Nadunolimab's Antitumor Activity in Pancreatic Cancer: Cantargia's Preclinical Findings

Cantargia, a biotechnology firm, has announced new preclinical findings that suggest nadunolimab, an antibody in phase II trials, could stimulate antitumor responses in pancreatic cancer by inhibiting fibrosis. The results, which are set to be presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2024, were produced in a partnership with Nordic Bioscience and Lund University's Dr. Marcus Järås.

Göran Forsberg, Cantargia's CEO, has expressed optimism regarding the new data, which supports the potential of nadunolimab as a future pancreatic cancer therapy. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is known for its grim prognosis and the presence of a stroma that supports tumor growth, largely due to the activity of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). The latest research indicates that IL-1alpha and IL-1beta in cancer-associated fibroblasts stimulate the production of type III collagen, a biomarker linked to poor survival in PDAC. Furthermore, the presence of nadunolimab in in vitro co-cultures significantly hindered the formation of this collagen. This suggests that IL-1alpha and IL-1beta play a key role in the fibrosis associated with pancreatic tumors and that nadunolimab could be effective in combating the negative effects of this fibrotic environment.

David Liberg, Cantargia's Chief Scientific Officer, has noted the clinical challenges posed by the fibrosis that promotes tumor growth in pancreatic cancer, and he views nadunolimab's ability to block fibrosis as a promising development that aligns with the company's clinical and translational findings to date.

The research was conducted in collaboration with Nordic Bioscience and Lund University, and the results will be presented by Dr. Nicholas Willumsen at the AACR Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, from April 5-10, 2024. The abstract has been made available on the conference's website.

The session titled "The Tumor Microenvironment as a Drug Target" will feature the presentation on Monday, April 8, 2024, from 1:30 PM to 5:00 PM, with the published abstract number 2895. Following the conference, the poster will be accessible on Cantargia's website.

Cantargia is a company that develops antibody-based treatments for severe diseases and has built a platform around the protein IL1RAP, which is implicated in various cancers and inflammatory conditions. Their main program involves the antibody nadunolimab, which is being clinically studied, primarily in combination with chemotherapy, focusing on pancreatic cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer. Interim data for these combinations have shown enhanced efficacy compared to chemotherapy alone.

Nadunolimab, which binds to IL1RAP, works by inducing ADCC and blocking IL-1alpha and IL-1beta signaling, thereby counteracting the IL-1 system that contributes to an immune-suppressive tumor microenvironment and the development of resistance to chemotherapy. The antibody is being investigated in several clinical trials, including phase I/IIa trial CANFOUR and phase Ib/II trial TRIFOUR, showing promising responses in PDAC and NSCLC patients, respectively. Cantargia is also exploring the use of nadunolimab with chemotherapy in other trials and in combination with the checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab.