On April 27, 2020 NOXXON Pharma N.V. (Paris:ALNOX) (Euronext Growth Paris: ALNOX), a biotechnology company focused on improving cancer treatments by targeting the tumor microenvironment (TME), reported the presentation of the latest clinical results from the Phase 1/2 study with CXCL12 inhibitor, NOX-A12, and pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite-stable, metastatic colorectal or pancreatic cancer at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting 2020 (Press release, NOXXON, APR 27, 2020, View Source [SID1234556652]). The data were presented in a short video with commentary by the first author, Dr. Niels Halama, from the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) in Heidelberg, Germany.
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The data indicate that treatment with NOX-A12 plus pembrolizumab in the combination therapy part of the study resulted in stable disease in 25% of patients and prolonged time on treatment vs. prior therapy for 35% of patients. The safety profile of the combination therapy was consistent with that of pembrolizumab in advanced cancer patients. Comparison of tumor biopsies from before and after NOX-A12 monotherapy showed a trend towards agglomeration of T cells within tumors in about half of the patients where NOX-A12 had induced a Th1-type cytokine response. This agglomeration was accompanied by reduced distances between T cells and cancer cells, suggesting increased infiltration of effector immune cells into tumor tissue and a more effective immune response.
"Based on the fact that these indications have so far remained unaffected by checkpoint inhibitors, the outcome of this trial emphasizes the real potential NOX-A12 has on targeting the tumor microenvironment and enabling the intended mode of action of pembrolizumab," said Aram Mangasarian, CEO of NOXXON. "These results provide a strong rationale for moving this program forward into a larger scale randomized trial with a less-advanced patient population, an opportunity we intend to pursue with a partner."
"As a clinician who has worked with colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients, the data provide signals that support the potential impact of the combination of NOX-A12 with pembrolizumab, which is a significant step for these cancers with extremely limited options," commented Dr. Jarl Ulf Jungnelius, CMO of NOXXON.
Access to AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) Virtual Annual Meeting 2020 is freely available upon registration. NOXXON’s abstract and a short video with commentary (presentation CT117) are now available online in the Virtual Poster Session section VPO.CT01 on the AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) website, as well as on the NOXXON website.