BERKELEY, Calif., April 11, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aduro Biotech, Inc. (Nasdaq:ADRO), today announced that the company’s chief scientific officer, Thomas W. Dubensky, Jr., Ph.D., will be a featured speaker at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2016 Annual Meeting being held April 16-20 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Dr. Dubensky’s presentation is part of a Major Symposium, “Cancer Immunotherapy: Small Molecule Approaches,” taking place on April 20, 2016, during which he will highlight Aduro’s landmark first-in-human immunotherapeutic approach in cancer to target the Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) pathway.
The presentation will focus on ADU-S100, a novel synthetic cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) that is one of a family of proprietary small molecules being developed by Aduro that broadly activates the human STING receptor. STING is expressed in immune cells that are present in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and is a central and potent mediator of the innate immune response, a necessary step in the development of effective tumor-specific immunity. Activation of the STING pathway has been shown to correlate with infiltration of lymphocytes and a “T-cell inflamed TME” in patients with melanoma. Stimulation of STING induces signaling through several innate immune response pathways, resulting in the expression of various interferons, cytokines and T cell recruitment factors that amplify and strengthen immune activity. Dr. Dubensky will discuss preclinical data demonstrating that the direct engagement of STING through the intratumoral injection of ADU-S100 resulted in effective, durable and systemic anti-tumor activity. The data suggest that the resulting tumor regression is due to an acute pro-inflammatory cytokine response and induction of tumor-specific CD8+ T cell immunity. Preclinical data will be presented which also demonstrate the potential synergistic effects of combining ADU-S100 and immune checkpoint inhibitors, including anti-PD1. In addition, Dr. Dubensky will present an overview of the Phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability and possible anti-tumor activity of ADU-S100 given by intratumoral injection to patients with advanced cutaneously accessible solid tumors or lymphomas.
“We are excited to share this new research and planned Phase 1 clinical trial, which highlights ADU-S100, Aduro’s lead STING activator candidate, and its translational potential for treating patients with metastatic solid tumors and lymphomas,” said Dr. Dubensky. “Our data suggest that the stimulation of a local immune response in the TME can result in a sustained and effective tumor-specific immune response against metastases throughout the body. This observation reinforces the importance of the STING signaling pathway in cancer immunotherapy and the potential of ADU-S100 to be used alone or in combination treatment approaches for advanced cancer patients.”
Based on these promising preclinical results, Aduro and Novartis, as part of a collaboration focused on STING pathway activator compounds in the field of oncology, will initiate a Phase 1 dose escalation trial with ADU-S100 in patients with cutaneously accessible metastatic solid tumors or lymphomas who have no other treatment options.
Aduro will also be presenting a poster at AACR on Monday, April 18, 2016 titled “STING Activation in the Tumor Microenvironment with a Synthetic Human Cyclic Dinucleotide Leads to Potent Anti-Tumor Immunity.” This will provide additional details on preclinical research showing the effectiveness of ADU-S100 in activating the STING receptor and inducing an immune response across diverse tumor models.
Details of the presentations:
- Oral Presentation “SY39-02: Direct activation of STING in the tumor microenvironment leads to potent and systemic tumor regression and immunity,” Wednesday, April 20, 2016 10:55 AM – 11:20 AM, New Orleans Theater C. Morial Convention Center
- Poster Presentation “STING Activation in the Tumor Microenvironment with a Synthetic Human Cyclic Dinucleotide Leads to Potent Anti-Tumor Immunity,” Monday, April 18, 2016 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Section 24
About Aduro
Aduro Biotech, Inc. is an immunotherapy company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of therapies that transform the treatment of challenging diseases. Aduro’s technology platforms, which are designed to harness the body’s natural immune system, are being investigated in cancer indications and have the potential to expand into autoimmune and infectious diseases. Aduro’s LADD technology platform is based on proprietary attenuated strains of Listeria that have been engineered to express tumor-associated antigens to induce specific and targeted immune responses. Based on compelling clinical data in advanced cancers, this platform is being developed as a treatment for multiple indications, including pancreatic, lung and prostate cancers, mesothelioma and glioblastoma. Aduro’s cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) platform is designed to activate the intracellular STING receptor, resulting in a potent tumor-specific immune response. Aduro’s B-select monoclonal antibody platform includes a number of immune modulating assets in research and preclinical development. Aduro is collaborating with leading global pharmaceutical companies to expand its products and technology platforms. For more information, please visit www.aduro.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions or current expectations concerning, among other things, ADU-S100 and the therapeutic potential for STING activators, the potential for our other product candidates and technology, plans and timing of our clinical trials and the potential for eventual regulatory approval, commercialization and launch of our product candidates. In some cases you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “will,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “could,” “potential,” “suggest,” “plan,” “expect” or the negative or plural of these words or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those anticipated, including, but not limited to, our history of net operating losses and uncertainty regarding our ability to achieve profitability, our ability to develop and commercialize our product candidates, our ability to use and expand our technology platforms to build a pipeline of product candidates, our dependence on our lead product candidate, CRS-207, and GVAX Pancreas, our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of our product candidates, our inability to operate in a competitive industry and compete successfully against competitors that have greater resources than we do, our reliance on third parties, and our ability to obtain and adequately protect intellectual property rights for our product candidates. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K which is on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, and our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate, may differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this press release speak only as of the date of this press release. We assume no obligation to update our forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date of this press release.
CONTACT: Contact: Sylvia Wheeler SVP, Corporate Affairs 510 809 9264 Media Contact: Angela Bitting 925 202 6211 Mike Beyer Sam Brown, Inc. 312 961 2502 press@aduro.com
