SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA I September 12, 2017 I Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) today announced that it has begun dosing in the PROPEL clinical study which will evaluate the efficacy and safety of NKTR-214, the company’s lead immuno-oncology candidate in combination with approved checkpoint inhibitors, TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab) and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab). NKTR-214 is an investigational immuno-stimulatory therapy designed to expand specific cancer-fighting T cells and natural killer (NK) cells directly in the tumor microenvironment and increase expression of PD-1 on these immune cells.
Atezolizumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Pembrolizumab is an anti-PD-1 therapy that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells.
“NKTR-214 directly increases the numbers of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in vivo and its unique mechanism is designed to have synergy with all mechanisms of checkpoint inhibition, including the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway,” said Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Nektar Therapeutics. “The PROPEL study is intended to show the synergies of NKTR-214 when combined with either atezolizumab or pembrolizumab and it complements our ongoing PIVOT clinical program which combines NKTR-214 with nivolumab in eight different cancer indications. Many patients fighting cancer lack sufficient TIL populations to benefit from approved checkpoint inhibitor therapies and we believe the combination of NKTR-214 with these agents could expand treatment options for patients in multiple tumor settings.”
NKTR-214 targets CD122 specific receptors found on the surface of cancer-fighting immune cells in order to stimulate their proliferation and activation. In clinical and preclinical studies, treatment with NKTR-214 resulted in expansion of these cells and mobilization into the tumor micro-environment.1,2 NKTR-214 has an antibody-like dosing regimen similar to the existing checkpoint inhibitor class of approved medicines.
The Phase 1/2 PROPEL study is a Nektar-sponsored trial that will enroll patients into two separate arms concurrently. The first arm will evaluate an every three-week dose regimen of NKTR-214 in combination with atezolizumab in up to 30 patients in approved treatment settings of atezolizumab, including patients with non-small cell lung cancer or bladder cancer. The second arm will evaluate an every three-week dose regimen of NKTR-214 in combination with pembrolizumab in up to 30 patients in approved treatment settings of pembrolizumab, including patients with melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer or bladder cancer.
About Nektar
Nektar Therapeutics is a research-based, development-stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover and develop innovative medicines to address the unmet medical needs of patients. Our R&D pipeline of new investigational medicines includes treatments for cancer, auto-immune disease and chronic pain. We leverage Nektar’s proprietary and proven chemistry platform in the discovery and design of our new therapeutic candidates. Nektar is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Hyderabad, India. Further information about the company and its drug development programs and capabilities may be found online at http://www.nektar.com.
- Charych, D., et al., Clin Can Res; 22(3) February 1, 2016
- Diab, A., et al., Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2016, 4(Suppl 1):P369
SOURCE: Nektar Therapeutics
Post Views: 280
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, USA I September 12, 2017 I Nektar Therapeutics (Nasdaq: NKTR) today announced that it has begun dosing in the PROPEL clinical study which will evaluate the efficacy and safety of NKTR-214, the company’s lead immuno-oncology candidate in combination with approved checkpoint inhibitors, TECENTRIQ® (atezolizumab) and KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab). NKTR-214 is an investigational immuno-stimulatory therapy designed to expand specific cancer-fighting T cells and natural killer (NK) cells directly in the tumor microenvironment and increase expression of PD-1 on these immune cells.
Atezolizumab is a monoclonal antibody designed to bind with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Pembrolizumab is an anti-PD-1 therapy that works by increasing the ability of the body’s immune system to help detect and fight tumor cells.
“NKTR-214 directly increases the numbers of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in vivo and its unique mechanism is designed to have synergy with all mechanisms of checkpoint inhibition, including the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway,” said Mary Tagliaferri, M.D., Senior Vice President of Clinical Development at Nektar Therapeutics. “The PROPEL study is intended to show the synergies of NKTR-214 when combined with either atezolizumab or pembrolizumab and it complements our ongoing PIVOT clinical program which combines NKTR-214 with nivolumab in eight different cancer indications. Many patients fighting cancer lack sufficient TIL populations to benefit from approved checkpoint inhibitor therapies and we believe the combination of NKTR-214 with these agents could expand treatment options for patients in multiple tumor settings.”
NKTR-214 targets CD122 specific receptors found on the surface of cancer-fighting immune cells in order to stimulate their proliferation and activation. In clinical and preclinical studies, treatment with NKTR-214 resulted in expansion of these cells and mobilization into the tumor micro-environment.1,2 NKTR-214 has an antibody-like dosing regimen similar to the existing checkpoint inhibitor class of approved medicines.
The Phase 1/2 PROPEL study is a Nektar-sponsored trial that will enroll patients into two separate arms concurrently. The first arm will evaluate an every three-week dose regimen of NKTR-214 in combination with atezolizumab in up to 30 patients in approved treatment settings of atezolizumab, including patients with non-small cell lung cancer or bladder cancer. The second arm will evaluate an every three-week dose regimen of NKTR-214 in combination with pembrolizumab in up to 30 patients in approved treatment settings of pembrolizumab, including patients with melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer or bladder cancer.
About Nektar
Nektar Therapeutics is a research-based, development-stage biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover and develop innovative medicines to address the unmet medical needs of patients. Our R&D pipeline of new investigational medicines includes treatments for cancer, auto-immune disease and chronic pain. We leverage Nektar’s proprietary and proven chemistry platform in the discovery and design of our new therapeutic candidates. Nektar is headquartered in San Francisco, California, with additional operations in Huntsville, Alabama and Hyderabad, India. Further information about the company and its drug development programs and capabilities may be found online at http://www.nektar.com.
- Charych, D., et al., Clin Can Res; 22(3) February 1, 2016
- Diab, A., et al., Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer 2016, 4(Suppl 1):P369
SOURCE: Nektar Therapeutics
Post Views: 280
