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Junshi Biosciences Announces Approval of the sNDA for Toripalimab for the 1st-Line Treatment of Renal Cancer

On April 7, 2024 Shanghai Junshi Biosciences Co., Ltd ("Junshi Biosciences", HKEX: 1877; SSE: 688180), a leading innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel therapies, reported that the National Medical Products Administration ("NMPA") has approved the supplemental new drug application ("sNDA") for toripalimab (product code: JS001) in combination with axitinib for the first-line treatment of patients with medium to high risk unresectable or metastatic renal cell carcinoma ("RCC") (Press release, Shanghai Junshi Bioscience, APR 7, 2024, View Source [SID1234656135]). This is the first approved immunotherapy for renal carcinoma in China.

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Renal carcinoma is the third most common malignancy of the urinary system globally, and RCC accounts for 80%~90% of all cases of renal carcinoma. There were approximately 77,000 new cases of and 46,000 deaths due to renal carcinoma in China in 2022. Distant metastasis occurred in about one-third of renal carcinoma patients at initial diagnosis, and in 20%-50% of localized patients after nephrectomy. According to the risk classification of the International Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Database Consortium (IMDC), the median overall survival ("OS") of patients with low, medium and high risk metastatic RCC receiving anti-vascular targeted treatment were 35.3, 16.6 and 5.4 months, respectively. Therefore, compared to low-risk patients, the clinical needs for new treatment options are more urgent for patients with medium and high risk advanced RCC.

The approval of the sNDA is mainly based on data from the RENOTORCH study (NCT04394975), a multi-center, randomized, open-label, active-controlled Phase 3 clinical study led by principal investigators Professor Jun GUO from Peking University Cancer Hospital and Professor Yiran HUANG from Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. The study was conducted across 47 medical centers, and represents the first pivotal Phase 3 clinical study of immunotherapy for patients with advanced RCC in China.

A total of 421 randomized patients with medium to high risk unresectable or metastatic RCC were enrolled in the study and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive toripalimab in combination with axitinib (n=210) or sunitinib alone (n=211). The primary endpoint is progression free survival ("PFS") as assessed by the Independent Review Committee ("IRC"), and secondary endpoints include PFS as assessed by investigators, objective response rate ("ORR") as assessed by IRC or investigators, duration of response ("DoR"), disease control rate (DCR), OS, safety profile, etc.

Previously, the study results of RENOTORCH made its debut at the Proffered Paper Session of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) congress 2023. The full text was simultaneously published in Annals of Oncology, the official journal of ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper). The study data showed that, based on the assessment results of IRC, compared with sunitinib monotherapy, toripalimab in combination with axitinib for the treatment significantly prolonged the PFS of patients by nearly twofold (median PFS: 18.0 vs. 9.8 months, P=0.0028), and the risk of disease progression or death was reduced by 35% (hazard ratio [HR]=0.65; 95% CI: 0.49, 0.86). In addition, the ORR was higher (56.7% vs. 30.8%, P<0.0001) and the DoR was longer (median DoR: not reached vs 16.7 months; HR=0.61) in the toripalimab group. The OS of the toripalimab group also showed a clear trend of benefit (median OS: not reached vs 26.8 months), and the risk of death was reduced by 39% (HR=0.61; 95%CI: 0.40, 0.92). In terms of safety, toripalimab in combination with axitinib demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, and no new safety signals were observed.

"From a global perspective, targeted therapy in combination with immunotherapy has become the standard treatment approach for advanced RCC," said Professor Jun GUO from Peking University Cancer Hospital. "However, no such treaments have been approved in China. The approval of toripalimab’s new indications opens a new chapter in combined targeted therapy and immunotherapy in China, and it will transform current clinical practices for advanced RCC and introduce new treatment options for medium to high-risk patients!"

"The treatment methods for advanced RCC are limited, especially for medium to high risk patients, who often face suboptimal prognoses," said Professor Yiran HUANG from Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine "The approval of toripalimab combined with axitinib addresses the gap in first-line immunotherapy for renal cancer in China. Compared to targeted monotherapy, toripalimab combined with targeted therapy will significantly improve patients’ PFS, offering promising prospects for many advanced RCC patients in China."

"Thank you to all medical professionals, patients, and R&D personnel involved in the RENOTORCH study for their contributions," said Dr. Jianjun ZOU, CEO of Junshi Biosciences. "Their dedication has led to a pioneering breakthrough in renal cancer, first of its kind in China! Junshi Biosciences will remain committed to addressing domestic clinical needs and continue investing in research and development to help patients live longer and better!"

Five innovative drug studies of ImmuneOnco were accepted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in 2024

On April 7, 2024, ImmuneOnco Biopharmaceuticals (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. reported that five innovative drug studies were accepted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting in 2024, in which, they will be reported to global attendees in the form of oral presentations, posters and online publications (Press release, ImmuneOnco Biopharma, APR 7, 2024, View Source [SID1234655698]). It covers the latest clinical progress of IMM01(SIRP-IGG1 Fc), IMM0306 (CD47xCD20 mAb-Trap) and IMM2510 (VEGFxPD-L1 mAb-Trap).

Two innovative clinical phase II studies of IMM01 were included in the oral reports (IMM01 combined with Tirelizumab for cHL indications after previous PD1 antibody treatment failure, and IMM01 combined with azacitide for high-risk MDS indications for initial treatment). A preliminary phase I clinical study of IMM0306 in the treatment of relapsed/refractory CD20-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) is presented in the form of poster. The results of the other two studies were presented in the form of online publication (the clinical phase Ib study of IMM0306 combined with lenalidomide in the treatment of relapsed/refractory CD20-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL), and the clinical phase I dose-climbing study of lMM2510 monotherapy in the treatment of advanced solid tumors).

Founder and chairman of ImmuneOnco Dr. Tian, Wenzhi said:

"The findings we will present at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2024 will help inform the industry about the latest clinical development data for IMM01, IMM0306, and IMM2510." IMM01 is the first SIRP-α-FC fusion protein to enter the clinical stage in China being developed to use in combination with other drugs to treat a variety of blood tumors and solid tumors. Based on the initial effectiveness and good safety in clinical trials of monotherapy, as well as the clinical research data of IMM01 in clinical phase II treatment of cHL and MDS patients presented at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual meeting, it will again prove that the differentiated molecular design of IMM01 perfectly solves the clinical safety problems commonly faced by CD47 antibody drug candidates. Our IMM01 has great potential to become the world’s first approved CD47-targeting drug. IMM0306 is another CD47-targeted macromolecule that has shown encouraging efficacy and a good safety profile in Phase I clinical studies in relapsed or refractory B-cell lymphomas. The Phase II clinical study of IMM0306 combined with lenalidomide is rapidly progressing, and the initial clinical performance is quite exciting. We believe that the differentiated molecular design of CD47-targeted drugs will be a key determinant of success in clinical development. IMM2510 is a bispecific molecule targeting VEGF and PD-L1, and has shown positive therapeutic signals against advanced non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma) and thymic carcinoma. We are pleased to have the opportunity to share these data with our oncology colleagues and look forward to further releases of clinical data from IMM01, IMM0306, and IMM2510."

Chief Medical Officer/Senior Vice President of ImmuneOnco Dr. Lu, Qiying said:

"Following the preliminary clinical phase II data disclosed in ASH (Free ASH Whitepaper) last year, the results of two clinical phase II studies on IMM01 products were recognized and affirmed by the academic community at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) this year, and were accepted as oral reports by ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2024; In addition, one research result of IMM0306 was displayed as a poster, and two research results were published online (clinical phase Ib results of IMM0306 combined with LEN and clinical phase I results of IMM2510). IMM01 is the company’s key product and one of the important cornerstones of our company in the field of tumor immunotherapy. In terms of clinical development layout of IMM01 products, we have carried out a differentiated tactics. For newly treated CMML patients, IMM01-02 is currently a prospective clinical study with the largest sample size for this rare tumor to meet the unmet medical needs. In view of the unmet medical needs of cHL after previous PD-1 failure, our combined treatment model can overcome the drug resistance of previous PD1 antibody therapy, and reflects the advantages of chemotherapy therapy, avoiding the long-term toxicity brought by chemotherapy drugs and bringing long-term quality of life to patients. Encouraging efficacy and good tolerability have been observed in initially treated high-risk MDS patients, initially treated CMML patients, and cHL patients after previous PD-1 antibody therapy failure. As one of the company’s key products, IMM0306 monotherapy was observed in a number of indications, outstanding initial efficacy (including FL and MZL mainly inert lymphoma and the most common clinical aggressive lymphoma DLBCL), indicating that this product has broad clinical development prospects. IMM2510 showed initial positive therapeutic signals in relapsed and refractory non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma) and thymus cancer in the climbing study. In particular, one patient with lung squamous cell carcinoma obtained significant tumor shrinkage (PR) after the failure of PD-1 antibody therapy and combination chemotherapy, and the PR lasted more than 11 months. It has been receiving the investigational drug for more than 20 months and the treatment is still undergoing. In light of unmet clinical needs, we plan to further develop a single agent and a combination of different treatment modalities for multiple indications to explore efficacy in multiple solid tumors, including non-small cell lung cancer, triple negative breast cancer, and liver cancer in addition to soft tissue sarcomas. We look forward to rapidly advancing the clinical development of IMM01, IMM0306 and IMM2510 products, bringing new treatment options for the treatment of cancer patients and addressing unmet clinical needs."

HiFiBiO Therapeutics Presents Two Posters at the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting

On April 7, 2024 HiFiBiO Therapeutics, a leading clinical stage global biotechnology company committed to advancing patient outcomes through single-cell precision, reported two posters at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2024 meeting held on April 5-10, 2024, in San Diego, CA (Press release, HiFiBiO Therapeutics, APR 7, 2024, View Source [SID1234641870]).

"One of the major challenges cancer immunotherapies face is the difficulties in selecting patients with tumors that will respond. Single-cell technologies can provide valuable insights into disease biology and help discern tumors that are more likely to respond; however, the lack of integrated data across diverse single-cell platforms hinders the potential of these novel technologies to inform clinical decisions." Jack Russella-Pollard, Ph.D., Executive Director, Translational Data Science, commented, "HiFiBiO has built an AI/ML powered curation and data integration process within our Drug Intelligence Science (DIS) translational platform that integrates publicly available datasets with in-house generated datasets to predict tumor response and guide target as well as indication selection."

Jinping Gan, Ph.D., Vice President, Global Head of Research, remarked: "Currently, there is no suitable model to describe complex tumor-immune interactions that can effectively guide clinical decisions. HiFiBiO has successfully constructed semi-mechanistic PKPD models for an anti-TNFR2 agonist and an anti-OX40 agonist that advocate for pulsatile agonism to achieve optimal anti-tumor efficacy. This innovative scientific work serves as a valuable tool for guiding dose and dose regimen optimization for the humanized versions of these T cell co-stimulatory agonists in clinical development."

By harnessing these cutting-edge technologies and tools within its DIS platform, HiFiBiO Therapeutics is steering the development of its drug candidates, including three antibodies currently undergoing Phase 1 evaluation: a first-in-class TNFR2 agonist (HFB200301, NCT05238883), a next-generation OX40 agonist (HFB301001, NCT05229601), and a best-in-class BTLA antagonist (HFB200603, NCT05789069).

These presentations underscore HiFiBiO Therapeutics’ unwavering commitment to innovation and its relentless pursuit of novel therapeutic solutions to address unmet medical needs.

Details on the poster presentations are as follows. E-Posters will be posted on HiFiBiO’s website following the live presentations.

Abstract Number: 6202

Title: Integrating public single-cell transcriptomics and patient profiles to guide clinical development

Presenter: Jack Russella-Pollard, Ph.D., Executive Director, Translational Data Science
Session Category: Bioinformatics / Computational Biology / Systems Biology / Convergent Science

Session Title: Integrative Cancer Science

Session Date and Time: Tuesday Apr 9, 2024, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

Location: Poster Section 36

Poster Board Number: 5

View full abstract here.

Abstract Number: 7176

Title: Optimization of T cell co-stimulatory agonists: A semi-mechanistic PKPD model integrating drug properties and tumor-immune interactions

Presenter: Jinping Gan, Ph.D., Vice President, Global Head of Research

Session Category: Experimental and Molecular Therapeutics

Session Title: Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics

Session Date and Time: Wednesday Apr 10, 2024, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Location: Poster Section 24

Poster Board Number: 17

View full abstract here.

Edgewood Oncology Announces Positive Efficacy Data From Investigator-Sponsored Study of BTX-A51 in Preclinical Models of Liposarcoma

On April 7, 2024 Edgewood Oncology, a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on delivering BTX-A51 to patients with hematologic malignancies and genetically-defined solid tumors, reported the publication of new preclinical data from a study of BTX-A51 in human liposarcoma (LPS) conducted by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School to be presented at the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego (Press release, Edgewood Oncology, APR 7, 2024, View Source [SID1234641851]). BTX-A51 is a first-in-class, small molecule, multi-selective kinase inhibitor of casein kinase 1 alpha (CK1α) as well as the transcriptional regulators cyclin-dependent kinases 7 and 9 (CDK7 and CDK9) that synergistically co-targets master regulators of cancer to promote programmed cell death, or apoptosis.

The presentation (Abstract 604), "Targeting casein kinase 1 alpha (CK1alpha) and transcriptional CDKs (CDK7/9) in human liposarcomas," highlighted findings for BTX-A51 in preclinical human models of LPS. The data demonstrate that BTX-A51 has preclinical efficacy in treating patient-derived LPS in cell lines and human xenograft models and provides insight into the synergy gained by inhibiting both CK1α and CDK9.

"Dedifferentiated liposarcomas (DDLPS) are rare tumors derived from precursors of fat cells which can occur anywhere in the body. Patients with metastatic DDLPS face a life-threatening disease in need of more effective therapeutic options, which we hope to develop by taking advantage of vulnerabilities in LPS that have been uncovered by recent research on the abnormal DNA and other molecular characteristics of LPS," said George Demetri, M.D., Professor of Medicine and director of the Sarcoma Center at Dana-Farber. "Based on these data, we believe that it is justified to move BTX-A51 into a clinical trial for patients with LPS, which we will plan to open soon for enrollment."

Liposarcomas are universally characterized by amplification of the mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) gene, which leads to destruction of the normal (non-mutated, also known as "wild type") p53. The data demonstrate that BTX-A51 significantly reduces the abnormal overexpression of MDM2 in multiple patient-derived LPS cell lines, leading to upregulation of p53 expression and ultimately apoptosis. Finally, BTX-A51 was demonstrated to be well-tolerated and effective in an LPS patient-derived xenograft model.

"We’re pleased that investigators at Dana-Farber have taken an interest in BTX-A51, which is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 combination study with azacitidine in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) AML," said David N. Cook, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Edgewood Oncology. "These data also suggest the potential for BTX-A51 in cancers with MDM2 amplifications, a group of genetically defined tumors that span multiple tissue types suggesting broader potential."

Additional Details about the Study

Using three different CDK9-selective inhibitors in human LPS cell lines, the authors showed that CDK9 inhibition suppressed cell growth and induced apoptosis by decreasing MDM2 levels while inducing expression of p53. It was also demonstrated that the potency of CDK9 inhibitors is significantly enhanced upon CK1α depletion. These data led to the investigation of BTX-A51, which targets CK1α and CDK9 as well as CDK7, in LPS cells and has previously been shown to inhibit these kinases with nanomolar efficacy in AML models. BTX-A51 potently reduced expression of MDM2 with marked induction of p53, resulting in apoptosis of LPS cells. BTX-A51 also reduces expression of MCL1 and primes LPS cell lines and primary LPS cells for BIM-induced apoptosis, as demonstrated by BH3 profiling. Importantly, preliminary in vivo data in an LPS patient-derived xenograft model reveal that BTX-A51 is well-tolerated under conditions that inhibit tumor growth.

Affini-T Therapeutics Presents Preclinical Data from its Oncogenic Driver Programs Targeting KRAS G12D and p53 R175H at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024

On April 7, 2024 Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., a precision immunotherapy company unlocking the power of T cells against oncogenic driver mutations, reported that management is presenting data from the company’s oncogenic driver programs targeting HLA-A*11:01 KRAS G12D and HLA-A*02:01 p53 R175H at this year’s American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2024 in San Diego (Press release, Affini-T Therapeutics, APR 7, 2024, View Source [SID1234641850]). In addition, the team is presenting two trial-in-progress posters for Affini-T’s Phase 1 clinical-stage programs targeting KRAS G12V, the company-sponsored AFNT-211 study and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center investigator-initiated AFNT-111 study at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper).

"We are excited to be at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) unveiling new preclinical data, which includes a closer look at the promise of our novel non-viral TRAC-knocked-in T cell therapy for the treatment of p53 R175H-mutant solid tumors," said Loïc Vincent, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Affini-T Therapeutics. "We are also proud to present preclinical data from our cell therapy targeting KRAS G12D, which highlights the promising potential of our proprietary non-viral knock-in THRIVE platform. These findings continue to motivate our team as we advance programs leveraging TCR-engineered T cells as potential paradigm-shifting treatments for patients with solid tumor cancers."

Poster presentation details are as follows:

AFNT-212: A TRAC-knocked-in KRAS G12D-specific TCR-T cell product enhanced with CD8αβ and a chimeric cytokine receptor for treatment of solid cancers

Abstract #5973, Session: Adoptive Cell Therapies 1: Tumor Antigen-Specific T-cells and TCR-T
Session Date/Time: Sunday, April 7, 2024, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Presenting Author: Loïc Vincent, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Affini-T Therapeutics
Summary: AFNT-212-engineered TCR-T cells showed high functional avidity and in vitro cytotoxicity against KRAS G12D-positive tumor cell lines, including CL40 (colon), PANC-1 and HPAF-II (pancreas), SK-LU-1 (lung), HuCCT1 (cholangiocarcinoma), etc. Additionally, engineered TCR-T cells demonstrated robust and durable anti-tumor activity in vivo and low risk of off-target/off-tumor toxicity. Affini-T’s proprietary non-viral knock-in (KI) THRIVE platform achieved high transgene integration efficiency and cell growth to yield relevant numbers of engineered TCR-T cells for clinical application. The study supports the planned clinical investigation of the novel KRAS G12D mutant TCR-engineered CD4+ and CD8+ T cell therapy in 2024.
Non-viral engineered T cell therapy specific for the hotspot mutation p53 R175H that integrates signal 1 (TCR), signal 2 (co-stimulation) and signal 3 (cytokine) and co-opts FasL-dependent apoptosis to achieve a coordinated antitumor CD4/8 T cell response

Abstract #7242, Session: Adoptive Cell Therapies 1: Tumor Antigen-Specific T-cells and TCR-T
Session Date/Time: Sunday, April 7, 2024, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Presenting Author: Gary Shapiro, Ph.D., VP Biology Discovery, Affini-T Therapeutics
Summary: The tumor suppressor TP53 is the most frequently mutated gene across human cancers, with a highly recurrent arginine to histidine hotspot alteration in codon 175 leading to novel tumor-dependent functions. In this study, we reported the use of a novel CRISPR-Cas nuclease system to knock in a six-gene multi-cistronic cassette into the TRAC locus with high efficiency. We employed several strategies to maximize the potency and durability of a TCR-T cell product targeting the p53 R175H oncogenic driver, TCR, co-stimulation and cytokine signaling – which delivered full stimulation of both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. These data support the planned clinical development of a novel non-viral TRAC-knocked-in T cell therapy for the treatment of p53 R175H-mutant solid tumors.