In a preclinical study, San Francisco-based Nektar Therapeutics ($NKTR) found that its investigational cancer drug, NKTR-214, inhibited growth in highly aggressive tumors, showing potential to treat a variety of cancers.
The investigational cancer immunotherapy selectively activates the IL-2 receptor complex to stimulate the patient's own immune system to kill tumor cells. The drug is being developed as a potential treatment for multiple cancers.
"This ability to exploit complementary pathways in the immune system by combining NKTR-214, a new immune activator, with an effective checkpoint inhibitor, such as anti-CTLA-4 or anti-PD-1, holds promise for durable responses in patients," said Stephen Doberstein, senior vice president and chief scientific officer of Nektar Therapeutics, in a statement.
Using preclinical models of breast tumors--EMT6--and colon tumors--CT26--Nektar researchers tested NKTR-214 on its own as well as NKTR-214 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, either an anti-PD-1 therapy or an anti-CTLA-4 therapy. The studies also compared NKTR-214 single-agent and combination-dosing regimens with single-agent and combination-dosing regimens of anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapies.
In both the breast and colon tumor models, the combination therapy of NKTR-214 with anti-PD-1 therapy or anti-CTLA-4 therapy resulted in significant tumor growth inhibition. In the aggressive EMT6 breast tumor model, a single-agent anti-PD-1 therapy or single-agent anti-CTLA-4 therapy showed growth inhibition of 23%, but when dosing of NKTR-214 preceded anti-PD-1, the combination therapy showed stronger tumor growth inhibition at 74%.
The results were presented June 1 at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.
Nektar, which has 8 approved products between the U.S. and Europe, is continuing studies on NKTR-214 with an investigational new drug application in mind.
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- see Nektar's presentation from ASCO
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