NEW YORK – Enterome said on Friday that a metastatic colorectal cancer patient has received treatment within a Phase I/II trial of its microbiome-derived therapy EO4010.
EO4010 is designed to "trick" immune cells into targeting tumor cells using a bacterial peptide vaccine that includes a bacterial antigen, or series of antigens, that closely mimic a series of tumor-specific target antigens. When immune cells encounter the peptide drug, they mount an attack targeting that antigen series and, in doing so, also target the tumor cells with the nearly identical antigen series. The tumor-associated antigens included in EO4010 are BIRC5/survivin, FOXM1, UBE2C, CDC20, and KIF2C as well as the universal cancer peptide 2, a helper peptide representing the CD4-positive epitope.
Previously treated colorectal cancer patients will be eligible for the Phase I/II AUDREY trial of EO4010 if their HLA type is confirmed to be HLA-A2. Enterome is assessing the treatment in 42 patients both as a monotherapy and in combination with Bristol Myers Squibb's checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab).
Additionally, Paris-based Enterome said it is initiating a Phase II trial of the off-the-shelf, peptide-based immunotherapy EO2040 in colorectal cancer patients with minimal residual disease as determined by circulating tumor DNA testing.
"Building on the promising data from our ongoing trials investigating EO2401 in recurrent glioblastoma and adrenal tumors, and EO2463 in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, we believe that our upcoming studies with EO4010 and EO2040 in colorectal cancer will reinforce Enterome's position as a leader in next-generation cancer immunotherapies," Enterome CEO Pierre Belichard said in a statement.