On June 1, 2024 Immunofoco Biotech, a company dedicated to developing cell therapy products for solid tumors, reported that the clinical research data for two of its products have been accepted for presentation at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting (Press release, Immunofoco, JUN 1, 2024, View Source [SID1234643954]). The company will showcase the latest clinical trial findings for IMC001 in a poster presentation and for IMC002 in an online presentation during the ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) event, scheduled from May 31 to June 4, 2024.
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Outstanding safety and efficacy data of IMC002, an autologous CLDN18.2-targeting CAR-T, in CLDN18.2+ advanced solid tumors (e16012)
Claudin 18.2 (CLDN18.2) is a promising therapeutic target for treating advanced solid tumors. IMC002 is an autologous CLDN18.2-targeting CAR-T cell directed by a high specific anti-CLDN18.2 VHH, the specificity of which was confirmed by a membrane proteome array assay. Preclinical studies showed that IMC002 exhibited high tumor specificity, potent anti-tumor efficacy, and excellent safety profile in both cellular and animal models.
As of January 17, 2024, three patients with advanced unresectable gastric cancer received IMC002 infusion. There was no dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) or serious adverse events (SAE) reported. All three patients experienced manageable cytokine release syndrome (CRS) at grade 1. In addition, all adverse events recovered quickly. Preliminary efficacy data showed that all three patients exhibited stable disease as their best overall response, as evaluated by RECIST 1.1 criteria. Among the two patients who received a dosage of 3 million CAR-T cells/kg, successful radical surgeries were performed at week (W) 11 and 44 post-IMC002 infusion respectively when CAR-T treatment reduced the tumor burden. Notably, pathological complete response (pCR) was achieved in one patient with surgery at W44. Noteworthy expansion of CAR-T cells in peripheral blood was observed in all three patients, with peak CAR+cell counts recorded between day 7-11 in the peripheral blood post-infusion. Moreover, CAR-T cell infiltration in the tumor tissues was detected in the surgical samples obtained at weeks 11 and 44. Significant increases of serum levels of IFN-y, IL-10, IP-10, IL-2 and IL-6 were observed in all three patients. The trial remains ongoing.
IMC002 demonstrated a promising safety profile, along with encouraging anti-tumor effects, including observed pCR and sustained expansion within tumor tissues, even at the low dosage levels among patients with advanced CLDN18.2+ gastric cancer. In addition, our trial has successfully facilitated a surgical treatment intervention following CAR-T therapy, enabling the downstaging of previously deemed unresectable gastric cancers.
Efficacy of EpCAM CAR-T IMC001 in advanced gastric cancers (Poster #4043)
An exciting phase I clinical trial was presented, showcasing the innovative application of CAR-T cell therapy targeting EpCAM for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. Led by a collaborative team of physicians and scientists from Shanghai Changhai Hospital, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, and Suzhou Immunofoco Biotechnology Co., Ltd, the trial demonstrated promising safety and preliminary efficacy findings for IMC001.
Between August 18, 2021, and May 8, 2023, a total of 11 patients underwent IMC001 CAR-T cell infusion. As of the cutoff date (March 31st, 2024), infusions of low- and middle-dose IMC001 demonstrated a favorable safety profile. Among 10 evaluable patients, the disease control rate was 90%, with one patient in the low-dose group (1/3, 33.3%) and two in the middle-dose group (2/5, 40%) achieved a partial response (PR). The middle-dose was determined as the Recommended Dose, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 18.1 weeks (95% CI 7.97, –) and the median overall survival (OS) was 55.1 weeks (95% CI 23.78, –) for this group; within the middle-dose group, 3/5 patients survived for more than 10 months. One patient in the middle-dose group achieved a confirmed PR by Week 24, leading to a radical gastrectomy at Week 27, and the patient had survived for more than 22 months by the cutoff date. Analysis of tumor immune microenvironment suggested that an inflamed tumor environment may favor the anti-tumor effects of IMC001.
In this phase I dose-escalation trial, IMC001 exhibited a favorable safety profile and encouraging efficacy in patients with advanced, pre-treated gastric cancer (GC). Further investigation is needed to further evaluate the potential of IMC001 for patients with advanced GC.
Dr. Tianhang Luo, a distinguished chief physician from Shanghai Changhai Hospital and principal investigator for the IMC001 and IMC002 trials, commented, "We have witnessed remarkable cases at our institution where patients, after receiving infusion with IMC001 or IMC002 CAR-T cell products, became eligible for surgical treatment by downstaging previously unresectable gastric cancers. Notably, there was a case where a patient treated with IMC002 underwent surgery about 10 months after CAR-T infusion, and the pathological examination of the resected tumor tissues showed only fibrous and adipose tissues without any tumor cells. This indicates successful infiltration of CAR-T cells into the solid tumor, effectively eliminating the tumor cells. A single infusion of CAR-T cells achieved disease control for over a year, with the tumor shrinking to complete remission, greatly reducing the need of other medication for the patient. This demonstrates the tremendous potential of CAR-T cell therapy in treating solid tumors."
Dr. Minmin Sun, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Immunofoco Biotech, stated in an interview: "IMC002 and IMC001 have shown good safety and significant anti-tumor effects in treating patients with advanced gastric cancer. CAR-T cells have shown ongoing expansion within tumor tissues, with one patient achieving complete remission upon pathological examination. These encouraging results have greatly strengthened our commitment to expanding the scope of clinical trials and quickly advance to registrational phase II clinical trials. We firmly believe that IMC002 & IMC001 will offer more innovative treatment options to cancer patients worldwide."