Immuno-oncology developer STCube announced on the 7th that it will participate in the ‘Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting (SITC 2024)’ this November and present a poster on the dual mechanism of action of BTN1A1 and updated clinical analysis results of the anti-BTN1A1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Nelmastobat.
SITC, established in 1984, is the world’s largest immuno-oncology society. The 39th annual SITC meeting will be held from November 6 to 10 (local time) in Houston, USA. Pharmaceutical and biotech companies, hospitals, research institutions, and consulting groups from around the world gather to discuss new research achievements, technology transfers, and collaborative research in immuno-oncology therapies.
The titles of regular abstracts were first released on the morning of the 4th (local time).
STCube’s regular abstract is titled “Spatial Biology Insights into Simultaneous Targeting of BTN1A1 and YAP in Cancer,” focusing on the dual mechanism of BTN1A1. The presentation will cover research findings on how BTN1A1 induces immune evasion and promotes cancer cell growth in relation to the phenomenon where resistance to chemotherapy increases and cancer recurs in certain cancers after repeated anticancer treatments.
The title of the Late-breaking abstract (LBA), which will disclose clinical trial data, will be revealed on the morning of October 30 (local time), and the full text of all abstracts will be released collectively on the morning of November 5 (local time).
BTN1A1 is a novel immune checkpoint first identified by STCube’s research team in collaboration with the MD Anderson Cancer Center in the United States. It is not expressed in normal cells but only in cancer cells. Unlike PD-L1, which has a low expression rate of around 20%, BTN1A1 is expressed in more than 70% of most solid tumors and other cancer types. Notably, it is expressed mutually exclusively with PD-L1, suggesting high therapeutic potential for cancers that have shown no response to existing anti-PD-(L)1 immune checkpoint inhibitors.
STCube demonstrated excellent safety and efficacy in a global Phase 1 clinical trial of Nelmastobat as a monotherapy targeting BTN1A1. The company received the final clinical study report (CSR) for Phase 1 on the 5th of this month and is currently verifying the safety and efficacy of combination therapy with Nelmastobat and chemotherapy in Phase 1b/2 clinical trials.
The Phase 1b/2 trials are being conducted on patients with relapsed/refractory extensive-stage small cell lung cancer who have failed prior treatments. Investigator-initiated Phase 1b/2 trials are also underway for patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer who have undergone three or more lines of treatment. Both small cell lung cancer and MSS colorectal cancer are cancer types for which immune checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy has not demonstrated efficacy.
An STCube representative stated, “At this year’s SITC, we will update and present new research findings on the mechanism of BTN1A1 and clinical analysis results of Nelmastobat. As it is receiving significant attention as a highly promising innovative drug, we plan to actively pursue collaboration discussions with global pharmaceutical companies and partners.”
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