Preclinical data highlights CD27’s mechanism of action and strong anti-tumor activity as a monotherapy and in combination with other checkpoint inhibitors

SEATTLE, WA, USA I October 04, 2023 I Kineta, Inc. (Nasdaq: KA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immunotherapies in oncology that address cancer immune resistance, announced today the presentation of new preclinical data on the company’s anti-CD27 agonist monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in development for the treatment of advanced solid tumors at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy.

Thierry Guillaudeux, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Kineta, unveiled new preclinical data in the company’s poster titled “CD27 is a new promising T cell co-stimulatory target for cancer immunotherapy”. The company’s leading mAb candidates showed high affinity binding to both human and cynomolgus monkey CD27, as well as high specificity against CD27, with no cross-reactivity detected against other members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor super family (TNFRSF). Additionally, none of the selected mAbs block the binding of CD27 natural ligand, CD70. Strong agonist proprieties on T cell proliferation and activation after engagement of NFkB-mediated CD27 signaling as well as NK cell activation were also observed. Importantly, the nominated lead mAb showed antitumor efficacy in vivo in solid and hematological mouse tumor models as a single agent or in combination with other immunotherapies.

“We are excited to see the compelling data with our anti-CD27 agonist mAb lead candidate, which has demonstrated T cell proliferation and NK cell activation resulting in strong anti-tumor activity in our preclinical studies,” said Dr. Guillaudeux. “These data validate CD27 as an important new immuno-oncology target that may potentially offer a new approach to treating a number of solid and hematologic cancer types. We are committed to progressing this new immuno-oncology program to IND and ultimately bringing this breakthrough immunotherapy to cancer patients with unmet medical needs.”

CD27 is a clinically validated drug target that is a member of the TNF receptor superfamily and plays a critical role in T cell activation by providing a co-stimulatory signal together with its ligand CD70 resulting in the enhanced activity of immune cells. CD27 is highly expressed on naïve T cells and also provides a co-stimulatory signal for NK cell activation.

The poster presentation is available for viewing under Publications in the CD27 section of the company’s website at www.kinetabio.com.

About Kineta
Kineta (Nasdaq: KA) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a mission to develop next-generation immunotherapies that transform patients’ lives. Kineta has leveraged its expertise in innate immunity and is focused on discovering and developing potentially differentiated immunotherapies that address the major challenges with current cancer therapy. The company’s immuno-oncology pipeline includes KVA12123, a novel VISTA blocking immunotherapy currently in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial in patients with advanced solid tumors, and a preclinical monoclonal antibody targeting CD27. For more information on Kineta, please visit www.kinetabio.com, and follow Kineta on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

SOURCE: Kineta