On May 18, 2018 Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) ("Rocket"), a leading U.S.-based multi-platform gene therapy company, reported the presentation of updated data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical trial of RP-L102, the Company’s lead lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy, for Fanconi Anemia (FA) (Press release, Rocket Pharmaceuticals, MAY 18, 2018, View Source;p=RssLanding&cat=news&id=2349899 [SID1234526803]). The data were highlighted today in an oral presentation during the distinguished Presidential Symposium at the ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 2018 Annual Meeting, by Dr. Juan Bueren, Head of the Hematopoietic Innovative Therapies Division at the Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) in Spain / CIBER-Rare Diseases / IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz (FJD), and program principal investigator of the RP-L102 trial.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"Several important observations are emerging from our ongoing Phase 1/2 trial in FA. First, even without myeloablative conditioning, there are increasing levels of bone marrow engraftment following administration of RP-L102. Second, the improvement of chromosomal stability in corrected FA cells indicates that RP-L102 is reversing the FA phenotype. Third, the natural progression of bone marrow failure in these patients is reversed. In fact, the bone marrow cells of the two patients who received higher doses demonstrate conversion to a somatic mosaic status that is sustained over the course of several months. Finally, the progressive increases of corrected, versus non-corrected, peripheral blood leukocytes indicate that RP-L102 is restoring functionality of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells. This translates to a stabilization in peripheral blood cell counts which would otherwise continue to decline in the absence of treatment. Based on these encouraging results, I believe that RP-L102 has the potential to be a transformative and minimally toxic prevention of bone marrow failure for FA," said Dr. Bueren.

This Phase 1/2 study is an ongoing, open-label, single-center study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of RP-L102 in FA type A without the use of myeloablative conditioning. Julian Sevilla, M.D., Ph.D., of the hospital of Niño Jesús in Madrid, is the clinical trial principal investigator. Five patients have been treated to date. The first four patients have been followed for 12-24 months, and a fifth patient, treated with transduction-enhanced RP-L102, has been followed for two months.

Key efficacy measurements include:

Genetic correction of bone marrow cells (engraftment): measured by peripheral blood vector copy number (VCN)
Functional and phenotypic correction of bone marrow cells: measured by resistance to mitomycin-C (MMC)
Functional and phenotypic correction of blood cells: measured by chromosomal stability of T-lymphocytes in the presence of diepoxybutane (DEB)
Hematologic correction: measured by changes in previously declining pre-treatment blood count trajectories
Other measured parameters include safety, vector integration profile, and clonal repertoire.

Updated Results Presented at ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) 2018:

Data presented today includes all five patients treated to date with RP-L102 under academic protocol:

All patients demonstrated continued improvement in engraftment following administration of RP-L102. In patient 02002—the first patient treated with higher doses—peripheral blood VCN increased to 44% at 24 months, from 34% at 19 months and 17% at 12 months.
Sustained phenotypic reversals and earlier evidence of gene correction were seen in higher-dosed patients (02002 and 02006) within months of treatment. Notably, based on MMC and DEB assays, these two patients showed durable improvements consistent with somatic mosaicism that has persisted over the course of several months. Somatic mosaicism is an FA phenomenon where patients largely do not develop the typical FA manifestations of bone marrow failure and leukemia1. Moreover, in patient 02002, the bone marrow resistance to MMC increased to 70% at 24 months (up from ~20% at 12 months), approaching the phenotype of a healthy donor.
Patients 02004 and 02005 received non-optimized and lower doses of RP-L102. Nonetheless, evidence of gene-corrected and phenotypically-normalized cells was seen, but after longer durations.
One patient (01003) received RP-L102 manufactured in the presence of transduction enhancers. Based on early data, RP-L102 transduction efficiency (drug product VCN) was the highest to date—more than five-fold higher compared to the best previously achieved (0.53 for patient 2006 and 0.43 for patient 2002). Additionally, early engraftment accelerated more than three-fold compared to earlier patients.
No serious drug-related adverse events have been observed to date.
"We are very pleased by the trajectory of progressively increasing gene markings and reversion to a phenotype where the blood and bone marrow cells are resistant to DNA damaging agents. Moreover, it appears that the stabilization of blood counts, which previously were declining, resulted from an increase in gene-corrected peripheral blood cell lineages," said Gaurav Shah, M.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Rocket. "Moving forward, we plan to use a further optimized process with the addition of transduction enhancers and treat patients earlier in their disease course. These modifications are expected to enable more robust responses."

"The value creation we seek, relative to standard transplant, is to enable intervention soon after diagnosis as a preventative measure. Therefore, stability of blood counts is going to be an important indicator of the potential benefit of our FANCA-focused LVV gene therapy programs for this life-threatening disease," continued Dr. Shah. "Rocket remains committed to advancing the standard of care in FA, and to the continued advancement of our pipeline of five LVV and AAV-based gene therapy programs. We will continue to innovate and aspire to create new options for patients with devastating diseases."

Additional patient data from the FA program is expected over the next 12-18 months. Based on these promising preliminary results, Rocket will engage with regulatory authorities to progress RP-L102 towards a potential global registrational study in 2019.

Presentations from ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) will be posted on Rocket’s website at: www.rocketpharma.com/pipeline/. Updated data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 trial in FA will be submitted for publication.

About RP-L102 (LVV-based gene therapy for Fanconi Anemia):

RP-L102 is Rocket’s lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy in development for patients with FA with Rocket’s collaboration partners at Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) in Spain, CIBER-Rare Diseases and IIS-Fundación Jiménez Díaz. The International Fanconi Anemia Gene Therapy Working Group helped develop the structure of RP-L102, which begins with a HIV-1-derived, self-inactivating lentiviral vector. RP-L102’s lentiviral vector carries the FANC-A gene as part of the PGK-FANCA-WPRE expression cassette which includes a phosphoglycerate kinase (PKG) promoter and an optimized woodchuck hepatitis virus posttranscriptional regulatory element (WPRE). The ex vivo administration process begins with the removal and isolation of hematopoietic stem cells using a CD34+ selection process. Autologous genetically modified CD34+ enriched hematopoietic cells (fresh or cryopreserved) are infused back into patients to restore function. RP-L102 is currently being studied in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in the European Union with an Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier (IMPD) in place with the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products. RP-L102 has been granted Orphan Drug designation for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia type A in the United States and in Europe.

About Fanconi Anemia

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare pediatric disease characterized by bone marrow failure, malformations and cancer predisposition. The primary cause of death among patients with FA is bone marrow failure, which typically occurs during the first decade of life. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when available, corrects the hematologic component of FA, but requires myeloablative conditioning, which is highly toxic for the patient. HSCT is frequently complicated by graft versus host disease and also increases the risk of many solid organ malignancies. Approximately 60-70% of patients with FA have a FANC-A gene mutation, which encodes for a protein essential for DNA repair. Mutation in the FANC-A gene leads to chromosomal breakage and increased sensitivity to oxidative and environmental stress. Chromosome fragility induced by DNA-alkylating agents such as mitomycin-C (MMC) or diepoxybutane (DEB) is the ‘gold standard’ test for FA diagnosis. The DEB assay can further differentiate FA patients from somatic mosaic patients. Somatic mosaicism occurs when there is a spontaneous reversion mutation that can lead to a mixed chimerism of corrected and uncorrected bone marrow cells leading to stabilization or correction of an FA patient’s blood counts in the absence of any administered therapy. Somatic mosaicism provides strong rationale for the development of FA gene therapy and demonstrates the selective advantage of gene-corrected hematopoietic cells in FA1.

On May 18, 2018 Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq:STML), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel oncology therapeutics, reported that SL-401 will be the subject of three clinical presentations, including an oral presentation on the pivotal BPDCN program (Press release, Stemline Therapeutics, MAY 18, 2018, View Source [SID1234526804]). Updated data from the ongoing Phase 2 trial in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and myelofibrosis (MF) will also be presented. Presentations will be delivered at the upcoming 23rdCongress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) (Free EHA Whitepaper), to be held from June 14-17, 2018, in Stockholm, Sweden. Abstracts are now available on the EHA (Free EHA Whitepaper) congress website.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

Details on the presentations are as follows:

Results of Pivotal Phase 2 Trial of SL-401 in Patients with Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm
• Abstract: S116
• Session: Miscellaneous Treatments in AML
• Presenter: Naveen Pemmaraju, MD; MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Oral Presentation: Friday, June 15; 11:45 – 12:00 CEST (5:45 AM – 6:00 AM ET)
• Location: Room A4

Results from Ongoing Phase 1/2 Trial of SL-401 in Patients with Intermediate or High Risk Relapsed/Refractory Myelofibrosis
• Abstract: PF618
• Session: Myeloproliferative neoplasms – Clinical
• Poster Presentation: Friday, June 15; 17:30 – 19:00 CEST (11:30 AM – 1 PM ET)
• Location: Poster Area

Results from Ongoing Phase 1/2 Trial of SL-401 in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory CMML
• Abstract: PF626
• Session: Myeloproliferative neoplasms – Clinical
• Poster Presentation: Friday, June 15; 17:30 – 19:00 CEST (11:30 AM – 1 PM ET)
• Location: Poster Area
Ivan Bergstein, M.D., Stemline’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, "We are honored to be showcasing, via oral presentation, the results of our SL-401 pivotal trial in BPDCN to a European audience via the EHA (Free EHA Whitepaper) Congress. We believe this selection underscores SL-401’s robust clinical data and increased global awareness of BPDCN, a devastating malignancy of high unmet medical need. In the U.S., we remain on track to complete our rolling Biologics License Application (BLA) submission this quarter. In Europe, we anticipate feedback later this year from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) regarding the timing of a potential regulatory filing in the European Union. In addition, we and our investigators continue to report encouraging signs of clinical activity and safety in indications beyond BPDCN, including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and myelofibrosis (MF), and we look forward to presenting updated data from these indications at the conference."

Following each presentation at the conference, the data presented will be available on Stemline’s website (www.stemline.com) under the Scientific Presentations tab.

About BPDCN
Please visit the BPDCN disease awareness booth (#4125) at ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) 2018 and www.bpdcninfo.com.

On May 17, 2018 Exelixis, Inc. (Nasdaq:EXEL) reported that its partner Ipsen received approval from the European Commission (EC) for CABOMETYX (cabozantinib) 20 mg, 40 mg and 60 mg for the first-line treatment of adults with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the European Union (Press release, Exelixis, MAY 17, 2018, View Source;p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2349524 [SID1234526729]).

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"The expanded marketing authorization of CABOMETYX to include previously untreated patients in Europe with intermediate- or poor-risk advanced kidney cancer is an exciting milestone for a patient population in need of more treatment options," said Michael M. Morrissey, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Exelixis. "We look forward to our continued collaboration with our partners Ipsen and Takeda to bring new options to more patients with difficult-to-treat cancers in Europe and around the world."

Under the terms of the Collaboration and License Agreement with Ipsen, Exelixis will receive a milestone payment of $50 million for the EC approval, of which approximately $46 million was recognized as collaboration revenue in the first quarter of 2018. The payment will be made by Ipsen within the next 70 days.

CABOMETYX was approved in the European Union in September 2016 for the treatment of advanced RCC in adults following prior vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-targeted therapy. The expanded EC approval to include first-line treatment is based on results of the CABOSUN trial, which met its primary endpoint of improved progression-free survival (PFS) compared with sunitinib in patients with previously untreated advanced RCC determined to be intermediate- or poor-risk by the International Metastatic RCC Database Consortium (IMDC) criteria. In December 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved CABOMETYX for the expanded indication of patients with advanced RCC based on the results from the CABOSUN trial.

Please see Important Safety Information below and full U.S. prescribing information at View Source

About the CABOSUN Study

On May 23, 2016, Exelixis announced that the phase 2 CABOSUN study met its primary endpoint, demonstrating a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS compared with sunitinib in patients with advanced intermediate- or poor-risk RCC as determined by investigator assessment. The CABOSUN study was conducted by The Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology and was sponsored by the National Cancer Institute-Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (NCI-CTEP) under the Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Exelixis for the development of cabozantinib. These results were first presented by Dr. Toni Choueiri at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2016 Congress, and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (Choueiri, JCO, 2016).1 In June 2017, a blinded independent radiology review committee (IRC) confirmed that cabozantinib provided a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in the primary efficacy endpoint of investigator-assessed PFS. Results from the IRC review were presented by Dr. Toni Choueiri at the ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) 2017 Congress.

CABOSUN was a randomized, open-label, active-controlled phase 2 trial that enrolled 157 patients with advanced RCC determined to be intermediate- or poor-risk by the IMDC criteria. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive cabozantinib (60 mg once daily) or sunitinib (50 mg once daily, 4 weeks on followed by 2 weeks off). The primary endpoint was PFS. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, objective response rate and safety. Eligible patients were required to have locally advanced or metastatic clear-cell RCC, ECOG performance status 0-2 and had to be intermediate- or poor-risk per the IMDC criteria (Heng, JCO, 2009).2 Prior systemic treatment for RCC was not permitted.

About Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma

The American Cancer Society’s 2018 statistics cite kidney cancer as among the top ten most commonly diagnosed forms of cancer among both men and women in the U.S.3 Clear cell RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults.4 If detected in its early stages, the five-year survival rate for RCC is high; for patients with advanced or late-stage metastatic RCC, however, the five-year survival rate is only 12 percent, with no identified cure for the disease.3 Approximately 30,000 patients in the U.S. and 68,000 globally require treatment, and an estimated 14,000 patients in the U.S. each year are in need of a first-line treatment for advanced kidney cancer.5

The majority of clear cell RCC tumors have lower than normal levels of a protein called von Hippel-Lindau, which leads to higher levels of MET, AXL and VEGF.6,7 These proteins promote tumor angiogenesis (blood vessel growth), growth, invasiveness and metastasis.8,9,10,11 MET and AXL may provide escape pathways that drive resistance to VEGF receptor inhibitors.7,8

About CABOMETYX (cabozantinib)

CABOMETYX tablets are approved in the United States for the treatment of patients with advanced RCC. CABOMETYX tablets are also approved in the European Union, Norway, Iceland, Australia, Switzerland and South Korea for the treatment of advanced RCC in adults who have received prior VEGF-targeted therapy, and in the European Union for previously untreated intermediate- or poor-risk advanced RCC. Regulatory applications were recently submitted for CABOMETYX for additional advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) indications: on March 15, 2018, Exelixis announced the completed submission of a supplemental New Drug Application to the U.S. FDA for CABOMETYX for previously treated patients with advanced HCC; on March 28, 2018, Ipsen announced that the European Medicines Agency validated its application for a new indication for cabozantinib as a treatment for previously treated advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the European Union.

In 2016, Exelixis granted Ipsen exclusive rights for the commercialization and further clinical development of cabozantinib outside of the United States and Japan. In 2017, Exelixis granted exclusive rights to Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited for the commercialization and further clinical development of cabozantinib for all future indications in Japan, including RCC.

Please see Important Safety Information below and full U.S. prescribing information at View Source

U.S. Important Safety Information

Hemorrhage: Severe and fatal hemorrhages have occurred with CABOMETYX. In two RCC studies, the incidence of Grade ≥ 3 hemorrhagic events was 3% in CABOMETYX-treated patients. Do not administer CABOMETYX to patients that have or are at risk for severe hemorrhage.
Gastrointestinal (GI) Perforations and Fistulas: In RCC studies, fistulas were reported in 1% of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Fatal perforations occurred in patients treated with CABOMETYX. In RCC studies, gastrointestinal (GI) perforations were reported in 1% of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Monitor patients for symptoms of fistulas and perforations, including abscess and sepsis. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who experience a fistula which cannot be appropriately managed or a GI perforation.
Thrombotic Events: CABOMETYX treatment results in an increased incidence of thrombotic events. In RCC studies, venous thromboembolism occurred in 9% (including 5% pulmonary embolism) and arterial thromboembolism occurred in 1% of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Fatal thrombotic events occurred in the cabozantinib clinical program. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop an acute myocardial infarction or any other arterial thromboembolic complication.
Hypertension and Hypertensive Crisis: CABOMETYX treatment results in an increased incidence of treatment-emergent hypertension, including hypertensive crisis. In RCC studies, hypertension was reported in 44% (18% Grade ≥ 3) of CABOMETYX-treated patients. Monitor blood pressure prior to initiation and regularly during CABOMETYX treatment. Withhold CABOMETYX for hypertension that is not adequately controlled with medical management; when controlled, resume CABOMETYX at a reduced dose. Discontinue CABOMETYX for severe hypertension that cannot be controlled with anti-hypertensive therapy. Discontinue CABOMETYX if there is evidence of hypertensive crisis or severe hypertension despite optimal medical management.
Diarrhea: In RCC studies, diarrhea occurred in 74% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Grade 3 diarrhea occurred in 11% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Withhold CABOMETYX in patients who develop intolerable Grade 2 diarrhea or Grade 3-4 diarrhea that cannot be managed with standard antidiarrheal treatments until improvement to Grade 1; resume CABOMETYX at a reduced dose.
Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia (PPE): In RCC studies, palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia (PPE) occurred in 42% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Grade 3 PPE occurred in 8% of patients treated with CABOMETYX. Withhold CABOMETYX in patients who develop intolerable Grade 2 PPE or Grade 3 PPE until improvement to Grade 1; resume CABOMETYX at a reduced dose.
Reversible Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome (RPLS), a syndrome of subcortical vasogenic edema diagnosed by characteristic finding on MRI, occurred in the cabozantinib clinical program. Perform an evaluation for RPLS in any patient presenting with seizures, headache, visual disturbances, confusion or altered mental function. Discontinue CABOMETYX in patients who develop RPLS.
Embryo-fetal Toxicity may be associated with CABOMETYX. Advise pregnant women of the potential risk to a fetus. Advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during CABOMETYX treatment and for 4 months after the last dose.
Adverse Reactions: The most commonly reported (≥25%) adverse reactions are: diarrhea, fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, hypertension, PPE, weight decreased, vomiting, dysgeusia, and stomatitis.
Strong CYP3A4 Inhibitors: If concomitant use with strong CYP3A4 inhibitors cannot be avoided, reduce the CABOMETYX dosage.
Strong CYP3A4 Inducers: If concomitant use with strong CYP3A4 inducers cannot be avoided, increase the CABOMETYX dosage.
Lactation: Advise women not to breastfeed while taking CABOMETYX and for 4 months after the final dose.
Hepatic Impairment: In patients with mild to moderate hepatic impairment, reduce the CABOMETYX dosage. CABOMETYX is not recommended for use in patients with severe hepatic impairment.

On May 17, 2018 Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTLA), a leading genome editing company focused on developing curative therapeutics using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, and its research collaborator, Ospedale San Raffaele (OSR), presented at the 21st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) the first update on their joint discovery and development efforts of Wilms’ Tumor 1 (WT1)-specific transgenic T cells (Press release, Intellia Therapeutics, MAY 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234526747]). In conjunction with this presentation, Intellia reported that its first cell therapy target is WT1 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and other potential hematological malignancies, as well as for solid tumors.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

"As Intellia expands its wholly owned T cell therapy ex vivo efforts, we are pleased to present our first set of data in this cell therapy area," said Intellia President and Chief Executive Officer John Leonard, M.D. "WT1 is over-expressed in many tumor types, including both leukemias and solid tumors, and is an ideal target for immuno-oncological therapies seeking to treat these malignancies. This early data being presented is part of Intellia’s broader strategy to develop next-generation solutions for immuno-oncology and autoimmune disorders, with novel, modular platforms based on genome editing."

Intellia and OSR are collaborating to develop best-in-class CRISPR-edited T cells directed to WT1, a tumor-associated antigen expressed across a wide range of different tumor types and a known driver of leukocyte blasts in hematological cancers. At this year’s ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) Annual Meeting, OSR researchers, led by Chiara Bonini, M.D., Ph.D., shared findings showing the generation, characterization and advancement of WT1-specific, transgenic T cells against multiple WT1 epitopes presented on HLA-A*02:01 and other Class I alleles. Initial data demonstrating both recognition and killing of acute myeloid leukemia cells also was presented.

OSR researchers and Intellia presented the poster, entitled "Hunting WT1-Specific T Cell Receptors for TCR Gene Editing for Acute Myeloid Leukemia." The abstract is available on the ASGCT (Free ASGCT Whitepaper) website here.

"Our collaboration with Intellia represents our shared belief that the characteristics of T cell receptors as a targeting moiety may be an excellent approach to broadening the field of oncology cell therapy, opening the door to many more potential antigen targets in liquid and solid tumors," added Bonini, full professor at Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele; deputy director, Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases; and head, Experimental Hematology Unit, Ospedale San Raffaele, Italy.

This ex vivo research effort is part of an integrated strategy to develop CRISPR-edited T cell therapies to address hard-to-treat cancers and overcome certain limitations of current-generation cell therapies, includin

On May 17, 2018 Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Syndax," the "Company" or "we") (Nasdaq: SNDX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing an innovative pipeline of cancer therapies, reported updated results from multiple cohorts of the ongoing Phase 2 ENCORE 601 trial of entinostat in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), Merck’s anti-PD-1 (programmed death receptor-1) therapy (Press release, Syndax, MAY 17, 2018, View Source [SID1234526765]). This data will be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) (Free ASCO Whitepaper) Annual Meeting being held June 1-5, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois.

Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:

Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing

                  Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!

ENCORE 601 is a Phase 1b/2 trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab across multiple cohorts of PD-(L)1 treatment-naïve and pretreated cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), melanoma and microsatellite stable colorectal cancer (MSS-CRC). Confirmed objective responses with the combination regimen have been observed across all cohorts. Updated data continue to demonstrate a
manageable toxicity profile for the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination, with treatment emergent adverse events observed consistent with those previously reported. The ENCORE 601 study also incorporates an extensive biomarker assessment of pre- and on-treatment blood and tumor samples from all patient cohorts with the goal of identifying a patient enrichment strategy that may predict enhanced clinical benefit across various cohorts and, therefore, potentially inform the design of future registration-directed studies.

"The additional data from the ENCORE 601 program continue to support the potential for the entinosta pembrolizumab combination to serve as an effective therapeutic option across a variety of indications," said Briggs Morrison, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of Syndax. "We are especially pleased to be able to share preliminary findings from our efforts to identify biomarkers that could aid in predicting which patients may derive a clinical benefit from this combination therapy. We have now identified a potential registration pathway in NSCLC and look forward to providing further updates as our plans come together."

NSCLC Update
The PD-(L)1 pretreated NSCLC cohort, which enrolled patients who have received prior chemotherapy and anti-PD-(L)1 treatment, provides the most mature dataset from the Company’s ongoing biomarker analyses. At the time of data cut-off, there were 6 confirmed partial responses (PRs) among the first 57 patients enrolled, for an 11% objective response rate (ORR) (95% CI: 4-21%) among patients treated with the entinostat-pembrolizumab
combination regimen. A total of 4 of the 6 responders were negative for PD-(L)1 expression at study entry. Among the 57 patients enrolled, 22 were refractory to prior PD-(L)1 therapy, and only 4 had a documented prior response to PD-(L)1 therapy. Median duration of prior PD- (L)1 therapy was < 6 months and the median time between last dose of prior PD-(L)1 therapy and first dose with the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 65 days. The median duration of response (DOR) to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 4.6 months,
with the longest observed response over 14 months. At the time of the data cut-off, 7 patients remain on study.
Blood samples were collected and analyzed for 51 of the 57 NSCLC patients enrolled. By measuring pre-treatment baseline levels of classical peripheral blood monocytes (CD14+CD16-HLA-DRhi), the Company has been able to identify a subset of patients that appears to exhibit enhanced clinical benefit to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination
regimen. Preliminary results from this assessment indicate that patients characterized by elevated baseline levels of monocytes ("high monocyte" subset, n=14) had a confirmed ORR of 29% (4 PRs/14 patients) and a Progression Free Survival (PFS) of 5.4 months, which compares favorably to the 2.8 month benefit recently demonstrated in NSCLC patients treated with third-line chemotherapy following progression after platinum doublet and PD-(L)1
treatment¹. In contrast, the subgroup of patients characterized by lower baseline levels of monocytes ("low monocyte" subset, n=37) had a confirmed ORR of 5% (2 PRs/37 patients) and a PFS of 2.5 months. The overall patient population (n=57) achieved a PFS of 2.7 months. Based upon these findings, the Company has identified a potential registration path in patients with NSCLC who have progressed on a PD(L)1 inhibitor. The trial is anticipated to commence by the end of 2018.

"Monocyte levels may reflect the ability of the immune system to respond after elimination of immune suppression," said Dmitry I. Gabrilovich, M.D., Ph.D., Christopher M. Davis Professor and Program Leader, Immunology, Microenvironment and Metastasis Program at The Wistar Institute. "The data from this PD-1 pre-treated population suggest that monocytes are associated with positive clinical outcome from entinostat combined with pembrolizumab, and if confirmed, can potentially be used for patient selection in future studies."

"NSCLC patients whose disease has progressed on PD-(L)1 and chemotherapy are in need of options that offer meaningful clinical benefits. Initial findings from this cohort of NSCLC patients receiving the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination provide encouraging benefit in ORR and PFS," said Leena Gandhi, M.D., Ph.D., Director of Thoracic Medicine Oncology Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center. "Although more data is needed, promising results for a population of patients with high monocyte counts further highlight that a selection strategy may
lead to enhanced benefits for patients."

Melanoma and MSS-CRC Update Within the anti-PD-1 pretreated melanoma cohort, a total of 6 confirmed PRs (ORR 18%; 95% CI: 6.8-34.5%) and 3 unconfirmed PRs were observed in the 34 evaluable patients at the time
of the data cut-off. Among these patients, 16 were PD-1 refractory, and only 2 had a documented response to prior anti-PD-1 therapy. The majority of these evaluable patients, 22 of 34, previously received the anti-CTLA-4 antibody YERVOY (ipilimumab) in addition to an anti-PD-1 regimen. Two of the 3 patients with unconfirmed responses had progressive disease within 6 weeks of the scan, while the third patient discontinued due to an adverse event. The median duration of prior anti-PD-1 therapy was < 6 months, and the median time between last dose of prior anti-PD-1 therapy and first dose with the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 64 days. The median DOR to the entinostat-pembrolizumab combination was 9.1 months. Four of the 34 patients remain on therapy as of the data cut-off date, while 3 of the 34 evaluable patients received therapy for over a year.

Enrollment in this cohort was recently completed (n=55), and further efficacy analyses and biomarker assessments from the recently enrolled patients will be utilized to supplement and strengthen the Company’s development strategy for melanoma.

Within the MSS-CRC cohort, 16 patients were initially enrolled, with a median of three lines of prior therapy in the advanced setting. One patient from the initial patient cohort had a confirmed PR and remains on treatment at >6 months. Nine patients experienced stable disease as best response, 2 for at least 4 months. As the Company recently announced, following discussions with investigators and collaborator Merck, the decision was made to expand enrollment of this cohort to include a total of 37 patients in the first stage of the Simon-two stage study. Enrollment is expected to resume into the modified stage 1 cohort by the end of the second quarter, with
at least three responses required to advance to the second stage, at which point an additional 47 patients would be enrolled. A decision on whether to continue to the second stage of this cohort is expected in the first half of 2019. As with the other ENCORE 601 cohorts, peripheral blood and pre- and on-treatment biopsies are being evaluated.

The data announced today will be presented in poster presentations at the upcoming ASCO (Free ASCO Whitepaper) meeting:

Title: Efficacy and safety of entinostat (ENT) and pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously treated with anti-PD-(L)1 therapy
First Author: Leena Gandhi, MD, PhD, NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center
Abstract Number: 9036
Poster Session: Lung Cancer—Non-Small Cell Metastatic
Poster Board: 359
Date and Time: Sunday, June 3, 2018, 8:00-11:30 AM CT, Hall A

Title: Efficacy and safety of entinostat (ENT) and pembrolizumab (PEMBRO) in patients with melanoma progressing on or after a PD-1/L1 blocking antibody
First Author: Sanjiv S. Agarwala, MD, St. Luke’s Hospital
Abstract Number: 9530
Poster Session: Melanoma/Skin Cancers
Poster Board: 357
Date and Time: Monday, June 4, 2018, 1:15-4:45 PM CT, Hall A

Title: ENCORE 601: A phase 2 study of entinostat in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer
First Author: Nilofer Saba Azad, MD, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Abstract Number: 3557
Poster Session: Gastrointestinal (Colorectal) Cancer
Poster Board: 50
Date and Time: Sunday, June 3, 2018, 8:00-11:30 AM CT, Hall A

Conference Call and Webcast
In connection with today’s announcement, Syndax’s management team will host a conference call and live audio webcast at 8:30 a.m. ET today, Thursday, May 17, 2018.

The live audio webcast and accompanying slides may be accessed through the Events & Presentations page in the Investors section of the Company’s website at www.syndax.com. Alternatively, the conference call may be accessed as follows:
Conference ID: 5778787
Domestic Dial-in Number: 1-855-251-6663
International Dial-in Number: 281-542-4259

Live webcast: View Source For those unable to participate in the conference call or webcast, a replay will be available for 30 days on the Investors section of the Company’s website, www.syndax.com.