Elicio Therapeutics Announces Publication Of Preclinical Data Demonstrating Power Of Amphiphile-Immunotherapy

A clinical-stage biotechnology company has published promising preclinical data in Cancer Immunology Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). 

The data produced by Elicio Therapeutics Inc. ELTX demonstrates how Elicio’s proprietary Amphiphile (AMP) lymph node-targeting immunotherapy platform, carrying cognate peptide and adjuvant cargos, boosted T cell receptor-modified T cell (TCR-T cell) therapies while enhancing anti-tumor function and eradicating solid tumors. According to Peter DeMuth, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Elicio Therapeutics, optimization of TCR-T cell therapy could potentially have wide-ranging therapeutic benefits in many previously intractable solid tumors. 

During the study, AMP immunotherapy enhanced the infiltration and function of TCR-T cells in the tumor microenvironment and led to epitope spreading against diverse tumor targets. Additionally, long-term protection against tumor recurrence in AMP-treated mice was associated with antigen spreading to additional tumor-associated antigens not targeted by the treatment.

“In this study, we’ve demonstrated that boosting TCR-T cell therapy directly in the lymph nodes with AMP immunotherapy resulted in durable anti-tumor T cell responses and tumor eradication,” DeMuth said. “The AMP treatment uniquely promoted potent mechanisms for immune activation in lymph nodes to invigorate both adoptive and endogenous anti-tumor T cell immunity. Simple application to a variety of cancer targets including mKRAS, HPV E7 and NY-ESO-1 could elevate existing TCR-T cell therapies to generate powerful new combinations for hard-to-treat solid tumors.”

Elicio Therapeutics is developing a pipeline of novel immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Three vaccine candidates are currently in Elicio Therapeutics’ pipeline: ELI-002, ELI-007 and ELI-008.

Elicio’s proprietary AMP platform delivers investigational immunotherapeutics directly to the lymph nodes, sometimes referred to as the “brain center” of the immune system. In previous Elicio studies, the results found that AMP immunotherapy promoted specific trafficking and retention of payloads into lymph nodes, yielding enhanced T cell numbers, persistence and functional quality. 

Preliminary phase 1 data from the ongoing study of Elicio’s lead asset, ELI-002, demonstrated significant T cell responses – including both CD4+ and CD8+ – when administered as an adjuvant monotherapy in patients with pancreatic and colorectal cancers. The strength of the T cell response induced by ELI-002, an mKRAS-specific AMP vaccine, was further correlated to significant improvements in tumor biomarker response, along with reduced risk of progression and death. This indicates an association between the ELI-002 mechanism of action and clinical outcome.

“This study adds to our growing body of preclinical and clinical evidence demonstrating the importance of the lymph nodes and the robust efficacy that our AMP immunotherapy strategy can potentially achieve for patients with solid tumors, both as a monotherapy and in combination with other strategies,” said Robert Connelly, Chief Executive Officer at Elicio Therapeutics. “The AMP platform provides attractive potential for broad and rapid application to clinical and developmental TCR-T cell programs. We look forward to finding the right partner to advance this promising combination into the clinic for patients with solid tumors.”

Featured photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash.

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