The biotechnology company Y-Biologics (338840) announced on the 6th that it will present research findings on two of its new drug candidates at the 2024 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2024) held in Houston, USA from the 6th to the 10th (local time).
The SITC is an international immunotherapy congress established in 1984, with over 4,600 professionals from the medical and industrial sectors across more than 70 countries. It plays a crucial role in sharing the latest research achievements and therapeutic strategies in immuno-oncology.
Y-Biologics will present the research results of ‘AR148 (TGFβ SelecTrap®)’, which is designed through protein structure analysis and modeling. AR148 is a selective dual inhibitor that binds only to TGFβ1 and TGFβ3, key proteins in suppressing immune cell activity within the tumor microenvironment.
The tumor microenvironment is a complex setting that includes not only the cellular community important for tumor growth and metastasis but also involves interactions between tumor cells and surrounding cells. It is seen as a critical barrier to overcome in order to enhance the response rates of immuno-oncology drugs.
Y-Biologics is accelerating the development of new drug candidates that can control the tumor microenvironment, thwart immune evasion by cancer cells, and activate the immune system to improve cancer treatment outcomes.
In this study, AR148 demonstrated superior or equivalent anti-cancer efficacy compared to competitor drugs in monotherapy while proving safe. Specifically, complete remission was confirmed once and partial remission twice in the test animals treated with AR148, whereas only one complete remission was observed in the competitor drug group. No deaths occurred in the AR148 group, in contrast to two fatalities in the competitor group.
Notably, when administered in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody, AR148 exhibited approximately 50% improved tumor growth inhibition compared to competitor drugs. This indicates that AR148 might be a promising combination therapy option to augment the therapeutic effect of existing immunotherapies.
Y-Biologics is also presenting the research outcomes for ‘AR092 (anti-HLA-G/CD3 T cell engager)’, a proprietary ALiCE platform-based T-cell bispecific antibody. AR092 targets HLA-G positive tumors and has shown excellent anti-cancer efficacy in preclinical animal models.
According to the research results, AR092 displayed superior tumor growth inhibition in HLA-G positive tumor animal models compared to competitor drugs, with dose-dependent effects also confirmed. Notably, the risk of cytokine storm, a common side effect associated with T-cell bispecific antibodies, was significantly reduced.
A representative from Y-Biologics stated, “These research results demonstrate the excellence of our innovative new drug candidates developed through our platform technology,” and added, “We will continue to focus on developing innovative treatments based on solid technology and pursue rapid commercialization.”