MEDICAL, DIAGNOSTICS
Premier Research | March 14, 2023
Premier Research has partnered with InSilicoTrials, a leader in using artificial intelligence (AI) and computational modeling and simulation (CM&S) to speed up the development of new therapies and medical devices. Premier Research helps biotech and device companies take their ideas from the idea stage to the commercialization stage. The aim of the partnership is to make it easier, faster, and safer for treatments for rare diseases to get approval from the government.
CM&S and AI have made it possible to use virtual patients in clinical trials in whole or in part, which the FDA approves of in some cases. In silico trials make it possible to create fake control or treatment arms, help figure out how to sign up patients, and predict the safety and effectiveness of new drugs and medical devices more accurately.
The use of synthetic control arms generated using in silico CM&S techniques represents a powerful tool for enabling non-feasible rare disease research, both preclinical and clinical research. In the last five years, Premier Research has been in charge of more than 240 rare disease studies for a wide range of indications. This shows that the company is committed to orphan drug development for a long time. Premier Research is continuing to put money into trials for rare diseases by partnering with InSilicoTrials.
One major advantage of in silico simulation is the ability to investigate 'what if' scenarios, particularly in rare diseases where a larger patient population does not exist. By using biological, molecular, or genetic data to describe rare diseases, in silico models can make synthetic control arms. This, along with Premier Research's expertise in clinical and preclinical development, execution, and regulatory aspects of small population trials, can shorten the time it takes to make effective treatments for rare diseases.
The partnership between Premier Research and InSilicoTrials will focus on smarter in silico study design, leading to a more effective pre-clinical review of trial design parameters and faster submission-ready studies. CEO of InSilicoTrials Luca Emili says that combining modeling and simulation with AI is the best way to improve the R&D process in drug development. This is because it allows sponsors to speed up the development of new treatments, make medical products safer, and lower R&D costs.
About Premier Research
Premier Research is a global company that does clinical research, product development, and consulting. It focuses on using new technologies to design and run smart studies and trials. With more than 2,500 employees in 75 countries, it has a lot of experience in certain therapeutic areas and uses. The company is committed to empowering its customers to meet the unmet needs of patients and offers great benefits and flexible working conditions.
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RESEARCH, DIAGNOSTICS
Globenewswire | May 26, 2023
Xilio Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: XLO), a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing tumor-activated immuno-oncology therapies for people living with cancer, today announced preliminary data from its Phase 1 clinical trial evaluating XTX101, an investigational tumor-activated, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4, in patients with advanced solid tumors.
“We are encouraged by the preliminary data from the Phase 1 trial for XTX101 showing evidence of tumor-selective activation,” said Martin Huber, M.D., president and head of research and development at Xilio. “Following treatment with XTX101 monotherapy at the recommended Phase 2 dose of 150 mg once every six weeks, we observed a partial response in a patient with PD-L1 negative advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Importantly, this anti-tumor activity occurred in the absence of meaningful observed activation of the immune system in the periphery, suggesting tumor-selective activation of XTX101. Based on these Phase 1 data, we plan to explore opportunities to evaluate XTX101 in combination with an anti-PD-(L)1 in historically immunotherapy-resistant tumor types.”
Data from the Ongoing Phase 1 Clinical Trial for XTX101
As of a data cutoff date of May 2, 2023, 25 patients had been treated with XTX101, including dose levels ranging from 7 mg to 180 mg administered once every three weeks (Q3W) and one dose level at 150 mg administered once every six weeks (Q6W). Of these patients, 20 patients were dosed in monotherapy dose-escalation (Part 1A) and five patients were dosed in monotherapy dose-expansion (Part 1B).
Patients had a wide range of advanced and treatment-refractory solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and pancreatic cancer. In addition, 76% of patients had been previously treated with at least three prior lines of anti-cancer therapy, and 44% had been previously treated with at least one immuno-oncology (I-O) agent. As of the data cutoff date, three patients were continuing on treatment with XTX101, and 22 patients had discontinued treatment with XTX101.
Preliminary Safety Data
A recommended Phase 2 dose (RP2D) and schedule of 150 mg Q6W was determined based on the favorable preliminary safety, pharmacokinetic (PK) and pharmacodynamic (PD) data for XTX101. At the RP2D, no dose-limiting toxicities were observed, and there was no reported evidence of immune-related endocrine or skin adverse events (AEs) that are commonly associated with systemically active anti-CTLA-4 agents. In addition, evidence of effective masking of XTX101 was demonstrated by low levels of unmasked drug detected in peripheral circulation, and XTX101 achieved target PK exposure at the RP2D, reaching the targeted area under the curve (AUC) and peak concentration (Cmax).
As of the data cutoff date:
Across all dosing levels and dosing intervals, no Grade 4 or Grade 5 treatment-related AEs were reported by investigators.
Among seven patients who received XTX101 administered at the RP2D of 150 mg on a Q6W dosing schedule, the most common treatment-related AEs (≥10% incidence) of any grade reported by investigators were diarrhea (14%), fatigue (14%) and decreased appetite (14%). In these patients, no treatment-related colitis or infusion related reaction of any grade was observed. Investigators reported only one Grade 3 treatment-related AE of diarrhea, which occurred after two doses and resolved after five days without steroid use. This patient tolerated two additional doses of XTX101 after dose reduction to 75 mg Q6W without any symptom recurrence. At the RP2D of 150 mg Q6W, this was the only patient with a dose reduction due to an AE, and no patients discontinued treatment due to a treatment-related AE.
Among 18 patients who received XTX101 administered on a Q3W dosing schedule, the most common treatment-related AEs (≥10% incidence) of any grade reported by investigators were diarrhea (28%), colitis (28%), infusion related reaction (28%), nausea (17%), vomiting (17%) and abdominal pain (11%). Of these, investigators reported the following Grade 3 treatment-related AEs: diarrhea (6%), colitis (22%) and infusion related reaction (17%). Infusion related reactions were associated with antidrug antibodies. Across all dose levels administered Q3W, two patients had dose reductions due to AEs, and four patients discontinued treatment due to an infusion related reaction.
Preliminary Anti-Tumor Activity
A partial response was observed at nine weeks in one patient with advanced PD-L1 negative NSCLC with hepatic metastases treated with XTX101 at the 150 mg Q6W dose level and confirmed after the data cutoff date at week 27. The only treatment-related AE reported for this patient was Grade 1 fatigue. In addition, PD markers for anti-CTLA-4 reported for this patient showed minimal immune activation in peripheral circulation, demonstrating evidence of tumor-selective activation of XTX101. The patient is currently continuing on treatment with XTX101.
Clinical Development Plan for XTX101
Enrollment in monotherapy dose-expansion (Part 1B) of the Phase 1 trial is currently ongoing, with the goal of further characterizing the safety, PK and PD of XTX101 at the RP2D of 150 mg Q6W. In addition, mandatory tumor biopsies will be obtained from patients in Part 1B to examine intra-tumoral PK and PD for XTX101.
Xilio plans to continue to explore strategic opportunities to advance XTX101 with a partner beyond the current Phase 1 monotherapy cohorts, including in potential Phase 1 dose escalation evaluating XTX101 in combination with a PD-(L)1 and in a potential Phase 2 trial evaluating XTX101 in combination with a PD-(L)1 in patients with microsatellite stable CRC.
About XTX101 (anti-CTLA-4) and the Phase 1 Clinical Trial
XTX101 is an investigational tumor-activated, Fc-enhanced anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody designed to deplete regulatory T cells when activated (unmasked) in the tumor microenvironment (TME). The Phase 1 clinical trial is a first-in-human, multi-center, open-label trial designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of XTX101 for the treatment of patients with advanced solid tumors. The primary outcome measures were the incidence of dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) and the incidence of treatment-related adverse events, and changes in clinical laboratory abnormalities. Please refer to NCT04896697 on www.clinicaltrials.gov for additional details.
About Xilio Therapeutics
Xilio Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company discovering and developing tumor-activated immuno-oncology (I-O) therapies with the goal of significantly improving outcomes for people living with cancer without the systemic side effects of current I-O treatments. The company is using its proprietary geographically precise solutions (GPS) platform to build a pipeline of novel, tumor-activated molecules, including cytokines and other biologics, which are designed to optimize their therapeutic index and localize anti-tumor activity within the tumor microenvironment. Xilio is currently advancing multiple programs for tumor-activated I-O treatments in clinical development, as well as programs in preclinical development. Learn more by visiting www.xiliotx.com and follow us on Twitter (@xiliotx) and LinkedIn (Xilio Therapeutics, Inc.).
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INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, MEDICAL
Twist Bioscience | March 10, 2023
On March 9, 2023, Twist Bioscience Corporation, a leading firm providing high-quality synthetic DNA through its silicon platform, announced the launch of integrated antibody discovery services. This premium offering combines the company's synthetic libraries and AI machine learning with an in vivo immunization approach acquired through its acquisition of Abveris, also known as Twist Boston. This service provides customers with optimized, development-ready antibody candidates.
The combined team, now called Twist Biopharma Solutions, is led by Tracey Mullen, MBA, the senior vice president of biopharma for Twist Bioscience. This newly formed entity leverages years of industry expertise, scientific excellence, and proprietary technology to discover the best antibody candidate for therapeutic targets of interest.
Twist Biopharma Solutions offers an end-to-end workflow for centralized antibody discovery and optimization, including target validation, hit generation, lead selection, lead optimization, and lead characterization. Twist, supported by high-throughput DNA synthesis and IgG antibody production, constructs extensive and particular synthetic antibody libraries with discovery starting with either in vivo or in vitro diversity.
The newly integrated in vivo discovery approach from Abveris of single B cell screening and hybridoma discovery enables parallel paths where multiple technology methods can be leveraged to build a panel of highly diverse antibody leads with broad epitope coverage. In addition, this multi-pronged approach can increase the likelihood of discovering highly specific, high-affinity functional antibodies by sampling synthetic and natural diversity.
The South San Francisco and Boston biopharma teams were combined to create Twist Biopharma Solutions, led by Tracey Mullen. Aaron Sato, Ph.D., remains integrally involved in Twist Biopharma Solutions and, as a chief scientific officer of Twist Bioscience, extends his expertise across the organization. Tracey Mullen joined Twist Bioscience in November 2021 through the acquisition of Abveris. In April 2022, she took on the position of senior vice president of operations, driving the completion of the Factory of the Future in Wilsonville, Oregon, which began shipping products in January 2023. Before joining Twist, she served as CEO of Abveris and worked on the antibody discovery team at Biogen.
About Twist Bioscience
Twist Bioscience is a leading biotechnology company specializing in synthetic biology and genomics. It has developed a proprietary DNA synthesis platform that enables the production of custom-designed DNA strands faster, more accurately, and at a lower cost than traditional methods. In addition, Twist collaborates with partners across industries to develop customized DNA sequences for specific applications and offers a range of other products and services, such as oligonucleotides, synthetic genes, and custom panels for next-generation sequencing. The company has also developed a library of over 100 billion synthetic antibodies, which can be used for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
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