Medicenna to Present Data at 39th SITC Annual Meeting

Medicenna Therapeutics Corp., a clinical-stage immunotherapy company specializing in the development of Superkines, announced its participation in the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). The event will take place from November 6 to 10, 2024, in Houston, Texas. Medicenna will present three posters highlighting both clinical and pre-clinical data.

One of the key presentations will showcase updated clinical data from the ongoing Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 study. This study evaluates MDNA11, a long-acting ‘beta-enhanced not-alpha’ interleukin-2 (IL-2) super-agonist. MDNA11 is being tested both as a monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA®) in patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors. The presentation titled "Results from ABILITY-1 monotherapy dose escalation and ongoing monotherapy expansion with MDNA11, a long-acting ‘beta-enhanced not-alpha’ IL-2 Superkine, in patients with advanced solid tumors" will be held on November 9, 2024.

Additionally, new pre-clinical data on MDNA113, Medicenna’s novel first-in-class, masked, tumor-targeted bifunctional anti-PD1-IL-2 Superkine, will be presented. This presentation, titled "MDNA113 is a conditionally activatable anti-PD1-IL2SK with a removable IL-13 dual masking/tumor-targeting domain to limit systemic immune stimulation while maximizing anti-tumor response," will occur on November 8, 2024. Furthermore, pre-clinical data on IL-2 agonists in glioblastoma will be presented on the same day under the title "Stimulation of IL-2 signaling with highly selective IL-2R agonists enhances immune effector cell response in mouse and patient-derived glioblastomas."

MDNA11 is an intravenously administered, long-acting ‘beta-enhanced not-alpha’ IL-2 Superkine engineered to address the limitations of aldesleukin and other next-generation IL-2 variants. It preferentially activates immune effector cells, such as CD8+ T and NK cells, which are essential for eliminating cancer cells, while minimizing the stimulation of immunosuppressive Tregs. This is achieved through seven specific mutations and its fusion to a recombinant human albumin scaffold, enhancing MDNA11’s pharmacokinetic profile and pharmacological activity. MDNA11 is currently under evaluation in the Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 study as both a standalone treatment and in combination with pembrolizumab.

The ABILITY-1 study is a multi-center, open-label trial that assesses the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and anti-tumor activity of MDNA11, either alone or combined with pembrolizumab. In the dose escalation phase of the combination study, around 6-12 patients will receive ascending doses of MDNA11 every two weeks alongside pembrolizumab. This phase includes patients with a broad range of solid tumors that may respond to immune-modulating therapies. Upon establishing a suitable dose regimen for the combination, the study will advance to a combination dose expansion cohort.

MDNA113, another promising candidate from Medicenna, is a unique tumor-targeted, tumor-activated bi-functional anti-PD1-IL-2 Superkine. It demonstrates an exceptionally high affinity for IL-13Rα2, a receptor overexpressed in various solid tumors but minimally present in normal tissues. IL-13Rα2 expression in tumors is linked to poor clinical outcomes in several cancer types, including prostate, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, breast, and brain cancers, with an annual global incidence exceeding 2 million cases.

Medicenna Therapeutics is at the forefront of developing novel immunotherapies, focusing on creating highly selective versions of IL-2, IL-4, and IL-13 Superkines. Their innovative approach aims to offer effective treatments for a range of cancers, enhancing the immune system's ability to combat these diseases.