Strata Oncology Presents Data at ASCO 2021 Showing Comprehensive Genomic and Transcriptomic Profiling Predicts Pan-Tumor Benefit of Pembrolizumab

On June 4, 2021 Strata Oncology, Inc., a precision oncology company advancing molecular indications for cancer therapies, reported the results of a study focused on evaluating a novel biomarker approach for immunotherapy, utilizing its comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling (CGTP) assay paired with real-world clinical data to predict pembrolizumab benefit in patients with advanced solid tumors (Press release, Strata Oncology, JUN 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234583607]). The data were shared during a poster presentation at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, taking place virtually from June 4-8, 2021.

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The study found that PD-L1, PD-L2 and tumor mutation burden (TMB) from the CGTP test independently predicted pembrolizumab benefit in pan-solid tumors – and when combined in a multivariate signature score – predicted benefit better than PD-L1 or TMB alone. Across a dataset of over 20,000 advanced solid tumors, the Strata immune response score identified 12% of all patients across a range of solid tumor types that are outside of currently approved indications but predicted to benefit from immunotherapy. The multivariate signature, developed from the Strata clinical-molecular database and real-world data, also predicted pembrolizumab benefit relative to chemotherapy across solid tumors.

The study included 610 patients with advanced solid tumors with TMB and immune gene expression data from the Strata Oncology CGTP tissue test and documented pembrolizumab treatment outcomes. Pembrolizumab treatment benefit was assessed by time to next treatment (TTNT), which was validated against overall survival. Real-world TTNT was defined as time in months from therapy start to new treatment or death.

"Immune checkpoint inhibitors are approved in many solid tumor types, but current biomarkers for predicting response are imperfect," said Scott Tomlins, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer at Strata Oncology. "Currently a minority (20-30%) of patients are estimated to respond to PD-1/PD-L1 therapy so the development of biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors is urgent. Strata’s multivariate biomarker, derived from our genomic and transcriptomic profiling assay, may expand the pan-tumor treatable population beyond current biomarkers."

The full poster can be viewed at www.asco.org.

Poster details

Title: Comprehensive genomic and transcriptomic profiling (CGTP) to predict pembrolizumab benefit in patients with advanced solid tumors
Session: Developmental therapeutics – immunotherapy
Subtrack: Tissue-based biomarkers
Abstract #: 2609

AIkido Pharma Announces Positive Phase 1 Data Presented at ASCO on 225Ac-J591

On June 4, 2021 AIkido Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: AIKI) ("AIkido" or the "Company") reported that positive Phase 1 testing data was presented at the 2021 ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting June 4, 2021 (Press release, AIkido Pharma, JUN 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234583606]). The poster presentation of the data was by Dr. Scott Tagawa, a Professor of Medicine & Urology at Weill Cornell Medicine and an AIkido Pharma Scientific Advisory Board member. The full presentation is available at: View Source

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Highlights from the presentation include:

Declining PSA levels in treated patients
Declining circulating tumor cell (CTC) count in treated patients
Actinium-225 radiolabeled J591 well-tolerated with preliminary evidence of efficacy in a heavily pre-treated patient population
Actinium-225 radiolabeled J591 safe at tested dosage
Phase 2 trial underway
Neal Shore, MD, FACS a well-known key opinion leader in prostate cancer research, Medical Director for the Carolina Urologic Research Center and recent addition to the Company’s Advisory Board, stated, "The Phase I trial results of the 225Ac-J591 antibody for these advanced prostate cancer patients, who had extensive tumor burden as well as having experienced numerous life prolonging therapies, are impressive, both from a response and safety standpoint. PSA declines and CTC responses were clearly evident. Additionally, this novel antibody conjugate demonstrated very good tolerability during this DLT phase 1 trial. The unique properties of 225Ac-J591 suggest it as a very promising candidate for combination treatment with beta emitters, whereby the synergy of therapeutic isotope combination and broader tumor effect would have the potential to further shape theragnostic platforms."

Full ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Presentation Details:

Title: "Phase I study of 225Ac-J591 for men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)"

Tract: Genitourinary Cancer—Prostate, Testicular, and Penile

Presenter: Dr. Scott Tagawa MD, MS, FACP

Abstract Number: 5015

Date and Time: Available Starting June 4, 2021, 9:00 am (EST)

The Abstract from this study has been released on the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting website (View Source). Clinical trial information: NCT03276572 (View Source )

The full ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) meeting program is available at: www.asco.org

PathAI and Genentech Present on AI-Powered Pathologic Response Assessment in NSCLC at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Virtual Scientific Program 2021

On June 4, 2021 PathAI, a global provider of AI-powered technology applied to pathology, reported that new data highlighting the application of its ML-based PathR algorithm to clinical trials as an aid to pathologists will be presented in the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Virtual Scientific Program 2021, held from June 4-8, 2021 (Press release, Genentech, JUN 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234583605]). These results will be shared in full in the oral presentation, Artificial intelligence (AI)–powered pathologic response (PathR) assessment of resection specimens after neoadjuvant atezolizumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer: Results from the LCMC3 study (Abstract #106) in the Clinical Science Symposium session, Artificial Intelligence: Optimizing Cancer Care Using Imaging and Pathology.

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The study describes ML-quantification of PathR, a clinically significant histologic endpoint that is currently calculated manually from tumor resection slides by pathologists. PathR, specifically MPR (10% or less viable tumor remaining), can be used as an efficacy endpoint in clinical trials investigating neoadjuvant therapies in patients with resectable NSCLC. MPR is studied as a potential surrogate efficacy outcome measure for disease free survival (DFS) or overall survival (OS).

"Through our partnership with PathAI, we are better understanding response and histopathologic changes in the tumor of lung cancer patients that received Tecentriq prior to surgery, and together developed a tool that could potentially support and simplify pathologists’ day to day work." said Nai-Shun Yao, M.D., vice president and chief medical partner, Oncology at Genentech.

ML-quantification of tumor histology features can provide a reproducible assessment of percent viable tumor that was shown to be at least as accurate as manual assessment. These ML-based tools have the potential to impact how PathR is assessed in clinical trials, potentially providing a rapid and more scalable solution to MPR determination. PathAI models were trained to identify and quantify cells and tissues within NSCLC tumor samples collected following neoadjuvant atezolizumab therapy, as part of the LCMC3 clinical trial sponsored by Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, and from those measurements, determine PathR (digital PathR). ML-model assessed MPR strongly agreed with manual MPR (AUROC = 0.975) and showed comparable DFS and OS for both digital PathR and manual PathR, however it should be noted that DFS and OS data in LCMC3 are still immature. Digitally assessed MPR was significantly associated with better DFS and OS, whereas manually assessed MPR showed a non-significant trend toward better DFS and OS. These results suggest that ML-based quantification of PathR after neoadjuvant immunotherapy may serve as surrogate for survival outcome measures, but further data maturation and validation is needed.

This investigation, together with another also presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2021 (poster #3061), demonstrate PathAI’s multi-faceted approach toward integrating scalable AI-powered tools that generate clinically relevant, accurate, and reproducible pathology scores into oncology clinical trial workflows.

Yingli Pharma Announces presentations on the Phase 1 trials of linperlisib, a PI3Kδ selective inhibitor, and YL-13027, an oral TGFβR1 inhibitor, at the American Society for Clinical Oncology 2021 Annual Meeting

On June 4, 2021 Shanghai Yingli Pharmaceuticals Ltd (Yingli Pharma), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company providing new therapies for cancer and metabolic diseases, reported that there will be three presentations on clinical trials sponsored by the company at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) June 4-7, 2021 (Press release, Yingli Pharmaceutical, JUN 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234583604]).

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Linperlisib in Peripheral T cell lymphoma

The clinical trial report entitled "A phase Ib study of a PI3Kδ inhibitor Linperlisib in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma" was presented at the June 4, 2021 proceedings of the conference.

In this phase Ib study that enrolled 38 relapsed and refractory Peripheral T cell lymphoma patients, linperlisib, a novel oral PI3Kδ inhibitor, was evaluated as monotherapy for safety, tolerability and efficacy at recommended phase 2 dose of 80mg once daily. The clinical data from an interim data cutoff was presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) by Dr. Jie Jin, professor of First Hospital Affiliated with Zhe Jiang Medical University. Top line data from this study indicated that for the 38 r/r PTCL patients enrolled, 30 were evaluable. As of the data cutoff, an Overall Response Rate (ORR) of 70% was reported of which 33% were complete responses. A 100% disease control rate was also observed. Linperlisib was well-tolerated with Grade 1 and Grade 2 adverse events most frequently observed, and with limited Grade 3 adverse events of neutrophil decrease in 4 pts, (10.5%), and 1 (2.6%) case each of leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, blood lipase increase, pneumonia and stomatitis.

"Peripheral T cell lymphoma is a devastating and aggressive lymphoma where patients have very few treatment options in the relapsed and refractory setting," said Dr. Jie Jin. "The results of this Phase1b clinical trial suggest that linperlisib is a promising PI3Kδ selective inhibitor with important anti-tumor properties in this indication, and we hope it will be able to bring clinical benefits of linerlisib to patients suffering from this serious disease. Globally, there are no PI3K inhibitors that have been approved for the treatment of T cell lymphomas. In China, no PI3K inhibitors have been approved for any indications. By evaluating linperlisib for its safety, tolerability and efficacy, we are optimistic that this novel oral therapy will advance into registration clinical trials in PTCL for regulatory approval."

Linperlisib evaluated in advanced solid tumors

Another clinical study of linperlisib was also presented at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) entitled "A phase Ib study of the PI3Kδ inhibitor linperlisib in patients with advanced solid tumors". In this study that enrolled 78 advanced solid tumor patients, linperlisib monotherapy was evaluated for safety, tolerability, and durability at the recommended phase2 dose of 80 mg once daily, the dose previously established for the treatment of lymphomas. The clinical data from an interim analysis of this study was presented by Dr. Jin Li, Professor and Oncologist at Shanghai East Hospital.

Linperlisib is an immunomodulatory PI3Kδ inhibitor in solid tumors that has been demonstrated to alter the tumor immune microenvironment in preclinical research. "These properties of solid tumors are a challenge for therapeutic intervention because the regulatory immune cells will frequently repress an anti-tumor immune response. Our hypothesis is that linperlisib will unleash the anti-tumor suppression in a beneficial manner for patient treatments", said Zusheng Xu, General Manager of Yingli Pharma.

In the open-label Phase 1b study including 15 advanced solid tumor types, linperlisib was demonstrated to be safe and well-tolerated. The most common treatment related adverse events were Grade 1 and Grade 2, with the Grade 3 TRAE of neutropenia (3.8%), diarrhea (2.6%), elevated γ-glutaminase (1.3%) and leukopenia (1.3%) observed. The disease control rate with linperlisib monotherapy was reported to be 41.4%, with one complete response observed in a patient with thymic carcinoma.

Dr. Jin Li stated "Linperlisib is a PI3K inhibitor with a distinct chemical structure highly selective to the δ isoform, compared to other PI3K inhibitors. The preliminary clinical findings are supportive of Linperlisib demonstrating a favorable safety profile with very limited off-target effects that have been associated with other PI3K inhibitors in the clinic. We were pleased to see that Linperlisib can be administered to patients with advanced solid tumors in a manner that is safe and well-tolerated. Linperlisib has great potential for combination therapies and additional indications in the future. We committed to investigating how this new PI3K inhibitor can improve the health condition of patients suffering from advanced solid tumors."

YL-13027, a novel and selective TGFβR1 inhibitor in a Phase 1 dose escalation study

A first-in-human clinical trial of YL-13027, an oral, potent, and selective TGFβR1 inhibitor, is being presented at the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) meeting, entitled "A phase I study of a TGF-β receptor I kinase inhibitor YL-13027 in patients with advanced solid tumors".

TGFβ signaling is known to be a driver contributing to the immunosuppressive properties of many solid tumors. In principle, agents that interfere with TGFβ signaling may be beneficial towards interrupting tumor progression and supplying additional targets for anti-cancer therapies. YL-13027 was developed as a potent small molecule inhibitor of TGFβR1, a tyrosine kinase, and has demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy in preclinical models. In this open-label phase1 dose escalation study, the initial safety evaluation of YL-13027 was presented. The most frequent treatment related adverse events in twelve patients who had completed Cycle 1 safety evaluation period as of the data cut, were the following (all Grades/≥Grade 3): γ-glutamyl transferase elevation (38.5%/7.7%), hemoglobin decrease (38.5%/0%), blood alkaline phosphatase elevation (23.1%/7.7%), AST (23.1%/0%), and blood phosphorus decrease (23.1%/0%). Of the 6 evaluable patients with advanced solid tumors treated as of the data cutoff date, 1 triple negative breast cancer patient had a confirmed Partial Response.

"In recent years, immunotherapy has gradually replaced chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and has shown good clinical results for different types of advanced solid tumors, but we still encounter bottlenecks in terms of safety, tolerability and tumor indication selection” said Dr. Jin Li, professor of Shanghai East Hospital, and a lead investigator on the study. "YL-13027 has demonstrated to be a safe and tolerable oral agent that is highly selective for TGFβR1 over TGFβR2. These results are giving us confidence for the dose escalation of YL-13027, and its performance on other tumor types and combination therapies. We are very optimistic about the further development of YL-13027 as an anti-cancer agent."

Schedule for Linperlisib and YL-13027 presentations at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper)

Abstract # 7531; ‘A phase Ib study of a PI3Kδ inhibitor Linperlisib in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma’ is being presented in the Hematologic Malignancies – Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Session. Citation: J Clin Oncol 39, 2021 (suppl 15; abstr 7531)

Abstract # 3099; ‘A phase Ib study of the PI3Kδ inhibitor linperlisib in patients with advanced solid tumors’ is being presented in the Developmental Therapeutics – Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology Session. Citation: J Clin Oncol 39, 2021 (suppl 15; abstr 3099)

Abstract # 3098; ‘A phase I study of a TGF-β receptor I kinase inhibitor YL-13027 in patients with advanced solid tumors’ is being presented in the Developmental Therapeutics – Molecularly Targeted Agents and Tumor Biology Session. Citation: J Clin Oncol 39, 2021 (suppl 15; abstr 3098)

About Linperlisib

Linperlisib (YY-20394) is a highly selective and potent PI3Kδ inhibitor that has shown favorable safety profile, exciting anti-tumor activities, and good PK and pharmaceutical properties as an oral once-a-day agent in late-stage clinical development. A phase 1 clinical trial was completed in 2020 demonstrating linperlisib to be a safe and tolerable agent, and a recommended phase 2 dose of 80 mg QD was established. Linperlisib received FDA Orphan Drug Designations for FL, CLL/SLL, and T cell lymphoma. Linperlisib was awarded NMPA Breakthrough Therapy status in China. A clinical trial in r/r FL for 93 patients having 2 or more prior systemic therapies has been completed and submitted for marketing approval in China. Additional linperlisib clinical trials are ongoing in other lymphomas, solid tumors, and in combination with gemcitabine/oxaliplatin in r/r DLBCL.

About YL-13027

YL-13027 is a potent small molecule antagonist of TGFβR1 kinase activity in early-stage clinical development. The compound was optimized with selectivity against TGFβR2 and other tyrosine kinases, differentiating YL-13027 from other inhibitors blocking TGFβ signaling. In preclinical studies, YL-13027 demonstrated anti-tumor efficacy and combination benefit with immunotherapy. In IND-enabling studies, YL-13027 showed reliable dose-proportionality and pharmacokinetic properties, and the agent proved to be safe and tolerable in toxicity studies. A phase 1 dose escalation of YL-13027 is continuing to establish a recommended phase2 dose of YL-13027.

Amphivena Presents New Monotherapy and First Combination Therapy Clinical Data in Solid Tumor Patients

On June 4, 2021 Amphivena Therapeutics, a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing immune-therapeutics that restore anti-cancer immunity to patients, reported a favorable safety profile for AMV564 and clinical responses including a CR in patients with advanced relapsed or refractory solid tumors (Press release, Amphivena Therapeutics, JUN 4, 2021, View Source [SID1234583602]). The poster presentation at the 2021 virtual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting disclosed the first comprehensive set of clinical results from Amphivena’s Phase 1 dose escalation study of AMV564 dosed subcutaneously (sc) as monotherapy or in combination with pembrolizumab, including in post checkpoint treatment failures.

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Poster authors representing Duke University, The Christ Hospital of Cincinnati, OH, MD Anderson Cancer Center, NEXT Oncology, and Moffitt Cancer Center concluded that AMV564 delivered subcutaneously was well tolerated with no dose-limiting toxicities and no maximum tolerated dose reported. Additionally, clinical responses were observed in both monotherapy and combination therapy patients, including durable stable disease, mixed responses, and a RECIST v1.1 complete response (ovarian cancer patient treated with AMV564 monotherapy). Importantly, no cases of CRS were observed at the planned dose expansion doses.

According to Patrick Chun, M.D., Amphivena vice president of clinical development, "T cell engagement has proven to be a viable immunotherapeutic strategy in cancer. However, previous technologies have been limited by toxicity (CRS), exposure, and attenuated efficacy. With this data, we are clearly differentiating Amphivena from other companies in the space. Our unique approach uses T cell engagers that target MDSCs, thus attenuating the immunosuppressive milieu in cancer patients, while simultaneously limiting CRS, which has been the primary adverse event of concern with this class of molecules. Based on the clinical safety and pharmacokinetic profiles, along with clinical activity, we believe it is imperative to further explore AMV564 in selected solid tumor indications and alternative dosing regimens, including once weekly dosing."

The poster presents data that AMV564 induced expansion of tumor-specific T-cell clones and clinical responses when administered as a monotherapy and in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor, including in patients who have previously progressed with checkpoint inhibitor treatment. Strong induction of IFNγ was observed with monotherapy and especially in combination, with comparatively low IL6, favorable with respect to both safety and induction of anti-tumor response pathways.

The Phase 1 dose escalation study (NCT04128423) enrolled 30 patients (20 monotherapy, 10 combination therapy). The majority of patients received three or more lines of prior therapy (70% of monotherapy patients, 50% of combination therapy patients) including 35% of monotherapy patients and 10% of combination therapy patients who received prior checkpoint-inhibitor therapy.

Details of the Presentations:

Title: Results of a phase 1 dose-escalation study of AMV564, a novel T-cell engager, alone and in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with relapsed/refractory solid tumors
Authors: Niharika B. Mettu, et al.
Abstract Number: 2555

The full abstract and poster will be available on the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting 2021 and Amphivena website (View Source) as of 9:00AM EDT on Friday, June 4th.

About AMV564

AMV564 is a product of Amphivena’s proprietary ReSTORETM (Relieve Suppression of T cells in Oncology and Reinvigorate Effectors) platform of bivalent T-cell engagers. The investigational drug candidate has been shown to relieve immune suppression via targeted depletion of immunosuppressive MDSC and drive T cell activation and polarization to restore anti-cancer immunity. To date, over 80 patients have received AMV564 across three Phase 1 clinical trials for patients with solid tumors, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).