BERKELEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aduro BioTech, Inc. presented preclinical data at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual meeting in National Harbor, Maryland on Saturday, November 9th on the development of synthetic derivatives of the naturally-occurring small molecules that stimulate the STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) receptor. The data, which highlighted the significantly increased anti-tumor activity of the company’s proprietary derivative molecules, were presented by Thomas W. Dubensky, Jr., Ph.D., chief scientific officer of Aduro.
The STING signaling pathway has recently been identified as an important cellular pathway that is triggered in response to a viral or bacterial infection. Specifically, STING is activated by cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), which may be produced by bacteria or produced by antigen presenting cells in response to sensing cytosolic DNA. Unmodified CDNs have been shown to induce type I interferon and other co-regulated genes, which in turn facilitate the development of a specific immune response.
Aduro has modified the naturally-occurring CDNs to achieve certain improved characteristics that are believed to be important for therapeutic development. As shown in vitro, the derivatives are resistant to digestion with phosphodiesterase, they are able to activate the intracellular STING receptor in the absence of cell permeabilization and they induce a higher level of stimulation of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). As shown in in vivo animal models, they induce a higher magnitude of peak and memory antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses and they significantly inhibit tumor growth, which correlates with increased survival.
“The STING pathway is novel and enables the development of a new class of highly active and molecularly defined immune activators with broad application to prophylactic and therapeutic immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases,” said Stephen Isaacs, chairman and chief executive officer at Aduro. “We believe our CDN derivatives in development may provide increased activity. This technology broadens the scope of our immunotherapy capabilities and strengthens our proprietary portfolio of immunotherapies.”
About Aduro BioTech, Inc.
Aduro BioTech, Inc. is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company located in Berkeley, California. Aduro has completed enrollment in a randomized, controlled Phase 2 clinical trial in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer; Aduro is conducting a Phase 1B trial in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma; and collaborators are conducting an investigator-sponsored Phase 1 trial in patients with glioblastoma. The company is also developing clinical candidates that utilize small molecules that activate STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes), a newly described central mediator of the innate immune response. The company’s pipeline includes programs in non-small-cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer and malaria.
