NKMAX Presents Oral Results of 'Super NK' Phase 1 Clinical Trial at ASGCT

[Asia Economy Reporter Chunhee Lee] NKMAX orally presented the proliferation and culture technology of its NK cell therapy 'SuperNK' and the results of Phase 1 clinical trials on solid tumors at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT).

On the 18th (local time), NKMAX announced on the 20th that Paul Song, Vice President of its subsidiary NKGen Biotech, gave an oral presentation at ASGCT highlighting the strengths of the culture technology that enhances NK cell activity and the clinical results of the SuperNK monotherapy group (Cohorts 1-3) in the Phase 1 study of refractory solid tumors.

The monotherapy group consisted of a total of 9 patients: 7 with sarcoma, 1 with lung cancer, and 1 with colorectal cancer. All had failed previous treatments. Among them, 7 patients showed stable disease (SD), meaning the tumor no longer grew, with SuperNK treatment alone, resulting in a disease control rate (DCR) of 77.8%. Notably, 6 of the 7 patients with confirmed SD were sarcoma patients.

Based on these results, NKMAX received special additional approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to add Cohort 4, which combines SuperNK with immune checkpoint inhibitors 'Bavencio' or 'Keytruda'.

Sarcoma is a rare and intractable cancer characterized by rapid metastasis and easy recurrence, leading to a high mortality rate, yet there is no established standard treatment. Most sarcoma patients rely on highly toxic chemotherapy as their only treatment option, raising concerns about severe side effects.

However, the company stated that SuperNK showed significant efficacy with monotherapy even in these sarcoma patients among solid tumors, and no side effects were observed.

Vice President Song said, "All patients enrolled in this clinical study were cancer patients with prior treatment experience before receiving SuperNK," adding, "We are honored to share clinical data emphasizing NKMAX's unique culture technology that can proliferate these cancer patients' NK cells and increase activating receptor expression to over 90%."