GT Biopharma, Inc. issued the following announcement on Sept. 20.
GT Biopharma, Inc. (the "Company") (NASDAQ: GTBP), a clinical stage immuno-oncology company focused on developing innovative therapeutics based on the Company's proprietary natural killer (NK) cell engager, TriKE platform, today announced Dr. Jeffrey Miller's mini-oral presentation at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2021. Jeffrey Miller, MD is a Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation and GT Biopharma's consulting Chief Scientific Officer.
The presentation at ESM0 highlighted the activity of camelid TriKEs in preclinical B7H3 positive and HER2+ solid tumor cancer models. GT Biopharma plans to advance these TriKEs into the clinic in 2022. The abstract is currently available on the ESMO website at www.esmo.org.
In addition to the ESMO presentation, GT Biopharma provided an update on its ongoing Phase 1 safety and feasibility clinical trial with GTB-3550. A total of 12 relapsed/refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and high grade myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients have now been administered one cycle of GTB-3550, the company's first-generation TriKE which targets CD33 on the surface of the leukemic cells in patients with AML and MDS.
The three most recent patients (numbers 10-12) have all tolerated the treatment well. One patient at the 150 mcg/kg/day dose experienced a mild Grade 1 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) event (fever), which was not dose limiting. Immune monitoring on these three most recent patients was consistent with the data previously reported on the first nine patients, and demonstrated activation, proliferation, and persistence of CD16 positive NK cells. Patient 11 had a bi-phenotypic leukemia which co-expressed both CD19 (a lymphoid marker) and CD33 (the myeloid marker which is targeted by GTB-3550); this patient showed a 50% reduction in CD33-positive leukemic cells (blasts), evidence of anti-leukemic activity of GTB-3550. Patients 10 and 12 did not experience blast cell reduction. The Company has previously reported that three of the first nine patients experienced a reduction in blast cells.
Gregory Berk, MD, President of R&D and Chief Medical Officer of GT Biopharma commented "We are very pleased with what we have learned from the Phase 1 GTB-3550 clinical trial. The TriKE is safe and well tolerated. The TriKE results in NK cell activation, proliferation, and persistence. There are also early signs of anti-leukemic activity. We are excited to advance GT Biopharma's next generation camelid program for this difficult-to-treat patient population."
About Camelid Antibodies
Camelid antibodies are single domain antibodies (sdAbs) from the Camelidae family of mammals that include llamas, camels, and alpacas. These animals produce 2 main types of antibodies. One type of antibody camelids produce is the conventional antibody that is made up of 2 heavy chains and 2 light chains. They also produce another type of antibody that is made up of only 2 heavy chains and no light chain. This is known as heavy chain IgG (hcIgG). While these antibodies do not contain the CH1 region, they retain an antigen binding domain called the VHH region. VHH antibodies, also known as single domain antibodies, contain only the VHH region from the camelid antibody. Camelid antibodies have key characteristics, which include high affinity and specificity (equivalent to conventional antibodies), high thermostability, good solubility and strictly monomeric behavior, small size, relatively low production cost, ease of genetic engineering, format flexibility or modularity, low immunogenicity, and a higher penetration rate into tissues.
Original source can be found here.
Source: GT Biopharma, Inc.
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