Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, M.D., Director of
'BOT/BAL's potential impact on colorectal cancer is groundbreaking. The study's findings, particularly the significant tumor regression after only a single dose of BOT and two doses of BAL, and the complete elimination of ctDNA in 100% of patients tested, offer a potentially transformative treatment approach for CRC patients diagnosed with early stage and locally advanced colon and rectal cancers. These results hold great promise for patients and providers as a framework for reduced reliance on chemotherapy and/or surgical resection,' said Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, M.D., Director of
Study Highlights
Treatment Protocol: Patients received a single dose of BOT and two doses of BAL between diagnosis and surgery, which was approximately a four-week period.
Impressive Pathologic Response: Tumor shrinkage of 50% was observed in 67.5% of patients in the Microsatellite Stable (MSS) CRC cohort and 100% in the Microsatellite Instability-High (MSI-High) CRC cohort.
Surgery Without Delays: Treatment with BOT/BAL did not cause any postponements in surgical procedures, with only two instances of Grade 3 Treatment-Related Adverse Events (TRAEs) observed.
BOT/BAL Eliminates Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA): patients in the NICHE-1 study were tested for ctDNA, a biomarker closely associated with long-term Disease-Free Survival (DFS).
In a separate, independent observational study of 1,792 patients (NCT04264702; https://meetings.asco.org/abstracts-presentations/228848), also led by
Dr.
NEST-1 data presented at the conference is available to view in the publications section of the
About Botensilimab
Botensilimab is an investigational multifunctional anti-CTLA-4 immune activator (antibody) designed to boost both innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. Its novel design leverages mechanisms of action to extend immunotherapy benefits to 'cold' tumors which generally respond poorly to standard of care or are refractory to conventional PD-1/CTLA-4 therapies and investigational therapies. Botensilimab augments immune responses across a wide range of tumor types by priming and activating T cells, downregulating intratumoral regulatory T cells, activating myeloid cells and inducing long-term memory responses.
Approximately 750 patients have been treated with botensilimab in phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials. Botensilimab alone, or in combination with
About
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the federal securities laws, including statements relating to the use of botensilimab and balstilimab, for instance, statements regarding therapeutic benefit and efficacy, mechanism of action (including validation of mechanism of action), potency, durability, and safety profile (including the absence of specific toxicities) of the Company's therapeutic candidates and any other statements containing the words 'may,' 'believes,' 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'hopes,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'forecasts,' 'estimates,' 'will,' 'establish,' 'potential,' 'superiority,' 'best in class,' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the factors described under the Risk Factors section of our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q or Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the
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