Affimed to Present Preclinical Data Demonstrating Cytotoxic Activity of its Novel Innate Cell Engager AFM28 at the Annual Meeting of the European Hematology Association (EHA)
May 12 2022 - 10:31AM
Affimed N.V. (Nasdaq: AFMD) (“Affimed”, or the “Company”), a
clinical-stage immuno-oncology company committed to giving patients
back their innate ability to fight cancer, today announced an
upcoming poster presentation demonstrating the cytotoxic potential
of its CD123/CD16A-targeting innate cell engager (ICE®) AFM28 at
the Annual Meeting of the European Hematology Association (EHA) to
be held in Vienna, Austria on June 9 - 12, 2022.
AFM28 is designed as a novel treatment for patients
with relapsed/refractory (r/r) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and
high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (HR-MDS).
Redirecting innate immune cells, particularly NK
cells, to CD123 is very attractive as a novel treatment strategy in
AML because both leukemic blasts and leukemic stem cells express
this receptor and an efficient depletion of both cell types is
critical for inducing long-term remission.
The data to be presented in a poster session at the
EHA on June 10, 2022 summarize the preclinical proof-of-concept and
toxicology studies for AFM28. The CD123 and CD16A targeting ICE®
exhibited high-affinity binding to CD16A expressed on NK cells and
high avidity conferring long cell surface retention.
In in vitro assays, AFM28 engaged NK cells to
destroy CD123-positive tumor cell lines and primary leukemic cells
via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), even when
CD123 was expressed at low levels.
Moreover, AFM28 demonstrated the ability to deplete
leukemic cells from patient bone marrow without lysing
CD34-positive/CD123-negative cells suggesting sparing of
hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
In toxicology models using cynomolgus monkeys,
AFM28 demonstrated highly effective target cell depletion which was
associated with good tolerability and only minimal release of the
inflammatory cytokine IL-6.
“CD123 is a highly interesting tumor antigen in AML
that hasn’t reached its full therapeutic potential. We believe that
engaging innate immune cells represents a differentiated
therapeutic strategy to access the value of this target. Building
on the promising data we have seen with AFM28 to date, we are
excited to be preparing a first-in-human clinical study to
investigate the safety, efficacy and biological activity of AFM28
as monotherapy. In parallel, we are planning a study to investigate
AFM28 in combination with adoptive NK cell therapies,” said Dr.
Arndt Schottelius, Chief Scientific Officer at Affimed. “NK cell
therapies have already demonstrated promising clinical activity in
relapsed/refractory AML and we believe that AFM28 will improve this
effect.”
The abstract is accessible on the following
website: https://ehaweb.org/congress/eha2022-hybrid/eha2022-congress/
Poster details:
Title: Novel bispecific innate
cell engager AFM28 for the treatment of CD123-positive acute
myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome
Authors: Jana-Julia Siegler, Nanni
Schmitt, Jens Pahl, Torsten Haneke, Izabela Kozlowska, Séverine
Sarlang, Alexandra Beck, Stefan Knackmuss, Paulien Ravenstijn, Uwe
Reusch, José Medina-Echeverz, Jan Endell, Thorsten Ross, Daniel
Nowak, and Christian Merz
Final abstract code: P482
Session date and time: Poster
session on Friday, June 10th, 10:30 – 11:45 a.m. EDT / 16:30 -
17:45 CEST
About AFM28
AFM28, a tetravalent, bispecific CD123- and
CD16A-binding ICE® developed on Affimed’s ROCK® platform, is
designed to bring a new immunotherapeutic approach to patients with
CD123+ myeloid malignancies, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). It engages NK cells to initiate
tumor cell killing via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity
(ADCC), even at low CD123 expression levels. Clinical development
is planned as both monotherapy and in combination with allogeneic
NK cells in patients with relapsed/refractory CD123+ leukemias.
About Affimed N.V.
Affimed (Nasdaq: AFMD) is a clinical-stage
immuno-oncology company committed to give patients back their
innate ability to fight cancer by actualizing the untapped
potential of the innate immune system. The Company’s proprietary
ROCK® platform enables a tumor-targeted approach to recognize and
kill a range of hematologic and solid tumors, enabling a broad
pipeline of wholly-owned and partnered single agent and combination
therapy programs. The ROCK® platform predictably generates
customized innate cell engager (ICE®) molecules, which use
patients’ immune cells to destroy tumor cells. This innovative
approach enabled Affimed to become the first company with a
clinical-stage ICE®. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany, with
offices in New York, NY, Affimed is led by an experienced team of
biotechnology and pharmaceutical leaders united by a bold vision to
stop cancer from ever derailing patients’ lives. For more about the
Company’s people, pipeline and partners, please visit:
www.affimed.com.
Investor Relations Contact
Alexander FudukidisDirector, Investor
RelationsE-Mail: a.fudukidis@affimed.comTel.: +1 (917) 436-8102
Media Contact
Mary Beth Sandin Vice President, Marketing and
CommunicationsE-Mail: m.sandin@affimed.com Tel.: +1 (484)
888-8195
Affimed NV (NASDAQ:AFMD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Affimed NV (NASDAQ:AFMD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024