Appclon, a company specializing in CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T) therapeutics, announced on the 4th that it will present research results on anticancer drug candidates at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR 2024) held in San Diego, USA, this April.
Appclon will present research results on ‘AT501,’ a solid tumor CAR-T therapy technology based on a switchable platform, and ‘AM105,’ which incorporates AffiMab bispecific antibody technology. The presentation on AT501 will be delivered by Professor Junho Jeong of Seoul National University College of Medicine, a co-researcher.
AT501 is a switchable CAR-T therapy candidate targeting HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2)-positive solid tumors. It applies a newly developed switch molecule conjugated with HER2-reactive Affibody and cotinine, integrated into existing CAR-T therapy technology.
The company plans to develop AT501 into a CAR-T therapy that can simultaneously bind to multiple cancer antigens by increasing the number of switch molecules that bind to different targets. Although various attempts have been made to develop CAR-T therapies targeting solid tumors, clinical response rates have been lower compared to hematologic cancers, with short relapse periods and toxicity issues confirmed, preventing CAR-T therapies from being applied to solid tumor patients.
A company representative stated, "By adjusting the dosage and frequency of the switch molecule administration, we confirmed the inhibitory effects on solid tumor treatment and relapse through animal experiments. We expect that activity control via the switch molecule can sustain stronger efficacy than existing CAR-T therapies."
AM105 is a next-generation immune cell engager bispecific antibody therapy targeting EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) using the 4-1BB AffiMab format. Recent bispecific antibody therapies have been designed to directly activate T cells based on CD3 (T cell co-receptor) to eliminate cancer cells, but they showed limited efficacy in solid tumors due to severe side effects caused by excessive T cell activation and low therapeutic effects.
To overcome this issue, Appclon developed AM105, a next-generation T cell-binding bispecific antibody composed of an EGFR monoclonal antibody and an Affibody targeting 4-1BB. AM105 effectively induced 4-1BB clustering and demonstrated excellent efficacy even in stress model evaluations reflecting the low number of T cells in the solid tumor microenvironment. At AACR 2024, the characteristics and anticancer efficacy research results of AM105 will be presented.
An Appclon representative emphasized, "At AACR 2024, we plan to present research results of AT501 and AM105, which will propose new treatments for solid tumors. AT501 is expected to overcome the limitations of existing therapies by introducing a new switch molecule, and through this, we aim to become an innovative company in solid tumor CAR-T therapies and bispecific antibodies."
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