Meta-Analysis: Treos Bio’s Epitopes Yield Stronger Immune Response in Colorectal Cancer Therapy

Treos Bio has announced the results of a meta-analysis from three clinical trials examining its investigational immunotherapy, PolyPEPI1018, for the treatment of microsatellite stable metastatic colorectal cancer (MSS mCRC). Utilizing Treos’ proprietary computational technology, the analysis identified prioritized peptides as crucial in driving immune responses and clinical outcomes. These findings will be presented at the 2024 European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) annual meeting in Barcelona on September 15.

The poster titled "149P - Evaluation of HLA Genotype as a Predictive Biomarker for Immunological and Clinical Responses to PolyPEPI1018 Cancer Vaccine in Colorectal Cancer" will detail the results. Dr. Christopher Gallen, CEO of Treos Bio, emphasized the urgent need for better treatment options for MSS mCRC patients and the importance of identifying likely responders to these therapies.

PolyPEPI1018 is a multi-peptide vaccine for colorectal cancer that has shown the ability to induce strong immunological responses linked with clinical benefits. These effects were observed in both first-line maintenance MSS mCRC (OBERTO-101) and late-stage MSS mCRC, in combination with standard treatments (OBERTO-201) and a PD-(L)1 inhibitor (OBERTO-301).

The meta-analysis confirmed that the HLA genotype is crucial in predicting responses to the PolyPEPI1018 vaccine. Treos Bio’s personalized epitopes, or "PEPIs," which bind to at least three HLA alleles, were found to be more effective at activating T cells and predicting immune responses than traditional epitopes that bind to fewer HLA alleles. The number of predicted PEPIs correlated with both tumor shrinkage and overall survival in vaccinated subjects, underscoring the importance of considering HLA genotype when predicting treatment outcomes.

Dr. Joleen Hubbard, Principal Investigator of the studies, highlighted that the meta-analysis data underscores the consistency of the immune-activity relationship observed across these studies, boosting confidence in the results from these single-arm trials. Dr. Eniko R. Toke, Chief Scientific Officer for Treos Bio, added that the findings are in line with previous observations by Treos and other research groups, showing that immune responses to multiple vaccine peptides correlate with clinical outcomes.

Dr. Toke also pointed out that this is the first time their data demonstrates how multi-peptide immune responses are related to patients' HLA genetics, which is the key driver behind patient heterogeneity and varied responses to cancer immunotherapies.

Treos Bio, headquartered in London, is a clinical-stage company introducing a disruptive computational technology to change the paradigm of cancer immunotherapy development by addressing patient and tumor heterogeneity. They use proprietary therapeutic peptides, produced through commercially scalable processes without the need for tumor biopsy, to stimulate clinically effective cancer-specific immune responses in patients predicted to respond by their diagnostic tests.

Treos Bio is currently advancing the clinical development of its PolyPEPI immunotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, with preclinical development in advanced stages for other PolyPEPI therapies. These off-the-shelf treatments are designed for a broad range of cancers, including hepatocellular, ovarian, gastric, breast, bladder, lung cancers, and melanoma. Treos' approach also facilitates the development of personalized immunotherapies for individual patients.

How to obtain the latest research advancements in the field of biopharmaceuticals?

In the Synapse database, you can keep abreast of the latest research and development advances in drugs, targets, indications, organizations, etc., anywhere and anytime, on a daily or weekly basis. Click on the image below to embark on a brand new journey of drug discovery!