Exciting preclinical data confirm T-win MOA: IDO1 vaccine modulates tumor microenvironment leading to tumor reduction

Sep 15 2020

– Lankenau Institute for Medical Research in collaboration with IO Biotech publish article in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer

Copenhagen, Denmark – September 15, 2020: IO Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, immune modulating anti-cancer therapies based on its proprietary T-win® technology, announces preclinical data showing that the company’s off-the-shelf immunotherapy approach effectively reduced tumor growth in a colon cancer model.  The article “Peptide vaccination directed against IDO1-expressing immune cells elicits CD8+ and CD4+ T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity and enhanced anti-PD1 responses,” was first published online in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer on July 20, 2020.

In this article, vaccines targeting IDO1 (enzyme which limits the cancer-fighting immune response) effectively reduced tumor growth in a colon carcinoma model. Intriguingly, anti-tumor responses were elicited despite the fact that IDO1 was expressed exclusively in tumor infiltrating lymphocytes; and vaccination resulted in a significant reduction in IDO1 expression in the tumor micro environment (TME). The in vivo anti-tumor effects in the TME confirm the mechanism of action (MoA) of identifying and eliminating cancer cells and reinforce the potential of the T-win platform to improve patient response rates to anti-PD1 therapy. Additionally, when subjects were rechallenged with tumor cells, they displayed complete protection from the cancer cells due to activation of the immune system, which suggests that the IDO1 vaccine could prevent cancer relapse in patients.

“While tremendous progress has been made with immunotherapies for cancer in recent years, many patients still experience eventual disease progression, which is why continued research on novel immunotherapies remains vitally important. ,” said Professor Alexander Muller, Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, Wynnerwood, Pennsylvania, USA. “I see IO Biotech’s T-win platform as one of the most exciting prospects on the immunotherapy horizon given its ability to simultaneously activate the immune system to target immunosuppressive cells as well as tumor cells.

“These results demonstrate clearly our anticipated hypothesis of our T-win platform,” said Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and founder at IO Biotech “T-win is based on novel science with a potentially profound impact, and we are excited to see this unfold in our clinical trials and now also supported with additional strong mechanistical data.”

About T-win® Technology Platform
IO Biotech’s proprietary T-win technology platform enables identification of compounds with dual mechanism of action targeting and directly killing immunosuppressive cells and tumor cells while indirectly activating other T-effectors, leading to strong anti-tumor responses.  The company’s compounds are administered as “off-the-shelf” subcutaneous injections, distinguishing these treatments from many immuno-oncology therapies.

About IO Biotech
IO Biotech is a clinical stage biotech company developing disruptive immune therapies for the treatment of cancer. The pipeline of first-in-class immune modulating anti-cancer therapies is developed by a unique technology platform, T-win®, enabling the activation of T cells that are specific for immune-suppressive molecules. IO Biotech has a proven track record of progressing preclinical and clinical compounds. The two lead compounds targeting IDO and PD-L1 are in clinical development and several pipeline compounds are in pre-clinical phase. For further information, please visit www.iobiotech.com.

Contacts
Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, CEO and founder of IO Biotech
E-mail: mz@iobiotech.com