MARSEILLE, France– Innate Pharma SA (Euronext Paris: IPH; Nasdaq: IPHA) (“Innate” or the “Company”) announced that pre-clinical data from its proprietary, multi-specific NK cell engager platform, ANKETTM, will be presented at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) Annual Meeting in collaboration with partner, Sanofi (poster #852).
Specifically, the companies will share new data on IPH6101/SAR443579, the first NKp46/CD16-based NK cell engager using Innate’s proprietary multi-specific antibody format1 that targets CD123 on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and now co-engages NKp46 and CD16a on NK cells.
CD123 is an attractive target as it is expressed at high levels in the majority of AML patients2. However, overcoming resistance to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) has been a challenge.
In pre-clinical studies, IPH6101/SAR443579 demonstrated potent antitumor activity against AML cell lines, including those resistant to ADCC by a comparator anti-CD123 antibody. IPH6101/SAR443579 also promoted strong and specific NK-cell activation and induced cytokine secretion only in the presence of AML target cells.
In addition, IPH6101/SAR443579 had sustained pharmacodynamic effects in non-human primates, combining efficient depletion of CD123-expressing cells with minor systemic cytokine release in comparison to T-cell engagers. As expected, it also had a favorable safety profile.
“There is a strong need to develop effective therapies to treat acute myeloid leukemia, the most common acute leukemia in adults,” said Pr. Eric Vivier, Ph.D., DVM, Chief Scientific Officer at Innate Pharma. “We’re pleased to present pre-clinical data on IPH6101/SAR443579 that shows antitumor activity against AML, and more specifically, the potential of engaging NK cells through NKp46 and CD16 via our ANKETTM technology. We look forward to seeing Sanofi dose the first patient in the clinic with this molecule soon.”
Innate will also present a second ANKETTM poster (poster #851) at SITC entitled, “Harnessing Innate Immunity in Cancer Therapies: the Example of Natural Killer Cell Engagers.” The data will highlight the induction of a unique NK cell activation pathway by its tetra-specific ANKETTM molecule.
