On March 20, 2024 Antengene Corporation Limited ("Antengene" SEHK: 6996.HK), a leading innovative, commercial-stage global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering, developing and commercializing first-in-class and/or best-in-class therapeutics in hematology and oncology, reported that it has initiated the dose expansion portion of the Phase II CLINCH study of ATG-022 (Claudin 18.2 antibody-drug conjugate[ADC]) in China and Australia (Press release, Antengene, MAR 20, 2024, View Source [SID1234641301]). Prior to this, the CLINCH trial has already produced promising preliminary clinical results with partial response (PR) and compete response (CR).
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The CLINCH trial, consists of a dose escalation portion and a dose expansion portion, is a multi-center, open-label Phase I/II study of ATG-022 monotherapy in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ATG-022 and to determine important dosing parameters including maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) of ATG-022 monotherapy. The secondary objective is to characterize the pharmacology and evaluate the preliminary efficacy of ATG-022.
The dose expansion portion of the study will enroll patients with gastric cancer or other solid tumors. In May 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) consecutively granted two Orphan Drug Designations (ODDs) to ATG-022 for the treatment of pancreatic cancer and gastric cancer, separately.
Dr. Amily Zhang, Antengene’s Chief Medical Officer, said, "We are excited that the dose expansion portion of the Phase II study of ATG-022 in China and Australia. The Phase I/II CLINCH trial is supported by strong preclinical data and has already made encouraging early observations with one PR and CR in two patients with metastatic gastric cancer. With the trial entering its next critical phase, we will continue working closely with regulators and investigators to fully explore the clinical potential of ATG-022."
About ATG-022
ATG-022 is an antibody-drug-conjugate targeting Claudin 18.2. Claudins are cell adhesion molecules normally expressed within the tight junctions between cells to form a barrier that regulates cell permeability. In cancer, Claudins are expressed at the cell surface due to changes in cell polarity. The Claudin 18.2 is often overexpressed in various primary malignant tumors including gastric, esophageal, cholangiocarcinoma and pancreatic cancers.
Data from preclinical studies, including results from gastric cancer-patient derived xenograft models presented at the 2022 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) (2022 AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper)), showed that ATG-022 binds to Claudin 18.2 with low nanomolar affinity and demonstrated potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects, including in vivo efficacy demonstrated in Claudin 18.2 low expression models. This could pave the way for broad clinical utility of ATG-022 in gastric cancer patients with a wide range of Claudin 18.2 expression levels. ATG-022 demonstrated an excellent safety profile in Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) toxicology studies.