LILRB1

PALO ALTO, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company advancing novel therapies in immunology and oncology by targeting myeloid cell inhibitory receptors, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Orphan Drug Designation for IO-202 for the treatment of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). IO-202 received Fast Track Designation for treatment of relapsed or refractory CMML in 2023. In addition, Fast Track and Orphan Drug Designations for IO-202 were granted by the FDA for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in 2022 and 2020, respectively. IO-202 is a first-in-class antagonist antibody with specific, high affinity binding to Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B4 (LILRB4) and serves as a targeted therapy with broad potential in blood cancers, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. IO-202 in combination with azacitidine (AZA) is currently in a Phase 1 dose expansion clinical trial ( NCT04372433 ), enrolling newly diagnosed patients with CMML who have not received any hypomethylating agents (HMA). A dose escalation trial of IO-202 has been completed, showing clinical efficacy in relapsed or refractory AML and CMML, either as a monotherapy or in combination with AZA. IO-202 has been shown to be well tolerated in all patients treated to date. “Although current therapeutic options for CMML can improve a patient’s quality of life, there is a high unmet need for effective disease-modifying approaches that are potentially curative,” said Charlene Liao Ph.D., chief executive officer and board chair of Immune-Onc. “We are very proud that the FDA has granted IO-202 Orphan Drug Designation for the treatment of CMML. We look forward to continued collaborations with our investigators and the FDA as we work to bring this potentially important therapy to patients with hard-to-treat blood cancers.” The FDA grants Orphan Drug Designation to medicines and potential new medicines intended for the treatment, diagnosis or prevention of rare diseases or disorders that affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. Orphan Drug Designation qualifies the sponsor for various development incentives of the Orphan Drug Act, including exemption of FDA application fees and tax credits for qualified clinical testing, and conveys seven years of marketing exclusivity for a drug approved to treat an orphan disease in the United States. ABOUT CHRONIC MYELOMONOCYTIC LEUKEMIA (CMML) CMML is a rare form of blood cancer, occurring in 4 of every 1,000,000 people in the United States each year, or about 1,100 annual cases 1 . CMML is characterized by the presence of a high monocyte count (>1x10 9 /L peripheral monocytes with monocytes ≥ 10% of white blood count) along with dysplastic features in the bone marrow 2 . Current FDA approved therapies for CMML are all hypomethylating agents, including azacitidine, that attempt to control CMML without enhancement to overall survival. ABOUT LILRB4 (also known as ILT3) LILRB4, also known as ILT3, is an immune-modulatory transmembrane protein found on monocytes and monocyte-derived cells. LILRB4 is expressed on certain hematologic cancer cells, such as myelomonocytic leukemia blasts, and on certain pathogenic cells involved in autoimmunity and inflammatory processes. About IO-202 IO-202 is a first-in-class antagonist antibody with specific, high affinity binding to LILRB4. IO-202 is a humanized IgG1 antibody with Fc effector function to kill LILRB4 hi cells via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). As such, IO-202 is a targeted therapy with broad potential in both blood cancers and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. IO-202 has completed the dose escalation part of the first-in-human, multicenter, open-label Phase 1 study in the U.S., and the data was presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress in 2023. This Phase 1 trial has advanced to the dose expansion stage to evaluate IO-202 in combination with azacitidine ( NCT04372433 ) in patients with newly diagnosed chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) who have not received any hypomethylating agents (HMA). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted IO-202 Fast Track Designations for treatment for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The FDA has also granted Orphan Drug Designations to IO-202 for the treatment of AML and for the treatment of CMML. ABOUT IMMUNE-ONC THERAPEUTICS, INC. Immune-Onc Therapeutics Inc. (“Immune-Onc”) is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies in immunology and oncology by targeting myeloid cell inhibitory receptors. Immune-Onc has a differentiated pipeline with a current focus on targeting the Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B (LILRB). Immune-Onc’s focused platform approach has led to the development of several promising therapeutics across various stages of development. Those include IO-108, an antagonist antibody targeting LILRB2 (also known as ILT4), in Phase 1b/2 clinical development for solid tumors, and IO-202, a first-in-class antagonist antibody targeting LILRB4 (also known as ILT3), in Phase 1b clinical development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). IO-202 has the potential to be the best-in-class antibody therapy for lupus and can extend to other indications in immunology and inflammation. Additional assets in Immune-Onc’s pipeline include IO-312 (a novel bispecific antibody targeting LILRB4 and CD3), IO-106 (first-in-class antagonist antibody targeting LAIR1), and undisclosed immunology and oncology programs. Immune-Onc has established agreements with leading biopharmaceutical companies, including BeiGene , Regeneron and Roche , to support its global product development plans for IO-108 and IO-202. It has received research grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and investment from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP®). Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Immune-Onc has assembled a diverse team with deep expertise in drug development and proven track records of success at leading biopharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.immune-onc.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn . Epidemiology of myelodysplastic syndromes and chronic myeloproliferative disorders in the United States, 2001-2004, using data from the NAACCR and SEER programs. Blood. 2008 Jul 1;112(1):45-52. doi: 10.1182/blood-2008-01-134858 Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia: 2022 update on diagnosis, risk stratification, and management. Am J Hematol. 2022 Mar 1;97(3):352-372. doi: 10.1002/ajh.26455.

PALO ALTO, Calif.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Immune-Onc Therapeutics, Inc. (“Immune-Onc”), a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing novel therapies in immunology and oncology by targeting myeloid cell inhibitory receptors, today announced a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial collaboration with Roche to evaluate Immune-Onc’s IO-108, a first-in-class antibody targeting LILRB2 (also known as ILT4), in combination with Roche’s atezolizumab and bevacizumab for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic and/or unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Atezolizumab and bevacizumab is the first cancer immunotherapy combination regimen approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this setting and is the recommended standard of care by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. “We are excited to work with Roche to accelerate the development of IO-108,” said Charlene Liao, Ph.D., chief executive officer and board chair of Immune-Onc. “IO-108 has demonstrated clinical activity and an acceptable safety profile across multiple solid tumors as monotherapy and in combination with T cell checkpoint inhibitors. The collaboration marks a significant milestone in establishing IO-108 as the preferred myeloid checkpoint inhibitor for combination with standard of care immunotherapy regimens in solid tumors.” Under the collaboration, Roche will sponsor and conduct the global, randomized Phase 1b/2 trial to evaluate the safety, efficacy and pharmacodynamics of IO-108 in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab compared to atezolizumab and bevacizumab, the standard of care treatment regimen for advanced liver cancer. ABOUT THE RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL The Phase 1b/2 global, randomized HCC study is part of Roche’s Morpheus-Liver program. It will evaluate IO-108 in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab (“triplet”) versus atezolizumab and bevacizumab (“doublet”), the standard of care in patients with locally advanced or metastatic and/or unresectable HCC with no prior systemic treatment. Initially, 40 patients will be enrolled across 25 sites worldwide in the IO-108 triplet combination, which will be compared to an active control arm of the atezolizumab and bevacizumab doublet combination. The study’s primary endpoint is objective response rate, and key secondary endpoints include progression-free survival and overall survival. Under the terms of the clinical collaboration agreement, Roche will manage the study operations, and Immune-Onc will supply IO-108 to support the trial while retaining global rights to IO-108. Tecentriq® (atezolizumab) and Avastin® (bevacizumab) are registered trademarks of Genentech, a member of the Roche Group. Learn more about the trial here . ABOUT HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA According to the American Cancer Society 1 , more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year worldwide. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide, accounting for more than 700,000 deaths each year. The number of people diagnosed is predicted to rise, with the incidence of liver cancer increasing by 55.0% and the number of deaths increasing by 56.4% between 2020 and 2040 2 . Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common form of liver cancer in the United States, making up almost 90% of cases 3 . Nine out of ten cases of HCC are caused by chronic liver disease, which includes chronic hepatitis B and C infection, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), and cirrhosis resulting from these conditions 4 . ABOUT IO-108 IO-108 is a fully human IgG4 monoclonal antibody with high affinity and specificity towards the myeloid checkpoint, LILRB2 (also known as ILT4). It blocks the interaction of LILRB2 with multiple ligands involved in cancer-associated immune suppression, including HLA-G, ANGPTLs, SEMA4A, and CD1d. Clinical data from the U.S. Phase 1 dose escalation study of IO-108 ( NCT05054348 ) was presented at the 2023 American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting and demonstrated a favorable safety profile and encouraging clinical benefit utilizing IO-108 as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 across multiple tumor types. IO-108 is being studied in several expansion cohorts in adult cancer patients as a monotherapy and in combination with anti-PD-1 antibodies (pembrolizumab, cemiplimab or tislelizumab). A global, randomized Phase 1b/2 study is underway to evaluate IO-108 in combination with atezolizumab and bevacizumab as a potential first-line therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). ABOUT IMMUNE-ONC THERAPEUTICS, INC. Immune-Onc Therapeutics Inc. (“Immune-Onc”) is a private, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to discovering and developing novel therapies in immunology and oncology by targeting myeloid cell inhibitory receptors. Immune-Onc has a differentiated pipeline with a current focus on targeting the Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor subfamily B (LILRB). Immune-Onc’s focused platform approach has led to the development of several promising therapeutics across various stages of development. Those include IO-108, an antagonist antibody targeting LILRB2 (also known as ILT4), in Phase 1b/2 clinical development for solid tumors, and IO-202, a first-in-class antagonist antibody targeting LILRB4 (also known as ILT3), in Phase 1b clinical development for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). IO-202 has the potential to be the best-in-class antibody therapy for lupus and can extend to other indications in immunology and inflammation. Additional assets in Immune-Onc’s pipeline include IO-312 (a novel bispecific antibody targeting LILRB4 and CD3), IO-106 (first-in-class antagonist antibody targeting LAIR1), and undisclosed immunology and oncology programs. Immune-Onc has established agreements with leading biopharmaceutical companies, including BeiGene , Regeneron and Roche, to support its global product development plans for IO-108 and IO-202. It has received research grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and investment from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP®). Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, Immune-Onc has assembled a diverse team with deep expertise in drug development and proven track records of success at leading biopharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.immune-onc.com and follow us on X and LinkedIn . American Cancer Society. About Liver Cancer. Accessed Dec. 7, 2023 at https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/CRC/PDF/Public/8698.00.pdf The latest global burden of liver cancer: A past and present threat. Clin Mol Hepatol. 2023 Apr; 29(2): 355–357. Hepatocellular carcinoma. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2021;7:6. doi.org/10.1038/s41572-020-00240-3 Epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. JHEP Rep. 2021 Aug; 3(4): 100305. doi: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2021.100305

SHANGHAI & SUZHOU, China & GERMANTOWN, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Elpiscience”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation immunotherapies to benefit cancer patients worldwide, presented studies for its innovative immunotherapeutic molecules at the SITC 2023 Annual Meeting, including KG2A/NKG2C dual-targeting antibody ES015-2, a high affinity LILRB1 specific blocking antibody ES008-a, and the first-in-class anti-CD39/TGF-βRII bifunctional fusion protein ES014. Study Highlights: Title: Selective delivery of TGFβ “trap” to CD39-expressing immune and stroma cells reshapes tumor microenvironment and rejuvenates antitumor immunity Abstract Number: 453 CD39-Adenosine and TGFβ are two key immune suppressive pathways within the tumor microenvironment (TME). TGFβ, in contrast to its biphasic effects on tumor cells, acts on stromal cells and immune cells in the TME, which commonly express high levels of CD39, to promote tumor progression. CD39-targeted TGFβ “trap” is thus more likely to effectively inhibit tumor progression. Our study showed that ES014, a bifunctional antibody–ligand trap which comprises an antibody targeting CD39 fused to a TGFβ receptor II ectodomain, can inhibit TGFβ activity and lead to cancer killing in ex vivo models. A phase I clinical study is ongoing to primarily investigate the safety, tolerability, and preliminary clinical activity of ES014 in patients with advanced solid tumors. Highlights: ES014 binds and neutralizes both CD39 and TGFβ. ES014 promoted killing of tumors from NSCLC patients in ex vivo MPE model. ES014 inhibits Treg differentiation and TGFβ-induced CD39 expression on T cells. ES014 promotes T cell survival. Title: ES015-2, a first-in-class NKG2A and NKG2C dual-targeting antibody, demonstrated potent anti-tumor immune response Abstract Number: 498 The inhibitory receptor NKG2A and the activating receptor NKG2C modulate the function of NK and CD8 T cells by recognizing the same ligand HLA-E. NKG2A is selectively expressed on lymphocytes with cytolytic function, and the NKG2C “engager” has the potential to generate a strong antitumor response against various tumors. Inhibiting NKG2A and HLA-E alone was not as effective as had been expected in both mouse tumor models and in clinical trials. Our NKG2A/NKG2C dual targeting antibody ES015-2 can inhibit NKG2A function yet promoting NKG2C action, leading to superior anti-tumor response. Highlights: ES015-2 is a NKG2A/NKG2C dual targeting antibody. ES015-2 can completely block the interaction of NKG2A/CD94 with HLA-E, thereby inhibits HLA-E-induced NKG2A inhibitory signaling. Ligation of ES015-2 effectively potentiates the activation of NKG2C+ NK cells and T cells. Title: ES008-a, a high affinity LILRB1 specific blocking antibody activates multiple immune cells to fight cancers Abstract Number: 510 LILRB1 is the most broadly expressed member of LILRB family on various immune cells. Blocking LILRB1 augments macrophage phagocytosis of tumor cells, restores cytotoxic function of NK cells, and enhances tumor cell killing by effector CD8+ T cells. The high affinity LILRB1 specific blocking antibody ES008-a can activate multiple immune cells to fight cancers. Highlights: ES008-a is a high affinity LILRB1-specific blocker that can completely block HLA-G/LILRB1 and HLA-A2/LILRB1 interactions. ES008-a promotes NK cell-mediated destruction of tumor cells. ES008-a synergizes with CD47/SIRPα inhibitors in enhancing macrophage phagocytosis of tumor cells. About Elpiscience Elpiscience is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing life-changing immuno-oncology therapies for cancer patients worldwide. The company’s innovative approach is focused on removing immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment, by targeting the adenosine pathway and myeloid checkpoints. A pipeline of novel molecules has been developed using its proprietary platforms including a powerful Bispecific Macrophage Engager (BiME®) technology that connects and activates macrophages for solid tumor killing without causing cytokine storms. For more information, please visit: View source version on businesswire.com: Contacts BD inquiries: BD@elpiscience.com Media inquiries: PR@elpiscience.com Source: Elpiscience Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. View this news release online at: