On May 27, 2025 KAHR, a clinical-stage biotech company developing DSP107, a first-in-class bi-specific 4-1BB T-cell engager that activates innate and adaptive immunity to treat solid tumors, reported that positive results from the Phase 2 dose expansion cohort of DSP107 in combination with atezolizumab (Tecentriq), an anti-PD-L1 cancer immunotherapy, in patients with 3rd line microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC) will be presented in an oral presentation at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Press release, KAHR Medical, MAY 27, 2025, View Source [SID1234653415]). The meeting will be held May 30 – June 3, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois and virtually. In addition to its favorable safety profile, the combination has shown anti-tumor activity and extended survival including in patients with liver metastases.
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"We are happy with the opportunity to present data from the Phase 2 dose expansion cohort of DSP107 in combination with a PD1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor in an oral presentation at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)’s Annual Meeting," said Yaron Pereg, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of KAHR. "This recognition is evidence for the significant potential of this immunotherapy combination to benefit the treatment of MSS-CRC patients including those with active liver metastases, a devastating disease representing an unmet medical need. We look forward to sharing next week the exciting, updated, overall survival data for this combination, which has continued to improve in 2025 beyond the data published in the abstract."
Details for the oral presentation are as follows:
Presentation information:
Title: Phase 2 dose expansion study of DSP107, a first-in-class bi-specific 4-1BB T-cell engager, with and without atezolizumab in metastatic MSS colorectal cancer patients.
Session Title: Gastrointestinal Cancer—Colorectal and Anal
Session Date: 6/1/2025
Session Time: 11:30 AM-1:00 PM CDT
Presenter: Anwaar Saeed, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Director, Gastrointestinal Disease Center, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center
Abstract Number for Publication: 3517
Abstract available on the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) website
About the Phase 2 dose expansion cohort of DSP107 in combination with atezolizumab for MSS-CRC
The MSS-CRC dose expansion phase of the study was an open label, multi-center trial (NCT04440735) that enrolled patients with 3rd line MSS colorectal cancer patients, treated weekly with 10 mg/kg DSP107 infusions and atezolizumab (1200 mg) every three weeks, until disease progression. The primary objective was to determine the safety and tolerability of DSP107 in combination with atezolizumab. The secondary objective was to assess the preliminary efficacy of DSP107 in combination with atezolizumab.
About DSP107
KAHR’s lead drug candidate, DSP107, is a first-in-class bi-specific 4-1BB T-cell engager utilizing CD47 overexpression as a tumor anchor. DSP107 binds to CD47 that cancer cells express on their cell surface. Once bound, DSP107 converts the CD47 signal, which cancer uses to camouflage itself from the innate immune system, into a 4-1BB signal, which attracts and activates adaptive immune cells, primarily cancer cytotoxic CD8 T-cells. In this way, DSP107 engages both parts of the immune system in a wholistic anti-cancer response. This is particularly relevant in colorectal cancer, where 70%+ of the metastatic patients have metastases in the liver, and where liver metastases highly express CD47 in response to first- and second-line chemotherapy treatments. Previous attempts to treat colorectal cancer with immunotherapy have failed as there is a lack of immune cells in the tumor. DSP107 is unique in that it takes advantage of CD47 expression to drive immune cells into the tumor. DSP107 is also being tested in Phase 2 expansion cohort in 2L/3L PD1-experienced NSCLC.
About microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC)
Microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC) is a subtype of colorectal cancer that lacks deficiencies in the DNA mismatch repair system, resulting in stable microsatellite regions within the genome. Unlike microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors, MSS-CRC exhibits lower tumor mutational burden and is less responsive to immunotherapy. MSS tumors represent the majority of colorectal cancer cases and are typically more challenging to treat. Standard treatment for metastatic MSS-CRC often involves a combination of chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and in select cases, surgical intervention.