CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 25 /PRNewswire/ — Tolerx, Inc., a
biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapies to treat
autoimmune diseases and cancer by modulating T cell activity,
presented results from preclinical studies with TRX518, an
early-stage agent Tolerx is developing as a treatment for cancer.
TRX518 is a monoclonal antibody to glucocorticoid-induced tumor
necrosis factor receptor (GITR) and is designed to enhance the
immune system’s ability to attack tumors by activating and
rendering T effector cells resistant to T regulatory cell
suppression. Anti-GITR agents have been identified by the National
Cancer Institute as having high potential for treating cancer.
The preclinical data were presented and recognized as a
distinguished abstract at the annual meeting of the Federation of
Clinical Immunology Societies in Boston,
Massachusetts.
The data included in the presentation demonstrated that a murine
analog of TRX518, which is an anti-GITR antibody, resulted in
pronounced and durable immune responses to several antigens in
mice. These data also showed that the TRX518 analog, when combined
with gemcitabine, a standard chemotherapeutic, significantly
reduced tumor burden (p<0.001) and prolonged survival
(p<0.001) in the mouse model when compared with gemcitabine
alone. In particular, of the mice treated with the combination
therapy, 65% had a complete remission. Similar findings were
observed when the TRX518 analog was combined with cyclophosphamide.
The humanized monoclonal antibody, TRX518, blocked the interaction
of GITR with its ligand, enhanced the cytotoxicity of human natural
killer cells, downmodulated GITR on peripheral blood lympocytes,
did not induce appreciable cytokine release, and was well tolerated
and safe at high doses in non-human primates.
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