The 2023 edition of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) annual meeting has concluded, highlighting the latest trends in clinical cancer research. The event featured a range of CAR-T cell therapies under development, including Allogene Therapeutics’ (NASDAQ: ALLO) CD70-targeting allogeneic treatment ALLO-316, as well as anti-CD19/CD20 and anti-TACI/BCMA bispecific versions presented by the University of California and Elpis Biopharmaceuticals, respectively.
Monoclonal Antibody Combinations Take Center Stage
Several monoclonal antibody (mAb) combinations were showcased at the event. Notable mentions include Roche’s (SWX: RO) PD-L1-targeting Tecentriq (atezolizumab) combined with anti-VEGF Avastin (bevacizumab), Novartis’ (NYSE: NVS) BAFF blocker ianalumab paired with BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, Sanofi’s (NASDAQ: SNY) anti-PD-1 Libtayo (cemiplimab) combined with BioNTech’s (NASDAQ: BNTX) cytokines mRNA cocktail SAR441000, and BeiGene’s (Nasdaq: BGNE) PD-1-targeting tislelizumab plus chemotherapy.
Merck’s Keytruda and Other Promising Combinations
Merck, Sharp & Dohme’s (MSD; NYSE: MRK) blockbuster anti-PD-1 drug Keytruda (pembrolizumab) was in the spotlight, being paired with Moderna’s (NASDAQ: MRNA) cancer vaccine mRNA-4157, MiNA Therapeutics’ CEBPA upregulator MTL-CEBPA, MSD’s own anti-TIGIT vibostolimab, oncolytic virus gebasaxturev, and chemotherapy.
Cancer Vaccines and Bispecific Antibodies in Clinical Stages
Clinical-stage cancer vaccines featured at the event include Johns Hopkins University’s mutant KRAS (mKRAS) peptide vaccine, Evaxion Biotech’s (NASDAQ: EVAX) personalized DNA vaccine EVX-02, and Transgene’s (EPA: TNG) personalized antigenic vaccine TG4050. The list of bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) displayed includes Merus’s (NASDAQ: MRUS) anti-EGFR/LGR5 petosemtamab, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’s (NASDAQ: REGN) anti-BCMA/CD3 REGN5459, and Affimed’s (NASDAQ: AFMD) anti-CD16A/CD30 AFM13.
Emerging Drug Classes and Targets
The proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC) drug class was featured with Taiwan Industrial Technology Research Institute’s truncated androgen receptor- (AR) targeting ITRI-148. Additionally, the yes-associated protein (YAP)/transcriptional enhancer activator domain (TEAD) was identified as a promising drug target for future cancer treatments.-Fineline Info & Tech
