Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HARP), a clinical-stage
immuno-oncology company developing novel T cell engagers, today
presented preclinical data for two of its key clinical programs,
HPN328 and HPN217, in three poster presentations at the American
Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting being held in
Orlando, Fla., April 14-19, 2023. HPN217 targets B-cell maturation
antigen (BCMA) and is based on Harpoon’s proprietary Tri-specific T
cell Activating Construct (TriTAC®) platform designed to recruit a
patient’s own immune cells to kill tumor cells. HPN328 is Harpoon’s
half-life extended TriTAC that targets delta-like canonical Notch
ligand 3 (DLL3).
“These data provide further validation of our proprietary TriTAC
T cell engager platform, indicating potential for long-term
immunity induced by HPN328, as well as clinical effect in
combination with anti-PD-L1 antibodies,” said Banmeet Anand, Ph.D.,
Senior Vice President, Translational Medicine, Harpoon
Therapeutics. “Results also support our continued clinical
development efforts for HPN217, with encouraging preclinical
results in combination with γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs).”
“With our Phase 1 trial ongoing and further studies planned, we
look forward to continuing our clinical development efforts for
these two promising programs,” added Luke Walker, M.D., Chief
Medical Officer of Harpoon Therapeutics.
Highlights from the posters include:
Abstract #4131: Long-term anti-tumor immunity induced by
HPN328, a DLL3-targeting tri-specific, half-life extended T cell
engager, in a preclinical immunocompetent mouse modelIn an
immunocompetent MC38-hDLL3 murine cancer model, HPN328 showed dose
dependent anti-tumor activity and increased CD8+ tumor infiltrated
lymphocyte (TIL) activation which was maintained upon
reintroduction of a second tumor on the opposite flank, and
discontinuing treatment. These results suggested that HPN328 can
induce epitope spreading and prolonged anti-tumor immunity, with an
increase in memory T cells, suggesting a novel mechanism for its
activity and efficacy in vivo. Overall, these findings indicate
that long-term anti-tumor immunity induced by HPN328 can
potentially lead to more durable anti-tumor responses in cancer
patients.
Abstract #5070: Anti-tumor activity of HPN328, a
DLL3-targeting tri-specific, half-life extended T cell engager, is
enhanced by combining with an anti-PD-L1 antibody in an
immunocompetent mouse model In an immunocompetent mouse
model, sub-therapeutic doses of HPN328 in combination with an
anti-PD-L1 antibody demonstrated enhanced, dose dependent
anti-tumor activity when compared to either treatment alone and
showed increased activation in memory CD8+ T cells. These results
demonstrate the utility of combining anti-PD-L1 antibodies to
enhance the anti-tumor activity of HPN328 and further supports
investigation of this combination approach in patients. Clinical
studies of HPN328 in combination with atezolizumab are planned.
Abstract #5081: Anti-tumor activity of HPN217, a
BCMA-targeting tri-specific T cell engager, is enhanced by
γ-secretase inhibitors in preclinical modelsγ-secretase
inhibitors (GSIs) have been shown to increase membrane bound BCMA
expression on multiple myeloma cells, providing a rationale for
studying this combination approach. In preclinical mouse models,
γ-secretase inhibitors increased the potency of HPN217 in vitro in
multiple cell lines. Specifically, combination therapy with 1mg/kg
LY-3039478 and a subtherapeutic dose of 4ug/kg HPN217 led to
decreased tumor burden and increased survival in a disseminated
MOLP8 xenograft compared to either monotherapy alone.
For more details about the AACR Annual Meeting, please
visit: https://www.aacr.org/meeting/aacr-annual-meeting-2023/
The posters will be available on Harpoon’s website following
today’s presentations.
About HPN217
HPN217 targets B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) and is based on
Harpoon’s proprietary Tri-specific T cell Activating Construct
(TriTAC®) platform designed to recruit a patient’s own immune cells
to kill tumor cells. HPN217 is being evaluated in an ongoing Phase
1, multicenter, open-label dose escalation study designed to
evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and clinical
activity in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma who
have had at least three prior systemic treatments.
In November 2019, Harpoon Therapeutics and AbbVie announced a
licensing agreement and option to advance HPN217 and expand an
existing discovery collaboration. Under the terms of the agreement,
AbbVie may exercise its option to license HPN217 after completion
of the Phase 1 clinical trial.
In March 2022, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to HPN217,
underscoring its potential to address a serious unmet medical need
for patients with relapsed, refractory multiple myeloma.
About HPN328
HPN328 targets delta-like canonical Notch ligand 3 (DLL3) and is
based on Harpoon’s proprietary Tri-specific T cell Activating
Construct (TriTAC®) platform designed to recruit a patient’s own
immune cells to kill tumor cells. HPN328 is being evaluated as
monotherapy in an ongoing open-label, multicenter two-part study to
assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics in patients
with advanced cancers associated with expression of DLL3.
In March 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
granted Orphan Drug Designation to HPN328 for the treatment of
small cell lung cancer (SCLC).
About Harpoon Therapeutics
Harpoon Therapeutics is a clinical-stage immuno-oncology
company developing a novel class of T cell engagers that harness
the power of the body’s immune system to treat patients suffering
from cancer and other diseases. T cell engagers are engineered
proteins that direct a patient’s own T cells to kill target cells
that express specific proteins, or antigens, carried by the target
cells. Using its proprietary Tri-specific T cell Activating
Construct (TriTAC®) platform, Harpoon is developing a pipeline of
novel TriTACs initially focused on the treatment of solid
tumors and hematologic malignancies. Harpoon has also developed a
proprietary ProTriTAC™ platform, which applies a prodrug
concept to its TriTAC platform to create a therapeutic T cell
engager that remains inactive until it reaches the tumor. Harpoon’s
third proprietary technology platform, extended release TriTAC-XR,
is designed to mitigate cytokine release syndrome. For additional
information about Harpoon Therapeutics, please visit
www.harpoontx.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Words such as “look forward,” “may,” “suggest,” “plan,”
“potential,” “continued,” “further,” “will,” and similar
expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing
future events, conditions or circumstances) are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking
statements are based on Harpoon Therapeutics’ expectations and
assumptions as of the date of this press release. Each of these
forward-looking statements involves risks and uncertainties that
could cause Harpoon Therapeutics’ clinical development programs,
future results or performance to differ significantly from those
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include,
but are not limited to, statements about the expected progress,
results, and plans pertaining to Harpoon Therapeutics’ clinical
trials, the association of interim clinical data and preclinical
results with potential treatment outcomes, the possibility and
timing of AbbVie’s option to license HPN217 and other statements
that are not historical fact. Many factors may cause differences
between current expectations and actual results, including
unexpected safety or efficacy data observed during clinical
studies, preliminary data and trends may not be predictive of
future data or results, may not demonstrate safety or efficacy
or lead to regulatory approval by the FDA or other regulatory
agencies, clinical trial site activation or enrollment rates that
are lower than expected, changes in expected or existing
competition, changes in the regulatory environment, the
uncertainties and timing of the regulatory approval process, the
timing and results of unexpected litigation or other disputes, and
the sufficiency of Harpoon Therapeutics’ cash resources. These and
other factors that may cause Harpoon Therapeutics’ actual results
to differ from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking
statements in this press release are discussed in Harpoon
Therapeutics’ filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, including under “Risk Factors” in Harpoon Therapeutics’
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2022, and future filings by Harpoon Therapeutics. Except
as required by law, Harpoon Therapeutics assumes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained
herein to reflect any change in expectations, even as new
information becomes available.
Contacts:
Investors:ICR WestwickeRobert H. UhlManaging
Director858-356-5932 robert.uhl@westwicke.com
Media:Uncapped
Communications303-588-0599kerry.walton@uncappedcommunications.com
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