On December 2, 2021 SQZ Biotechnologies Company (NYSE: SQZ), a cell therapy company developing novel treatments for multiple therapeutic areas, reported interim results from the highest-dose monotherapy cohort of its ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of SQZ-PBMC-HPV, an investigational cell therapy being evaluated in certain patients with advanced or metastatic Human Papillomavirus positive (HPV16+) solid tumors (Press release, SQZ Biotech, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596397]). In an abstract published today by the European Society for Medical Oncology Immuno-Oncology (ESMO-IO) Congress, taking place December 8-11, the company reported that a highly treatment experienced patient in the highest-dose cohort demonstrated a radiographic response in conjunction with substantial increases in CD8 T cell tumor infiltration and PD-L1 expression – both markers of tumor inflammation. The cell therapy was generally well tolerated and no dose limiting toxicities were observed in the final monotherapy stage of the trial.

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"We are excited to present detailed interim clinical findings from the highest dose monotherapy cohort of our ongoing SQZ-PBMC-HPV Phase 1/2 study at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper)-IO," said Armon Sharei, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Founder of SQZ Biotechnologies. "These data build upon the initial readout in lower dose cohorts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) annual conference earlier this year. The latest clinical response data and biomarker findings further increase our enthusiasm for the SQZ APC program as we advance into the combination stage with checkpoint inhibitors."

Data on the highest dose cohort of SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101, including biomarker and tumor response findings, will be shared as an oral presentation at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper)-IO on December 9. See presentation information below.

The combination stage of the trial is enrolling with checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-(L)1 and CTLA-4 pathways. Available clinical trial data and scientific literature suggest that SQZ APCs could work synergistically with checkpoint inhibitors due to their CD8 tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) driving mechanism.

Trial Highlights from ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) IO Abstract 565

SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101 Phase 1/2 trial has four dose-escalating monotherapy cohorts ranging from 0.5 to 5.0 x10e6 cells per kg
A total of 18 patients were treated across four cohorts and patients had an average of 3.5 prior lines of systemic cancer therapy
Across all cohorts the investigational therapy was generally well-tolerated, and no dose-limiting toxicities were observed
No grade 2 or higher treatment-related severe adverse events, or grade 3 adverse events, were observed in the highest-dose cohort
In the highest-dose cohort with five patients evaluable, one patient who had been heavily treated with PD-1 inhibitors before entering the trial demonstrated radiographic response as well as substantial increases in CD8 T cell tumor infiltration and PD-L1 expression
The highest-dose monotherapy stage continues enrollment to further characterize the investigational therapy in single agent settings.

ESMO-IO Presentation Details

Oral Presentation: Thursday, December 9 at 12:10 pm CET
Presentation Number: 48MO
Abstract Title: SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101: Preliminary results of a first-in-human, dose-escalation study of a cell-based vaccine in HLA-A*02+ patients with recurrent, locally advanced, or metastatic HPV16+ solid tumors

Lead Author: Jong Chul Park, MD, Medical Oncologist and Investigator, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center

The ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper)-IO presentation will be on the Events & Presentations section of the company’s website on December 9 at 12:10 pm CET.

Conference Call
The company will host a conference call and webcast at 8:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, December 9 to discuss the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper)-IO presentation. Participants can join via webcast link or by dialing 1-877-805-7920 (domestic) or 1-629-228-0702 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call. An archived webcast will be accessible for 90 days after the event.

SQZ-PBMC-HPV-101 Trial Design
SQZ-PBMC-HPV is being evaluated in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for the treatment of HPV16+ advanced or metastatic solid tumors. Patients must be positive for the human leukocyte antigen serotype HLA-A*02. The investigational candidate, which targets E6 and E7 oncoproteins, is being studied as a monotherapy and in combination with immuno-oncology agents. The study’s primary outcome measures in the monotherapy and combination phases of the trial include safety and tolerability. Antitumor activity is a secondary outcome measure in both the monotherapy and combination stages of the trial, and manufacturing feasibility is a secondary outcome measure in the monotherapy phase of the trial. The monotherapy phase of the study includes escalating dose cohorts with a dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) window of 28 days and is designed to identify a recommended phase 2 dose. The planned combination phase of the study will include SQZ-PBMC-HPV and checkpoint inhibitors. DLT will be measured over 42 days.

About Human Papillomavirus Positive Cancers
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common viruses worldwide and certain strains persist for many years leading to cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in the United States HPV+ tumors represent 3% of all cancers in women and 2% of all cancers in men, resulting in over 39,000 new cases of HPV+ tumors every year. HPV infection is larger outside of the U.S., and according to the International Journal of Cancer HPV+ tumors account for 4.5% of all cancers worldwide, resulting in approximately 630,000 new cases every year. According to the CDC, HPV infection plays a significant role in the formation of more than 90% of anal and cervical cancers, and most cases of vaginal (75%), oropharyngeal (70%), vulval (70%) and penile (60%) cancers.

On December 2, 2021 Innate Pharma SA (Euronext Paris: IPH; Nasdaq: IPHA) ("Innate" or the "Company") reported that it will present new data from the Phase 2 expansion cohort (‘cohort 3’) exploring the triplet combination of monalizumab, cetuximab and durvalumab, in first-line IO and chemo-naïve patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell cancer (R/M SCCHN) at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Immuno-oncology Congress 2021, being held virtually from December 8-11 2021 (Press release, Innate Pharma, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596396]).

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Monalizumab, Innate’s lead partnered asset, is a potentially first-in-class immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting NKG2A receptors expressed on tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and NK cells.

Additionally, Pr. Eric Vivier, Ph.D., DVM, Chief Scientific Officer at Innate Pharma, will present in the NK cell biology educational session. Details can be found below.

Presentation Details:

Monalizumab: The oral presentation (#123MO) entitled, "Monalizumab, cetuximab and durvalumab in first-line treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN): a phase 2 trial," will be presented from 12:15-12:20 pm CET on December 9, 2021.
NK cells: Prof. Vivier will discuss Innate’s multi-specific NK cell engager platform, ANKETTM (Antibody-based NK cell Engager Therapeutics), in the educational session entitled, "NK cells biology and therapeutic opportunities, innate immunity, adaptive immunity" from 11:40 – 12 pm CET on December 9, 2021.
About Monalizumab:

Monalizumab is a potentially first-in-class immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting NKG2A receptors expressed on tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and NK cells.

NKG2A is an inhibitory checkpoint receptor for HLA-E. By expressing HLA-E, cancer cells can protect themselves from killing by NKG2A+ immune cells. HLA-E is frequently overexpressed in the cancer cells of many solid tumors and hematological malignancies. Monalizumab may re-establish a broad anti-tumor response mediated by NK and T cells and may enhance the cytotoxic potential of other therapeutic antibodies1.

AstraZeneca obtained full oncology rights to monalizumab in October 2018 through a co-development and commercialization agreement initiated in 2015. The ongoing development for monalizumab is focused on investigating monalizumab in various combination strategies in different malignancies.

About ANKETTM:

ANKETTM (Antibody-based NK cell Engager Therapeutics) is Innate’s proprietary platform for developing next-generation, multi-specific natural killer (NK) cell engagers to treat certain types of cancer. The Company’s latest innovation, its tetra-specific ANKETTM molecule, is the first NK cell engager technology to engage two NK cell-activating receptors (NKp46 and CD16), a tumor antigen and the interleukin-2 receptor (by an IL-2 variant, IL-2v), via a single molecule. This molecule leverages the advantages of harnessing NK cell effector functions against cancer cells and also provides proliferation and activation signals targeted to NK cells.

In pre-clinical studies, Innate’s tri-2 and tetra-specific ANKETTM technologies promote potent NK cell activation, cytotoxicity and efficient control of tumor growth in pre-clinical models. This versatile fit-for-purpose technology is creating an entirely new class of molecules to induce synthetic immunity against cancer.

On December 2, 2021 CTI BioPharma Corp. (NASDAQ: CTIC) reported that management will provide a corporate overview at the JMP Securities Hematology & Oncology Summit at 3:40 p.m. ET (Press release, CTI BioPharma, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596395]). The conference will be held in a virtual meeting format.

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Presentation details:
Event: JMP Securities Hematology & Oncology Summit
Date: Monday, December 6, 2021
Time: 3:40 p.m. ET

The presentation will be webcast live and available for replay from the Investors section of CTI BioPharma’s website at www.ctibiopharma.com.

On December 2, 2021, Delcath Systems, Inc. Presented the Corporate Presentation (Presentation, Delcath Systems, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596394]).

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On December 2, 2021 Xilio Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: XLO), a biotechnology company developing tumor-selective immuno-oncology therapies for patients with cancer, reported recent pipeline and business progress and third quarter 2021 financial results (Press release, Xilio Therapeutics, DEC 2, 2021, View Source [SID1234596393]).

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"Xilio made significant progress in 2021 as we transitioned to a clinical stage organization with XTX101, a tumor-selective anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, and XTX202, a tumor-selective IL-2, in clinical development," said René Russo, Pharm. D., president and chief executive officer of Xilio. "With the recent completion of our IPO and a strong and experienced team in place, we are well-positioned to leverage our geographically precise solutions (GPS) platform to advance our pipeline of immuno-oncology therapies that have the potential to achieve meaningful anti-tumor activity while minimizing serious, systemic effects for the benefit of cancer patients."

Recent Pipeline and Business Progress

Cytokine Programs

In October 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared Xilio’s investigational new drug application (IND) to evaluate XTX202, a tumor-selective interleukin-2 (IL-2), as a potential treatment for patients with solid tumors. XTX202 is designed to localize activity in the tumor microenvironment, with the goal of overcoming the known toxicity challenges of existing IL-2 therapies while achieving enhanced anti-tumor activity.
In November 2021, at the Society for Immunotherapy in Cancer’s 36th Annual Meeting, Xilio reported data from preclinical studies for XTX301, a tumor-selective interleukin-12 (IL-12). Findings demonstrated selective anti-tumor activity and favorable tolerability with minimal systemic effects observed in mouse models evaluating a murine surrogate for XTX301 and non-human primate models evaluating XTX301.
Checkpoint Inhibitor Program

In September 2021, Xilio initiated patient dosing in its Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating XTX101, a tumor-selective anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of solid tumors as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-PD-1. XTX101 is designed to improve upon the therapeutic index of existing anti-CTLA-4 therapies by overcoming their historical potency and tolerability limitations, as well as the inability to use existing anti-CTLA-4 therapies at their full dose in combination with other immuno-oncology therapies.
Recent Business Highlights

On October 26, 2021, Xilio closed its initial public offering (IPO). In connection with the IPO, Xilio issued and sold 7,353,000 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $16.00 per share, and on November 1, 2021, Xilio issued and sold an additional 766,106 shares of common stock at a public offering price of $16.00 per share pursuant to the partial exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares. Xilio received aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $129.9 million or aggregate net proceeds of approximately $116.3 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by Xilio.
Appointed Tim Hunt as Xilio’s chief culture and corporate affairs officer in October 2021.
Appointed Sara Bonstein, chief financial officer of Insmed, Inc., to Xilio’s board of directors in August 2021.
Anticipated Milestones in 2022

Xilio currently anticipates the following milestones in 2022:

Initiation of a Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate XTX202 in multiple solid tumor types in the first quarter of 2022
Presentation of preliminary data for the monotherapy cohort of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating XTX101 in patients with advanced solid tumors in the middle of 2022
Presentation of preliminary Phase 1 data for XTX202 in patients with multiple solid tumor types in the second half of 2022
Presentation of preliminary data from the combination cohort for the Phase 1/2 clinical trial evaluating XTX101 in patients with advanced solid tumors in the second half of 2022
Submission of an IND for XTX301 in the second half of 2022
Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results

Cash Position and Guidance: Cash and cash equivalents were $99.8 million as of September 30, 2021, compared to $19.2 million as of December 31, 2020. Cash and cash equivalents as of September 30, 2021 do not include $116.3 million in estimated net proceeds from Xilio’s October 2021 IPO. Xilio believes that its existing cash and cash equivalents, together with the net proceeds from its IPO, will enable it to fund its operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements into 2024.
Research & Development (R&D) Expenses: R&D expenses were $10.5 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $11.5 million for the third quarter of 2020. This decrease was primarily driven by lower comparable costs associated with manufacturing development activities for the XTX101 and XTX202 programs, partially offset by higher personnel-related costs due to increased headcount and preclinical research and clinical development expenses.
General & Administrative (G&A) Expenses: G&A expenses were $5.5 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $3.2 million for the third quarter of 2020. This increase was primarily driven by higher personnel-related costs due to increased headcount and higher professional fees related to ongoing business activities and preparations related to operating as a public company.
Net Loss: Net loss was $16.3 million for the third quarter of 2021, compared to $14.8 million for the third quarter of 2020.