On November 6, 2019 Ascendis Pharma A/S (Nasdaq: ASND), a biopharmaceutical company that utilizes its innovative TransCon technologies to address unmet medical needs, reported the presentation of preclinical data for TransCon Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 7/8 Agonist, an oncology product candidate designed to provide sustained local release of resiquimod, a small molecule with immune-activating and anti-tumor properties, at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) annual meeting in National Harbor, Maryland (Press release, Ascendis Pharma, NOV 6, 2019, View Source [SID1234551452]). The poster will be presented on Saturday, November 9, 2019.
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"Our preclinical data showed that TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist, administered as a single intratumoral injection in animal studies, delivered sustained local release of resiquimod over weeks directly to the tumor site and demonstrated potent anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy, as well as in combination with interleukin-2 (IL-2). This highlights the potential for TransCon technologies to improve the safety and efficacy of validated therapeutic candidates in oncology," said Juha Punnonen, M.D., Ph.D., Ascendis Pharma’s Senior Vice President and Head of Oncology. "Presenting these results for the first time at a premier scientific meeting is significant for us, reinforcing the potential applicability of TransCon technologies in the field of oncology."
TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist is a long-acting prodrug of resiquimod that is transiently conjugated to a hydrogel carrier via a TransCon linker. Administered as an intratumoral injection, TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist is designed to provide sustained release of unmodified resiquimod directly to the tumor. In preclinical studies, the effective half-life of resiquimod released from TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist has been found to be approximately 25-fold longer than the parent drug, resiquimod.
Presentation Details
Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) (Free SITC Whitepaper) 2019
Title Date/Time
P676: Intratumoral delivery of TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist provides potent anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy and in combination with IL-2 while minimizing systemic cytokine induction
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Following the session, the poster will also be available on the company’s website under Selected Publications in the Pipeline section.
About TransCon Oncology Programs
Ascendis Pharma is working to create potentially best-in-class oncology therapies by applying systemic and intratumoral TransCon technologies for clinically validated pathways to improve outcomes currently limited by suboptimal efficacy and systemic toxicity. Three oncology programs are currently in preclinical studies: TransCon TLR7/8 Agonist, TransCon IL-2 b/g and TransCon Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (VEGF-TKI).
About TransCon Technology
TransCon is short for "transient conjugation." The proprietary TransCon platform is an innovative technology to create new therapies that optimize therapeutic effect, including efficacy, safety and dosing frequency. TransCon molecules have three components: an unmodified parent drug, an inert carrier that protects it, and a linker that temporarily binds the two. When bound, the carrier inactivates and shields the parent drug from clearance. When injected into the body, physiologic pH and temperature conditions initiate the release of the active, unmodified parent drug in a predictable manner. Because the parent drug is unmodified, its original mode of action is expected to be maintained. TransCon technology can be applied broadly to a protein, peptide or a small molecule in multiple therapeutic areas, and can be used systemically or locally.