News

ImmunOs Therapeutics´ Lead Program Shows Strong Anti-Tumor Activity In Vivo and In Vitro

– Promising data presented at Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer 36th Annual Meeting (SITC)

– Multi-functional agent targeting three innate immune checkpoint receptors 

– Potential as monotherapy and combination therapy for solid tumors and blood cancers

ImmunOs Therapeutics AG, a Swiss biotechnology company developing a new class of biologics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced promising data for the Company´s lead program IOS-1002 (formerly iosH2). The data were presented during the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer 36th Annual Meeting (SITC) (November 10-14, 2021, Washington, DC, USA) as a scientific poster titled “iosH2 (IOS-1002) exerts potent anti-tumor activity by blocking LILRB1/2 (ILT2/4) and KIR3DL1 receptor signaling.”

IOS-1002 is a first-in-class, multi-functional agent based on a naturally occurring human leukocyte antigen (HLA) that interacts with key components of the innate immune system and synergizes with the adaptive immune system, thereby leading to profound anti-tumor activity.

Highlights of the Poster Presentation

Preclinical in vitro and in vivo data show that IOS-1002

  • binds to three different innate immune checkpoint targets – LILRB1 (ILT2), LILRB2 (ILT4) and KIR3DL1 – and restores immune effector cell function;
  • results in measurable anti-tumor activity both as monotherapy and combination therapy;
  • enhances phagocytosis in primary macrophages against solid tumors and blood cancers and increases the killing activity of primary human T cells and of NK cells, as both monotherapy and combination therapy with PD-1.

The presented data confirm the mechanism of action of IOS-1002, providing an encouraging framework for a Phase I clinical trial that is currently in preparation.

“IOS-1002 is a multi-tasking agent boosting the anti-tumor response of human macrophages, T cells, and NK cells via inhibiting three innate checkpoint receptors in parallel,” said Dr. Osiris Marroquin Belaunzaran, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of ImmunOs Therapeutics. “Its unique and powerful mechanism of action activates both the innate and the adaptive immune systems and addresses solid tumors as well as blood cancers. We now have an excellent data package for advancing the program into clinical development.”

“We are excited that our lead program IOS-1002 has generated such promising preclinical data both as a monotherapy and in combination with PD-1,” added Sean R. Smith, Chief Executive Officer of ImmunOs Therapeutics. “As IOS-1002 is based on a naturally occurring protein known to activate immune responses in patients with autoimmune diseases, we are confident that future clinical data will show  IOS-1002 can generate meaningful immune responses that recognize and target tumor cells and further validate our approach.”

Leveraging Naturally Occurring, Multi-Functional Immune-Modulating Agents

ImmunOs has identified human HLA class I molecules known to induce autoimmunity and long-lasting viral control. These properties were then used as surrogate markers for potential anti-cancer activity. For its initial pipeline programs, the Company selected certain HLA molecules with well-known association to superior control of viral infections (e.g., HIV and HCV) through processes related to both adaptive and innate immunity.

Available data demonstrate that expression of an optimized HLA-B57-Fc fusion protein (IOS-1002) exerts anti-tumor efficacy through its multimodal inhibition of LILRB1 (ILT2), LILRB2 (ILT4), and KIR3DL1 receptors.

The abstract of the poster presentation can be found in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC).

 

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About ImmunOs Therapeutics AG

ImmunOs Therapeutics AG focuses on the development of a new class of biologic therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. The Company has established a proprietary R&D platform for the development of HLA-based therapeutics addressing multiple targets via a single fusion protein. Its novel compounds are fully human and modulate the innate immune system, synergizing with the adaptive immune system. ImmunOs Therapeutics´ lead program is a multi-functional fusion protein that blocks specific LILRB (leukocyte immunoglobulin-like) and KIR (killer cell immunoglobulin-like) receptors and activates anti-tumor responses.

ImmunOs Therapeutics AG is supported by top-tier investors including Pfizer Ventures, BioMed Partners, Redalpine, Schroder Adveq, Wille Finance AG, BERNINA BioInvest Ltd and UZH Life Sciences Fund as well as undisclosed private investors.

The Company is a spin-off from the Universities of Zurich and Basel and based in Schlieren, Switzerland.

For more information, please visit www.immunostherapeutics.com