INmune Bio Inc.’s Chief Scientific Officer, Mark Lowdell, Ph.D. to Present Plenary Talk at International Society of Cell & Gene Therapy
May 24 2023 - 9:00AM
INmune Bio Inc. (NASDAQ: INMB) announces
that Mark Lowdell, Ph.D., INmune Bio’s CSO, will be giving the
opening plenary lecture of the Presidential Symposium at the
International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT) in Paris,
France on May 31st.
Dr. Lowdell’s lecture titled, “The Future of Immune Effector
Cell Therapies for Cancer, Tumor-Primed Memory NK Cells – from
Heresy to Clinical Trials,” will describe how INKmune™, INmune
Bio’s proprietary Natural Killer (NK) cell platform, primes the
patient’s NK cells to alter their phenotype to a cancer-killing
population of memory-like NK cells that differ from single-cytokine
or multiple-cytokine (IL-12, IL-15, IL-18) primed NK cells. The
Company believes this is a critical breakthrough to avoid the
complications associated with cytokine therapy and obtain NK cells
ideally suited for attacking cancer.
Dr. Lowdell’s team at INmune Bio has shown that NK cells primed
by INKmune™ or by the triple cytokine combination of IL12/15/18
(CIML-NK) consist of a complex mix of cell subsets with a unique
memory associated phenotype. Using high-dimensional flow cytometry
to simultaneously analyze 31 cell surface proteins, the team
analyzed resting NK cells, IL-15 LAK (LAK=lymphokine activated
killer cells), CIML-NK and INKmune-primed (TpNK) side-by-side. The
data showed at least 8 clusters of NK cell types, one of which was
restricted to CIML-NK and TpNK. This last cluster has never been
described. “Whilst the existence of “memory-like” NK cells based on
function has been known for over 10 years, it’s safe to say no-one
has identified a unique cell surface phenotype for these cells,”
said Dr. Lowdell. “Our interest in activating NK cells with
INKmune™ to kill cancer provided a unique opportunity to better
define these cells by comparison with CIML-NK.”
The team has reported previously that TpNK function better in
the hostile tumor microenvironment (TME) than CIML-NK or IL15 LAK
because of upregulation of nutrient receptors and mitochondrial
survival proteins leading to increased metabolic activity and
resistance to exhaustion. “The latest data show that TpNK are at an
intermediate stage between single-cytokine primed cells and
CIML-NK. CIML-NK contains a large population of terminally
activated cells with loss of spare respiratory activity, which is
absent from TpNK. Since tumor-infiltrating NK cells have
mitochondrial insufficiency, they cannot kill cancer cells. We
believe INKmune™ may overcome this critical point of failure,”
added Dr. Lowdell. Further details of this work will be
presented in a manuscript currently under review.
Cytokine treatments to activate patient natural killer cells
have shown promise in enhancing the immune response against cancer
for decades but have failed to reach clinical utility due to
several challenges and limitations including high cost, and risk of
systemic toxicity to the patient. can induce severe side effects.
Cytokines such as interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-15 (IL-15)
activate both NK cells and resident T cells, leading to unwanted
inflammatory responses and cytokine release syndrome, limiting use
in many patients .The short half-life of cytokines necessitates
frequent administration, which further increases the risk of
toxicity and complicates treatment schedules. Lowering the
dose of cytokine therapy compromises the anti-tumor immune response
and does not overcome the difficulties of a hostile TME that
prevents tumor killing. We believe INKmune™ may solve these
issues with its unique upregulation of proteins that produce a
“fitter” memory-like NK cell that has a longer therapeutic effect
in the hostile TME without the need to give the patient
supplementary cytokine therapy.
On May 8, 2023, the Company announced the FDA’s acceptance of
its Investigational New Drug Application (IND) for the treatment of
metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer. Dr. Matt Rettig
M.D., Professor of Medicine and Urology, Medical Director of the
Prostate Cancer Program at the David Geffen School of Medicine at
UCLA and member of the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer, is the
principal investigator of the Phase I/II study. Dr. Rettig is
a consultant to INmune Bio. The trial uses a novel
Bayesian design to allow safety and anti-tumor effects of multiple
doses of INKmune™ to be tested simultaneously. The trial should
begin to enroll patients in the US later this year.
"Mark Lowdell's unwavering dedication to NK cell research has
been focused on unraveling the mystery behind why a patient's
natural killer cells fail to combat cancer, which is a fundamental
factor contributing to the development of cancers in the first
place,” said RJ Tesi, M.D. INmune Bio’s CEO. “His tireless effort
in the development of INKmune™, the quest to enhance the efficacy
of NK cell therapies for solid cancers, and the identification of
memory NK cells exemplify his relentless pursuit."
About INKmune™
INKmune™ is a product designed to improve the function of the
patient’s own NK cells. INKmune™ is a clinical-grade,
replication-incompetent human tumor cell line which conjugates to
resting NK cells and delivers multiple, essential priming signals,
akin to treatment with at least three cytokines in combination.
INKmune™ is stable at -80oC and is delivered by a simple IV
infusion. The INKmune:NK interaction triggers multiple activating
and co-stimulatory molecules on the NK cell and enhances its
avidity of binding to tumor cells; notably those resistant to
normal NK-mediated lysis. Tumor-primed NK (TpNK) cells can lyse a
wide variety of NK-resistant tumors including leukemias, lymphomas,
myeloma and solid tumors including prostate, renal cell, ovarian,
nasopharyngeal, lung and breast cancer. INKmune™ therapy does not
require any type of conditioning, pre-medication or cytokine
support.
About INmune Bio Inc.
INmune Bio Inc. is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: INMB),
clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing
treatments that target the innate immune system to fight disease.
INmune Bio has two product platforms that are both in clinical
trials: The Dominant-Negative Tumor Necrosis Factor (DN-TNF)
product platform utilizes dominant-negative technology to
selectively neutralize soluble TNF, a key driver of innate immune
dysfunction and a mechanistic driver of many diseases. DN-TNF
product candidates are in clinical trials to determine if they can
treat cancer (INB03™), Mild Alzheimer’s disease, Mild Cognitive
Impairment and treatment-resistant depression (XPro™). The Natural
Killer Cell Priming Platform includes INKmune™ developed to prime a
patient’s NK cells to eliminate minimal residual disease in
patients with cancer. INmune Bio’s product platforms utilize a
precision medicine approach for the treatment of a wide variety of
hematologic and solid tumor malignancies, and chronic inflammation.
To learn more, please
visit www.inmunebio.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Clinical trials are in early stages and there is no assurance
that any specific outcome will be achieved. Any statements
contained in this press release that do not describe historical
facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is
defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. Any statements contained in this press release that do
not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking
statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements
contained herein are based on current expectations but are subject
to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the
timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially
from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result
of these risks and uncertainties. INB03™, XPro1595, and INKmune™
are still in clinical trials or preparing to start clinical trials
and have not been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) or any regulatory body and there cannot be any assurance that
they will be approved by the FDA or any regulatory body or that any
specific results will be achieved. The factors that could cause
actual future results to differ materially from current
expectations include, but are not limited to, risks and
uncertainties relating to the Company’s ability to produce more
drug for clinical trials; the availability of substantial
additional funding for the Company to continue its operations and
to conduct research and development, clinical studies and future
product commercialization; and, the Company’s business, research,
product development, regulatory approval, marketing and
distribution plans and strategies. These and other factors are
identified and described in more detail in the Company’s filings
with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the
Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, the Company’s Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K.
The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may
arise after the date of this release.
INmune Bio Contact:
David Moss, CFO (858) 964-3720
info@inmunebio.com
Investor Contact:
Jason Nelson Core IR (516) 842-9614 x-823
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