On April 11, 2016 Aduro Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADRO), reported that the company’s chief scientific officer, Thomas W. Dubensky, Jr., Ph.D., will be a featured speaker at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) (Free AACR Whitepaper) 2016 Annual Meeting being held April 16-20 in New Orleans, Louisiana (Press release, Aduro BioTech, APR 11, 2016, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2155861 [SID:1234510645]). Dr. Dubensky’s presentation is part of a Major Symposium, "Cancer Immunotherapy: Small Molecule Approaches," taking place on April 20, 2016, during which he will highlight Aduro’s landmark first-in-human immunotherapeutic approach in cancer to target the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway.

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The presentation will focus on ADU-S100, a novel synthetic cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) that is one of a family of proprietary small molecules being developed by Aduro that broadly activates the human STING receptor. STING is expressed in immune cells that are present in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and is a central and potent mediator of the innate immune response, a necessary step in the development of effective tumor-specific immunity. Activation of the STING pathway has been shown to correlate with infiltration of lymphocytes and a "T-cell inflamed TME" in patients with melanoma. Stimulation of STING induces signaling through several innate immune response pathways, resulting in the expression of various interferons, cytokines and T cell recruitment factors that amplify and strengthen immune activity. Dr. Dubensky will discuss preclinical data demonstrating that the direct engagement of STING through the intratumoral injection of ADU-S100 resulted in effective, durable and systemic anti-tumor activity. The data suggest that the resulting tumor regression is due to an acute pro-inflammatory cytokine response and induction of tumor-specific CD8+ T cell immunity. Preclinical data will be presented which also demonstrate the potential synergistic effects of combining ADU-S100 and immune checkpoint inhibitors, including anti-PD1. In addition, Dr. Dubensky will present an overview of the Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and possible anti-tumor activity of ADU-S100 given by intratumoral injection to patients with advanced cutaneously accessible solid tumors or lymphomas.

"We are excited to share this new research and planned Phase 1 clinical trial, which highlights ADU-S100, Aduro’s lead STING activator candidate, and its translational potential for treating patients with metastatic solid tumors and lymphomas," said Dr. Dubensky. "Our data suggest that the stimulation of a local immune response in the TME can result in a sustained and effective tumor-specific immune response against metastases throughout the body. This observation reinforces the importance of the STING signaling pathway in cancer immunotherapy and the potential of ADU-S100 to be used alone or in combination treatment approaches for advanced cancer patients."

Based on these promising preclinical results, Aduro and Novartis, as part of a collaboration focused on STING pathway activator compounds in the field of oncology, will initiate a Phase 1 dose escalation trial with ADU-S100 in patients with cutaneously accessible metastatic solid tumors or lymphomas who have no other treatment options.

Aduro will also be presenting a poster at AACR (Free AACR Whitepaper) on Monday, April 18, 2016 titled "STING Activation in the Tumor Microenvironment with a Synthetic Human Cyclic Dinucleotide Leads to Potent Anti-Tumor Immunity." This will provide additional details on preclinical research showing the effectiveness of ADU-S100 in activating the STING receptor and inducing an immune response across diverse tumor models.

Details of the presentations:

Oral Presentation "SY39-02: Direct activation of STING in the tumor microenvironment leads to potent and systemic tumor regression and immunity," Wednesday, April 20, 2016 10:55 AM – 11:20 AM, New Orleans Theater C. Morial Convention Center
Poster Presentation "STING Activation in the Tumor Microenvironment with a Synthetic Human Cyclic Dinucleotide Leads to Potent Anti-Tumor Immunity," Monday, April 18, 2016 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Section 24