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Latest Results from the I-SPY 2 Trial at the EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium Demonstrate Ability of MammaPrint® and BluePrint® to Predict Treatment Response in Breast Cancer Patients

On November 14, 2018 Agendia, Inc., a world leader in precision oncology, reported new data from the I-SPY 2 study, presented at the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC), the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Symposium (Press release, Agendia, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531318]). The two presentations demonstrate both the prognostic, and the predictive role of the MammaPrint 70-Gene Breast Cancer Risk of Recurrence and BluePrint 80-Gene Molecular Subtyping tests in determining which patients are likely to respond to therapies. Dr. Laura van’t Veer, chief research officer and co-founder at Agendia, and Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University California San Francisco, will present the results at the 30th EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) Symposium at 15:00 GMT on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018.

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A new analysis from the I-SPY 2 trial showed that a subgroup of "Ultra-High Risk" patients identified by MammaPrint respond better to certain targeted therapies and treatment combinations. Patients were classified as either MammaPrint High Risk (MP1), indicating less aggressive disease, or MammaPrint Ultra-High Risk (MP2), indicating more aggressive disease. Nearly 50 percent of patients were classified as MP2 and had higher rates of pathological complete response (pCR) compared to MP1 patients.

In addition, MP2 patients had a higher chance of achieving pCR if they received veliparib/carboplatin, neratinib, ganitumab, TDM1/pertuzumab or pembrolizumab in addition to the standard paclitaxel treatment alone or in combination with trastuzumab. Together, these findings support the use of the MammaPrint High Risk or Ultra-High Risk result as a predictive biomarker of treatment response.

BluePrint basal subtype predicts neoadjuvant therapy response in ~400 HR+HER2- patients across 8 arms in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL (Abstract 3)2

A second analysis of the I-SPY 2 trial evaluated neoadjuvant chemotherapy response in different subgroups of patients with HR+/HER2- disease. Using the BluePrint Molecular Subtyping test, patients were classified as having either basal, luminal or HER2 subtypes. Patients with the basal subtype were four times more likely to achieve pCR with neoadjuvant therapy than patients with the luminal subtype, and this association was independent of the type of treatment they received. Additionally, more than three-quarters of patients with the HR+/HER2- basal subtype of cancer were classified as having MP2 Ultra-High Risk disease, suggesting that genetic and molecular risk signatures can be used to predict treatment response in similar subgroups of patients.

Dr. Laura van ‘t Veer, Chief Research Officer and Co-founder at Agendia said:

"The results presented at the EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper) Symposium demonstrate that MammaPrint is not just a prognostic test, it is also a predictive test. When used in conjunction with BluePrint, it can stratify patients into different subgroups to help identify which are more likely to respond to new treatments or to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and which are not likely to respond and should be given an alternative treatment. We need to further investigate the clinical implications, but this is an important milestone with significant value for women with breast cancer."

Dr. William Audeh, Chief Medical Officer at Agendia said:

"The new studies stemming from the I-SPY 2 trial are very encouraging and highlight the continuing and constantly expanding utility of MammaPrint and BluePrint to identify which patients will respond to specific treatments based on the genomic signatures of their tumors. In discovering the MammaPrint signature with her colleague Dr. Rene Bernards, Dr. van ‘t Veer harnessed the power of genomics to provide a platform capable of yielding continuous new discoveries to further understand and personalize the treatment of breast cancer. As the landmark I-SPY 2 trial further evolves, we anticipate future findings that will continue to bolster the value of precision oncology."

MammaPrint High1/High2 risk class as a pre-specified biomarker of response to nine different targeted agents plus standard neoadjuvant therapy for ~ 1000 breast cancer patients in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL. Poster presented at EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper). November 2018; Dublin, Ireland.
BluePrint basal subtype predicts neoadjuvant therapy response in ~400 HR+HER2- patients across 8 arms in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL. Poster presented at EORTC-NCI-AACR (Free EORTC-NCI-AACR Whitepaper). November 2018; Dublin, Ireland.
About MammaPrint

MammaPrint is an in vitro diagnostic medical device, performed as a testing service in a central laboratory, using the 70-gene expression profile of breast cancer tissue samples to assess a patient’s risk for distant metastasis. The device is FDA-cleared and CE-marked, enabling use in the European Union. MammaPrint is indicated for use by physicians as a prognostic marker only, along with other clinical-pathological factors. It is not intended to determine the outcome of disease, nor to suggest or infer an individual patient’s response to therapy. MammaPrint is the only test of its kind recommended for lymph node-negative and lymph node-positive patients by both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN). The test is also recommended by many other national and international clinical practice guidelines.

About BluePrint

BluePrint is an 80-gene complementary test provided with MammaPrint which allows functional molecular subtyping of a breast cancer sample into three distinct subtypes: Luminal-type, HER2-type and Basal-type, each with marked differences in long-term outcome and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

About I-SPY 2

I-SPY 2 is an interventional, randomized neoadjuvant Phase II clinical trial that is evaluating the efficacy of new targeted drug agents in combination with standard chemotherapy compared to standard therapy alone. The goal of the trial is to identify more treatment regimens for different subsets of breast cancer patients based on the molecular characteristics of their tumors and by learning about which early indicators of response are predictors of treatment success. A MammaPrint High Risk result is a prerequisite for patients included in the trial.

Personalis, Inc. to Present at the 3rd Annual NeoAG Summit Boston

On November 14, 2018 Personalis, Inc., a leader in advanced genomics for precision oncology, reported that they are scheduled to present at the upcoming NeoAG Summit in Boston, MA on Thursday, November 15, 2018 at 4 PM ET (Press release, Personalis, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531317]).

The presentation, entitled "ImmunoID NeXT Platform: Improving Neoantigen Prediction, TME Assessment, and ctDNA Detection for Vaccine Development," will introduce Personalis’ new ImmunoID NeXT Platform and discuss how it facilitates highly accurate neoantigen identification, optimal MHC-binding prediction and ranking, and the assessment of the tumor microenvironment and tumor escape mechanisms that may impact response to personalized therapeutics.

ImmunoID NeXT is the first and only platform to provide comprehensive analysis of both a tumor and its microenvironment from a single sample. The platform can be used to investigate the key tumor- and immune-related areas of cancer biology; consolidating multiple oncology biomarker assays into one. This maximizes the biological information that can be generated from a precious tumor specimen.

The presentation will be delivered by Sean Boyle, PhD; Director, Bioinformatics Applications.

Janssen Seeks Expanded Use of IMBRUVICA®▼ (ibrutinib) in Two Indications in Europe

On November 14, 2018 The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson reported the submission of two Type II variation applications to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) seeking approval for the expanded use of IMBRUVICA (ibrutinib) (Press release, Johnson & Johnson, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531316]). One application seeks to include use of ibrutinib in combination with obinutuzumab in previously untreated adults with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and to add long-term follow-up data from the existing label studies RESONATETM (PCYC-1112) and RESONATETM-2 (PCYC-1115). The second is for use of ibrutinib plus rituximab for the treatment of previously untreated and relapsed/refractory adults with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM).

"Today’s news brings us one step closer to potentially offering ibrutinib in new combinations for patients where unmet needs still persist," said Dr. Catherine Taylor, Haematology Therapy Area Lead, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Janssen-Cilag Limited. "Ibrutinib continues to demonstrate clinical benefit over the long term for a broad group of patients living with blood cancer, and we look forward to working with relevant authorities to secure approval of these new combinations."

Ibrutinib, a first-in-class Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, is jointly developed and commercialised by Janssen Biotech, Inc., and Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie company.

The CLL submission is supported by positive results from the Phase 3 iLLUMINATE (PCYC-1130) study which investigated ibrutinib in combination with obinutuzumab versus chlorambucil plus obinutuzumab in patients with newly diagnosed CLL.1 Study findings from iLLUMINATE will also be featured as an oral presentation (abstract #691), whilst further analysis of RESONATETM and RESONATETM-2 results in comparison with real-world evidence databases (abstract #4427) will be included at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) (Free ASH Whitepaper) Annual Meeting and Exposition, taking place in San Diego next month.1,2 A supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) which was also recently submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received Priority Review.

In WM, the submission is supported by data from the Phase 3 iNNOVATE (PCYC-1127) study evaluating ibrutinib in combination with rituximab, versus rituximab with placebo, in patients with previously untreated and relapsed/refractory WM.3 Follow-up efficacy and safety findings from the iNNOVATE study will also be presented at ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) 2018 (abstract #149).4 In August 2018, the FDA approved ibrutinib in combination with rituximab for the treatment of WM based on the data from iNNOVATE.5

Additional information about both studies can be found at www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02264574 and NCT02165397).6,7

#ENDS#

About ibrutinib

Ibrutinib is a first-in-class Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, which works by forming a strong covalent bond with BTK to block the transmission of cell survival signals within the malignant B-cells.8 By blocking this BTK protein, ibrutinib helps kill and reduce the number of cancer cells, thereby delaying progression of the cancer.9

Ibrutinib is currently approved in Europe for the following uses:10

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL): As a single agent for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated CLL, and as a single agent or in combination with bendamustine and rituximab (BR) for the treatment of adult patients with CLL who have received at least one prior therapy.
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL): Adult patients with relapsed or refractory mantle cell MCL.
Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM): Adult patients who have received at least one prior therapy or in first-line treatment for patients unsuitable for chemo-immunotherapy.
The most common adverse reactions seen with ibrutinib include diarrhoea, neutropenia, haemorrhage (e.g., bruising), musculoskeletal pain, nausea, rash, and pyrexia.10

For a full list of side effects and information on dosage and administration, contraindications and other precautions when using ibrutinib please refer to the Summary of Product Characteristics for further information.

About CLL

CLL is typically a slow-growing blood cancer of the white blood cells.11 The overall incidence of CLL in Europe is approximately 4.92 cases per 100,000 persons per year with rates amongst men and women approximately 5.87 and 4.01 cases per 100,000 persons per year, respectively.12 CLL is predominantly a disease of the elderly, with a median age of 72 years at diagnosis.13

CLL is a chronic disease; median overall survival ranges between 18 months and more than 10 years, according to the stage of disease.14 The disease eventually progresses in the majority of patients, and patients are faced with fewer treatment options with each relapse. Patients are often prescribed multiple lines of therapy as they relapse or become resistant to treatments.

About Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia

Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL).15 It causes overproduction of a protein called monoclonal immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody, which causes a thickening of the blood.16 Incidence rates among men and women in Europe are approximately 7.3 and 4.2 per million persons, respectively.17 The causes of WM are unknown, with it typically affecting older adults and being slightly more common in men than women.15,17

Five Prime Therapeutics Initiates Patient Dosing in a Phase 1 Clinical Trial of FPT155, a First-in-Class CD80 Fusion Protein

On November 14, 2018 Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: FPRX), a biotechnology company discovering and developing innovative immuno-oncology protein therapeutics, reported it initiated patient dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of FPT155, a first-in-class CD80 fusion protein (Press release, Five Prime Therapeutics, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531315]). The trial was initiated in Australia.

"We are pleased to initiate patient dosing for FPT155, our first-in-class CD80-Fc fusion protein, which is engineered to activate T cells through multiple pathways," said Helen Collins, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Five Prime. "In vivo, FPT155 demonstrates strong single-agent activity in multiple preclinical models, including some that are generally resistant to immune-modulating therapy. We look forward to testing FPT155 in the clinic to see if it has the potential to improve outcomes across multiple tumor indications where new treatment options are needed."

"FPT155 is further evidence of Five Prime executing on the strategy of leveraging our IND engine as a source of competitive advantage in developing first-in-class agents that have the potential to demonstrate single-agent activity or activity in tumors that typically do not respond to checkpoint inhibitors," said Aron Knickerbocker, Chief Executive Officer of Five Prime Therapeutics. "Beyond FPT155, this strategy can be seen across our robust pipeline, including with cabiralizumab, bemarituzumab and FPA150. These drug candidates target or engage multiple cells in the tumor microenvironment, including tumor cells, effector T cells, macrophages and NK cells."

The Phase 1a/1b open-label, multicenter, dose escalation, dose exploration and dose expansion study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of FPT155 in patients with advanced solid tumors. The Phase 1a dose escalation portion of the trial will characterize the safety and pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) profile of FPT155 and will identify a recommended dose for the Phase 1b portion of the trial. During the dose escalation, Five Prime will also open an exploratory cohort to investigate FPT155 monotherapy in select tumor types with high unmet need. The Phase 1b portion of the trial is intended to further characterize the safety, PK/PD profile, and preliminary efficacy of FPT155.

About FPT155

FPT155 is a first-in-class CD80 fusion protein that (i) directly engages CD28 to enhance its co-stimulatory T-cell activation activity without inducing super agonism, and (ii) blocks CTLA-4 from competing for endogenous CD80, allowing CD28 signaling to prevail in T-cell activation in the tumor microenvironment. FPT155 has also demonstrated its ability to retain anti-tumor activity independent of its engagement with CTLA-4, suggesting a differentiated mechanism of action from CTLA-4-blocking antibodies. Studies in preclinical models suggest FPT155 has the potential to be a potent T-cell co-stimulator with strong monotherapy anti-tumor activity.

Agilent Completes Acquisition of ACEA Biosciences

On November 14, 2018 Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) reported it has completed the acquisition of ACEA Biosciences Inc. (ACEA), a developer of cutting-edge cell analysis tools, for $250 million in cash (Press release, Agilent, NOV 14, 2018, View Source [SID1234531314]). This acquisition brings together two pioneers in cellular function and metabolism measurements focused on real-time, live cell analyses.

ACEA has developed two ground-breaking platforms that are complementary to Agilent’s current portfolio. The ACEA xCELLigence RTCA technology is a unique impedance platform for label-free, real-time cellular function measurements used in immuno-oncology, pre-clinical drug discovery and development, as well as in basic academic research. This technology is complemented by the introduction in recent years of the NovoCyte and NovoCyte Quanteon portfolio of high performance bench top flow cytometry systems.

ACEA also markets a clinical configuration of the NovoCyte platform, currently commercialized in China. This provides a unique opportunity in combination with Agilent’s Reagent Partnership business within Agilent’s Diagnostics and Genomics Group which provides reagents for flow cytometry.

"The Agilent and ACEA teams are united by a common goal to provide the most innovative high-performance solutions for cell analysis," said Todd Christian, Vice President & General Manager of Agilent’s Cell Analysis Division. "We are excited for the opportunities we have as a newly combined team to provide the most advanced tools for scientists performing cell analysis workflows."

ACEA is Agilent’s second acquisition this year in the cell analysis space. In January, Agilent acquired Luxcel Biosciences, a developer of real-time fluorescence plate-reader based in vitro cell assay kits. Cell analysis is a key area of strategic focus for Agilent.

ACEA was founded in 2002 and has its headquarters in San Diego and a large manufacturing and R&D footprint in Hangzhou, China. More than 2,500 ACEA instruments have been placed globally and have been used in more than 1,800 peer-reviewed publications.