BERKELEY, Calif., Sept. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aduro Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADRO ) today highlighted two posters presented at the Second CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference (CRI-AACR) in New York. The preclinical data demonstrate positive changes in the tumor microenvironment and induction of a tumor-specific immune response by Aduro’s LADD (listeria-based immunotherapy construct) and STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) Pathway Activator immunotherapy platform technologies. Importantly, adding a PD-1 blockade to either immunotherapy regimen significantly bolstered antitumor efficacy.
“These preclinical data demonstrate the underlying mechanisms by which our LADD and STING immunotherapy platforms activate the immune system and induce robust innate immunity, facilitating a change in the tumor microenvironment which results in effective destruction of cancer cells in several preclinical models,” said Thomas Dubensky, Jr., Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Aduro. “Importantly, the combination data are even more impressive, showing increased efficacy when our LADD and STING platforms are combined with an anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor to combat the tumor’s ability to hide from the immune system. These data support our strategy to combine our immunotherapy regimens with checkpoint inhibitors for greater anti-tumor activity, looking toward the ultimate goal of better, more effective patient care.”
The following posters were presented at the meeting:
Poster A013: Favorable changes in the tumor microenvironment following intravenous dosing with live attenuated Listeria monocytogenes- based immunotherapy. In a poster session on Sunday, September 25, 2016, Meredith Leong, Ph.D., a scientist at Aduro, presented data from multiple preclinical studies using Aduro’s LADD immunotherapy platform. The data demonstrated that a combination of LADD with an anti-PD1 checkpoint inhibitor results in improved anti-tumor efficacy in multiple tumor models. In addition, analyses of biopsies from patients given CRS-207, a LADD immunotherapy, showed enhancement of infiltrating CD8+ T cells, mature dendritic cells, macrophages and natural killer cells, all specialized immune system cells involved in eradicating tumor cells. Consistent with this clinical data, the preclinical findings showed that LADD induced a potent favorable change in the tumor microenvironment including increased CD8+ T cells, infiltration of neutrophils, and a reduction of regulatory T cells, creating an environment for the tumor susceptible to anti-cancer treatments.
Poster B020: STING activation in the tumor microenvironment using a synthetic human STING-activating cyclic dinucleotide induces potent anti-tumor immunity In a poster session on Monday, September 26, 2016, Sarah McWhirter, Ph.D., a scientist at Aduro, presented preclinical data on ADU-S100, a STING Pathway Activator. The data demonstrate that ADU-S100 stimulates the production of interferon-beta by all human STING alleles. Importantly, the results showed that injecting ADU-S100 directly into the tumor microenvironment induced T cells with tumor-specific antigenic repertoire leading to durable anti-tumor immunity. In addition, the combination of STING activation in the tumor microenvironment and PD-1 blockade enhances antitumor efficacy. There is an ongoing Phase 1 first-in-human clinical study to evaluate the safety, tolerability and possible anti-tumor activity of ADU-S100 in patients with cutaneously-accessible advanced metastatic solid tumors or lymphomas.
About the Tumor Microenvironment The tumor microenvironment is the cellular environment in which the tumor exists, and, along with cancerous cells, includes support cells, immune cells, surrounding blood vessels, and the extracellular matrix. The tumor cells and the surrounding microenvironment are closely related and interact constantly. Tumors influence the microenvironment by releasing signals that promote tumor growth, immune tolerance and immune suppression. When tumors initially form, the body’s immune system recruits and activates a host of immune cells to fight the invading tumor. However, in cases where cancer develops, tumors are eventually able to evade the immune system by changing their microenvironment to inhibit the ability of the immune system to recognize and destroy the tumor thus allowing for tumor outgrowth and formation of metastasis.
About LADD and CRS-207 LADD is Aduro's proprietary platform of live, attenuated double-deleted Listeria monocytogenes strains that have been engineered to generate a potent innate immune response and to express tumor-associated antigens to induce tumor-specific T cell-mediated immunity.
CRS-207 is one of a family of product candidates based on Aduro's LADD immunotherapy platform that has been engineered to express the tumor-associated antigen mesothelin, which is over-expressed in many cancers including mesothelioma and pancreatic, non-small cell lung, ovarian, endometrial and gastric cancers.
About STING Pathway Activator Platform The Aduro-proprietary STING Pathway Activator product candidates, including ADU-S100 (MIW815), are synthetic small molecule immune modulators that are designed to target and activate human STING. STING is generally expressed at high levels in immune cells, including dendritic cells. Once activated, the STING receptor initiates a profound innate immune response through multiple pathways, inducing the expression of a broad profile of cytokines, including interferons and chemokines. This subsequently leads to the development of a systemic tumor antigen-specific T cell adaptive immune response.
About Aduro Aduro Biotech, Inc. is an immunotherapy company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies that transform the treatment of challenging diseases. Aduro's technology platforms, which are designed to harness the body's natural immune system, are being investigated in cancer indications and have the potential to expand into autoimmune and infectious diseases. Aduro's LADD technology platform is based on proprietary attenuated strains of Listeria that have been engineered to express tumor-associated antigens to induce specific and targeted immune responses. This platform is being developed as a treatment for multiple indications, including pancreatic, ovarian, lung and prostate cancers, mesothelioma and glioblastoma. Aduro's STING Pathway Activator platform is designed to activate the intracellular STING receptor, resulting in a potent tumor-specific immune response. ADU-S100 is the first STING Pathway Activator compound to enter the clinic and is currently being evaluated in a Phase 1 study in patients with cutaneously accessible metastatic solid tumors or lymphomas. Aduro’s B-select monoclonal antibody platform includes a number of immune modulating assets in research and preclinical development. Aduro is collaborating with leading global pharmaceutical companies to expand its products and technology platforms. For more information, please visit www.aduro.com .
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This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions or current expectations concerning, among other things, the potential for our technology platforms, plans, and the potential for eventual regulatory approval of our product candidates. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “could,” “project,” “expect” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our history of net operating losses and uncertainty regarding our ability to achieve profitability, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to use and expand our technology platforms to build a pipeline of product candidates, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our inability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, our reliance on third parties, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016, which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
Contact: Sylvia Wheeler SVP, Corporate Affairs 510 809 9264 Media Contact: Angela Bitting 925 202 6211 press@aduro.com
