First Patient Dosed in Anti-tumor Clinical Trial

Tallac Therapeutics announced that they dosed their first patient with its TAC-001 treatment on July 29. A part of the company’s novel Toll-like Receptor Agonist Antibody Conjugate (TRAAC) platform, TAC-001 activates an immune response in B-Cells, which can lead to anti-cancer activity in solid tumors.

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The TRACC Platform and TAC-001

The TRACC Platform delivers Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists to the immune system for targeted activation. TLR9 agonists are a class of immunotherapy treatment that uses a patient’s immune system to fight cancer. This kind of immunotherapy has the potential to overcome the standard of care.

B-cells, a pivotal component of the immune system, express TLR9 and play a role in the environment around solid tumors. They’re associated with a tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS), clumps of organized immune cells that form postnatally in nonlymphoid tissues. TLS appear only in cases of disease which cause chronic inflammation, like autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, and cancer.

TAC-001 is an antibody-oligonucleotide conjugate that acts as an antibody to receptors that only appear in B-cells, including tumor-infiltrating cells. Preclinical studies found that the immune response triggered by TAC-001 led to robust anti-tumor activity. These findings support TAC-001 being developed further for a wide range of solid tumor types.

On this novel treatment, Candy Bermingham, Ph.D., vice president, clinical science at Tallac Therapeutics, said, “TAC-001 is unique in that it integrates B cells and TLR9 activation to trigger innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses, and in preclinical studies demonstrated potent single-agent activity. We look forward to better understanding the clinical utility of TAC-001 in advanced solid tumors and the potential of this molecule to address the high unmet treatment needs that remain in multiple cancer types.”

INCLINE-101 is the trial that will evaluate TAC-001. Patients with select advanced or metastatic solid tumors will participate in the Phase 1/2 trial. The open-label, multicenter, dose escalation and expansion study will test the safety, movement of the treatment and preliminary anti-tumor activity when administered intravenously. It remains unknown whether or not its findings match those found in TAC-001’s preclinical studies.

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Author

Max Heirich