrate the AMP platform’s ability to enhance multiple axes of immune activation, both systemically as well as in the tumor microenvironment, which may help overcome known challenges to T cell therapy for solid tumors in the clinic."
Adrian Bot, MD, PhD, co-chair of that session, added, "Elicio’s AMP technology is showing promising results in terms of enhancing T cell therapy, through effectively restimulating in vivo the T cells, via deployment of professional antigen presenting cells and co-delivery of biological response modifiers."
This effort expands on the previous work reported in Science from studies conducted at MIT and exclusively licensed to Elicio combining AMP and CAR-T. As observed in the TCR-T combination setting, AMP-boosting of CAR-T cells can promote CAR-T expansion and solid tumor infiltration, contributing to durable responses and resistance to relapse due to loss of CAR-target loss in recurring tumors. Elicio is currently applying this strategy in collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center to improve CAR-T cell therapies for patients with hematological cancers. This effort is focused on evaluating the combination of CD19 CAR-T AMPlifier, referred to as ELI-011, together with CD19-targeted CAR-T therapy, in mouse models of B cell lymphoma. Positive results in these preclinical assessments may support the advancement of the program into clinical trials.
Presentation will be available on the Elicio Therapeutics website following the Summit via link.
About the Amphiphile Platform
Our proprietary Amphiphile, or AMP, platform delivers investigational immunotherapeutics directly to the "brain center" of the immune system – the lymph nodes. We believe this site-specific delivery of disease-specific antigens, adjuvants, and other immunomodulators may efficiently educate, activate, and amplify critical immune cells, potentially resulting in induction and persistence of potent adaptive immunity required to treat many diseases. In preclinical models, we have observed lymph-node specific engagement driving therapeutic immune responses of increased magnitude, function, and durability. We believe our AMP lymph node targeted approach will produce superior clinical benefits compared to immunotherapies that do not engage the lymph nodes.
Our AMP platform, originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT, has broad potential across cancers, infectious diseases and other disease indications to advance a number of development initiatives through internal activities, in-licensing arrangements or development collaborations and partnerships.
Amphiphile platform is thought to deliver immunotherapeutics to target the lymph node directly to the lymph nodes by latching on to the protein albumin, found in the bloodstream, as it travels to lymphatic tissue. In preclinical models, we have observed lymph-node specific engagement driving therapeutic immune responses of increased magnitude, function, and durability.