Affini-T Therapeutics to Present Preclinical Data at ASGCT 27th Annual Meeting

Affini-T Therapeutics, Inc., a company specializing in precision immunotherapy, has announced that data from its preclinical gene-edited T cell therapy products will be presented at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT) 27th Annual Meeting in Baltimore, MD, from May 7-11. The presentation will feature their HLA-A*11:01 KRAS G12D (AFNT-212) and HLA-A*02:01 TP53 R175H T Cell Receptor (TCR) T cell therapies developed for the treatment of solid tumors.

According to Loïc Vincent, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Affini-T Therapeutics, the company's mission is to address the unmet needs of patients with difficult-to-treat solid cancers. The company aims to achieve this by developing precision immunotherapies targeting oncogenic driver mutations. Dr. Vincent highlighted the potential of Affini-T’s non-viral targeted knock-in platform, THRIVETM, to cost-effectively engineer safe and effective T cell therapy products. He expressed anticipation for unveiling new data at the ASGCT meeting that demonstrates the enhanced cytotoxicity of THRIVETM-engineered A11 KRAS G12D-targeting TCR T cells (AFNT-212) and TP53 R175H-targeting TCR T cells, both in vitro and in vivo, compared to LVV-engineered cells.

Affini-T will also present data from a genomic profiling dataset that shows a low frequency of HLA loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in cancer patients. Dirk Nagorsen, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at Affini-T Therapeutics, explained the significance of this finding. TCR-based therapies target cancer driver mutations by recognizing the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)/peptide complex on tumor cells. Dr. Nagorsen noted that while HLA-LOH might be relevant in some contexts, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, the new data suggest that allele-specific HLA-LOH frequency is low. This implies that allele-specific HLA-LOH is unlikely to significantly impact clinical outcomes for TCR-based therapies.

Two key poster presentations will provide detailed insights into Affini-T's research. One presentation, titled "THRIVE TM Non-Viral Targeted Transgene Knock-In Platform Generates Specific and Potent TCR T Cell Products for the Treatment of Solid Cancers," will be delivered by Ankit Gupta, Ph.D., Senior Director of Gene Editing and Discovery at Affini-T Therapeutics. The second presentation, "Loss of Heterozygosity is Low for Specific HLA Alleles in Cancer Patients with Driver Mutations," will be presented by Christian Roy, Ph.D., Associate Director of Precision and Translational Medicine at Affini-T Therapeutics. Both presentations are scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, 2024.

Affini-T Therapeutics is a pioneering company dedicated to developing curative therapies for patients with solid tumors by targeting oncogenic driver mutations, beginning with KRAS. The company is advancing two therapeutic modalities: adoptive cellular therapies and bispecific T cell engagers. These treatments are designed to harness T cell immunity with exceptional precision and potency against solid tumors. Affini-T's TCR-T cell therapy platforms utilize cutting-edge engineering, synthetic biology, and gene editing capabilities to innovate within the tumor microenvironment and optimize T cell functions. Their bispecific T cell engager platform combines high-throughput affinity maturation TCR discovery with biologics format constructions to precisely target oncogenic driver mutations.

By leveraging the expertise and innovation of its leadership team, founders, and technologies, Affini-T is committed to developing transformational medicines. The company aims to bring lasting solutions to patients suffering from hard-to-treat solid tumors.