Cantargia presents positive results for nadunolimab at AACR 2023 including new clinical data in pancreatic cancer
Cantargia (Cantargia AB; Nasdaq Stockholm: CANTA) today reported that two abstracts on its lead asset, the antibody nadunolimab (CAN04), have been selected for poster presentation at the AACR Annual Meeting 2023 (AACR 2023). A key finding is that pancreatic cancer (PDAC) patients with high tumor levels of IL1RAP, the target of nadunolimab, benefit most from nadunolimab combined with chemotherapy. This further strengthens previously reported signs of clinical efficacy of nadunolimab in PDAC. The abstract disclosing these and additional biomarker data has now been published, as well as a second abstract on anti-metastatic effects in models of cancer. AACR 2023 is held in Orlando on 14-19 Apr 2023.
“We are thrilled to be presenting new results at the AACR Annual Meeting, one of the biggest conferences for cancer research. The new findings strengthen the positive results when nadunolimab is added to first-line chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer and strongly support our controlled clinical trials,” said Göran Forsberg, CEO of Cantargia .
Clinical results and biomarkers in PDAC
Results from the phase I/IIa clinical trial CANFOUR, which evaluates nadunolimab combined with chemotherapy in first-line PDAC, have shown stronger efficacy of the combination than expected from chemotherapy alone. New findings based on analyses of tumor biopsies from these patients indicate that high tumor levels of IL1RAP correlate with better response to treatment, including longer progression-free survival and overall survival. This suggests that the interaction between nadunolimab and IL1RAP is integral to the positive effects reported in PDAC. Patients with the strongest treatment-related reductions of serum IL-6, IL-8 and CRP, markers related to the mode-of-action of nadunolimab, also display favorable efficacy. Updated and more detailed results will be presented in the poster at AACR 2023, details of which can be found below:
Published abstract number: 2172
Abstract title: Tumor IL1RAP levels and reduction in serum biomarkers correlate with response in PDAC patients treated with nadunolimab, an anti-IL1RAP monoclonal antibody, in combination with gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel
Session category: Clinical Research Excluding Trials
Session title: Biomarkers of Therapeutic Benefit 3
Session date and time: Monday Apr 17, 2023 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM ET
Preclinical results in models of cancer
New preclinical results for nadunolimab will also be presented at the meeting in a second poster. These data demonstrate that a surrogate antibody for nadunolimab reduces the number of lung metastases in two different tumor models. Detailed analyses of the lung tissue also show that the surrogate antibody regulates genes associated with cell migration and activation, indicating an effect on the environment in metastatic tissue. Details of this poster can be found below:
Published abstract number: 6429
Abstract title: A surrogate to the anti-IL1RAP antibody nadunolimab induces tumor microenvironment changes to the metastatic lung and reduces metastatic lesions in mouse models of metastatic cancer
Session category: Immunology
Session title: Immunotherapy Strategies and Mechanisms
Session date and time: Wednesday Apr 19, 2023 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM ET
Abstracts for both posters can be accessed at AACR Annual Meeting 2023 | Meetings | AACR.
An R&D Day presenting Cantargia’s ongoing development including the new results in PDAC is planned for late April 2023, following AACR 2023.