HEIDELBERG, Germany I June 01, 2023 I Apogenix, a biopharmaceutical company developing next generation immunotherapeutics, announced today that new preclinical data were published in the leading peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Immunology[1]. In the studies, Apogenix, in collaboration with the group from Professor Tim Illidge at the University of Manchester, UK, demonstrated the therapeutic benefits of the hexavalent CD40 agonist HERA-CD40L in models of prostate cancer refractory to anti-PD-1 therapies, both as monotherapy and in combination with radiotherapy.
Importantly, HERA-CD40L was able to significantly reduce tumor growth through a threefold mechanism of action: it increased intratumoral T-cell concentration; modulated the tumor microenvironment (TME) towards a pro-inflammatory state; and reversed the macrophage balance from pro-tumor macrophages (tumor-associated macrophages; TAMs) to anti-tumor macrophages.
Thomas Hoeger, PhD, CEO of Apogenix, said: “Immune checkpoint inhibitors have revolutionized cancer treatment, however, the overall response rate for all cancer types in patients is still below twenty percent. New immunotherapeutic strategies are required and with this next-generation HERA-ligand we investigated a potentially viable treatment option – as a monotherapy and in combination with radiotherapy – to improve cancer treatment outcomes.”
The full article titled: “The CD40 agonist HERA-CD40LCD40 agonist HERA-CD40L results in enhanced activation of antigen presenting cells, promoting an anti-tumor effect alone and in combination with radiotherapy” can be accessed here.
Apogenix has developed a proprietary technology platform for the construction of novel TNF receptor superfamily agonists (HERA-ligands). By stimulating different TNFR signaling pathways, these HERA-ligands can increase the anti-tumor immune response. The specific molecular structure of Apogenix’ HERA-ligands induces a well-defined clustering of functional TNF receptors on the surface of target immune cells. In contrast to agonistic antibodies, Apogenix’ fusion proteins are pure agonists whose potent signaling capacity is independent of secondary Fcγ receptor-mediated crosslinking. In addition, HERA-ligands cause neither antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity nor complement-dependent cytotoxicity and exhibit a favorable shorter half-life than antibodies. It is therefore expected that HERA-ligands will cause less side effects in clinical development.
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