On October 27, 2020 Oncolytics Biotech Inc. (NASDAQ: ONCY) (TSX: ONC) reported a new multi-indication gastrointestinal (GI) cancer study to be managed by AIO, a leading academic cooperative medical oncology group based in Germany. The phase 1/2 trial, known as GOBLET, will investigate the use of pelareorep, in combination with Roche’s anti-PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab (Tecentriq), in patients with metastatic pancreatic, metastatic colorectal and advanced anal cancers (Press release, Oncolytics Biotech, OCT 27, 2020, View Source [SID1234569138]).

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"We are very excited for the opportunity to treat patients with pelareorep, which has the potential to address significant unmet needs across multiple challenging indications with poor prognoses in the GI cancer space," said Dirk Arnold M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Asklepios Tumorzentrum Hamburg, and principal investigator of the newly announced trial. "Despite the great commercial success of checkpoint inhibitors, as many as four in five patients do not respond to these therapies in most GI malignancies, often due to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). We believe that pelareorep treatment may substantially increase the proportion of patients who are eligible for, and respond to, checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Prior clinical data in breast, hematological, and also some early data in gastrointestinal cancers have shown that systemic pelareorep administration reverses immunosuppressive TMEs by increasing tumor immune cell infiltration and PD-L1 expression."

Thomas Heineman, M.D., Ph.D., Global Head of Clinical Development and Operations at Oncolytics, added, "In this trial, we aim to demonstrate that the great potential shown by pelareorep in our lead breast cancer program can be extended to other advanced malignancies for which new treatments are needed. Pelareorep’s potential in GI cancers is supported by the encouraging early clinical data we previously reported in pancreatic and colorectal cancer, which showed that pelareorep-based combination treatments stimulated an adaptive immune response and led to a greater than 90% clinical benefit rate in KRAS-mutated colorectal cancer patients (link to PR, link to study), and a greater than 80% increase in progression-free survival in pancreatic cancer patients with low levels of CEACAM6 expression (link to PR, link to poster). We hope the GOBLET study, in addition to providing positive safety and efficacy data, will also support our previously identified predictive blood-based biomarkers CEACAM6 and T cell clonality. This will allow us to select the most appropriate patients for future registration studies, thereby increasing their likelihood of success."

The GOBLET study will make use of a new master clinical supply agreement between Oncolytics and Roche. Per the agreement, Roche will supply atezolizumab for use in Oncolytics’ clinical development plan.

Andrew de Guttadauro, President of Oncolytics Biotech U.S. and Global Head of Business Development, said, "The GOBLET study represents an exciting opportunity to further expand the commercial opportunity of pelareorep beyond our primary focus of breast cancer. We are especially grateful for Roche’s support of this study, which we view as an encouraging sign for pelareorep, the study design, and our strategy to develop pelareorep-based therapies in collaboration with industry leaders. We are hopeful that the continued execution of this strategy could result in the rapid development and approval of pelareorep-based therapies for use in metastatic breast cancer and other indications."

About GOBLET

The GOBLET (Gastrointestinal tumOrs exploring the treatment comBinations with the oncolytic reovirus peLarEorep and anTi-PD-L1) study is a phase 1/2 multiple indication biomarker, safety, and efficacy study in advanced or metastatic GI tumors. The study will be conducted at 25 centers in Germany. The primary endpoint of the study is safety, with overall response rate and blood-based biomarkers (T cell clonality and CEACAM6) as exploratory endpoints. Approximately 55 patients are planned for enrollment across four separate cohorts:

1) Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab, gemcitabine, and nab-paclitaxel in 1st line metastatic Pancreatic cancer patients (n=12);

2) Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab in 2nd and 3rd line metastatic colorectal cancer patients that are diagnosed as MSI high (microsatellite instability) (n=19);

3) Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab and TAS-102 in 3rd line metastatic colorectal cancer patients (n=14); and

4) Pelareorep in combination with atezolizumab in 2nd line advanced and unresectable anal cancer patients (n=10).

About Tecentriq

Tecentriq (atezolizumab) is a registered trademark of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group.

About Pelareorep

Pelareorep is a non-pathogenic, proprietary isolate of the unmodified reovirus: a first-in-class intravenously delivered immuno-oncolytic virus for the treatment of solid tumors and hematological malignancies. The compound induces selective tumor lysis and promotes an inflamed tumor phenotype through innate and adaptive immune responses to treat a variety of cancers and has been demonstrated to be able to escape neutralizing antibodies found in patients.