On December 12, 2016 NantKwest Inc. (Nasdaq:NK), a pioneering, next generation, clinical-stage immunotherapy company focused on harnessing the unique power of our immune system using natural killer (NK) cells to treat cancer, infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases, reported that the company presented results from a preclinical study on the company’s high affinity Natural Killer (haNK) cell therapy program at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in San Antonio, TX, which was held on December 6-10, 2016 (Press release, NantKwest, DEC 12, 2016, http://ir.nantkwest.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=254059&p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2229036 [SID1234517050]).
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Previous studies have shown that patients with HER2 positive breast cancer who have the high-affinity CD16 receptor that have been treated with Herceptin (trastuzumab) had better clinical outcomes versus those without the high affinity receptor. In this study, in a mouse xenograft model of HER2 positive breast cancer, to enhance the activity of aNK (activated natural killer) cell therapy aNK cells were engineered to express the CD16 high affinity Fc receptor (haNK cells). Study results reported provide further supporting evidence that antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) mediated cancer cell killing can be further enhanced through the recognition of the Fc fragment of a therapeutic antibody, in this case Herceptin, and the haNK cell’s CD16 Fc receptor.
"In over 50 patients in a broad range of cancer types, NantKwest’s aNK cell therapy has demonstrated promising indications of efficacy and an excellent safety record," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, MD, Chairman and CEO of NantKwest. "In this study, haNK cell therapy in combination with Herceptin was highly synergistic, resulting in tumor regression and significantly better efficacy in comparison to either agent alone. This data, highlighting the potential benefit of combining haNK cell therapy with Herceptin in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer, provides further supportive evidence and a solid foundation to fast track this program into human clinical trials."
Collaborating on the study were research scientists from NantBiosciences, NantCell and NantKwest.
Presentation Summary
High-affinity Activated Natural Killer (haNK) Cells Augment Trastuzumab Efficacy in a Mouse Model of HER2-positive Human Metastatic Breast Cancer
Abstract #P2-04-1-466
Presenter: Shahrooz Rabizadeh, PhD, NantBiosciences Inc., Culver City, CA
Thursday, December 8, 2016, 7:30 AM, Room Hall 1
This poster reviews the potential synergistic use of haNK cell therapy in combination with Herceptin (trastuzumab) in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.