OSE Immunotherapeutics SA (ISIN: FR0012127173; Mnemo: OSE) today announced the publication of an article on latest preclinical efficacy data on the use of its anti-IL-7 receptor (IL-7R
A&io) antagonist Lusvertikimab (OSE-127) for the treatment of B- and T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B- and T-ALL) in ‘Blood’, a peer-reviewed medical journal published by the American Society of Hematology.
The preclinical data on Lusvertikimab published in ‘Blood’ was generated from a collaborative research program between OSE Immunotherapeutics and the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein in Kiel (Germany). This collaboration is using patient-derived samples and in-vivo xenograft models to evaluate the therapeutic potential of anti-IL-7R antagonist Lusvertikimab in targeting and blocking the high and dysregulated IL-7R-expression observed in nearly 85% of B- or T-Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) patients.
Pr. Denis Schewe (newly appointed Head of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, University Hospital Dresden and National Center for Tumor Diseases, Partner Site Dresden, and formerly from the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein of Kiel) and Dr. Lennart Lenk (Department of Pediatrics I, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel), leading the research program in collaboration with OSE Immunotherapeutics, comment: “Treatment options for T-ALL remain very limited and there is an urgent need for novel immunotherapy approaches to reduce toxicity and to target relapsed or refractory disease in ALL patients. Through its dual mode of action comprising both IL-7R signaling blockade and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis induction, Lusvertikimab may represent a promising novel immunotherapy option for CD127 positive ALL patients, particularly in combination with polychemotherapy standard of care. When translated into the clinic, Lusvertikimab could significantly improve ALL-therapy and the outcome of relapsed/refractory disease.”
Nicolas Poirier, Chief Executive Officer of OSE Immunotherapeutics, concludes: “We are very pleased with this publication on Lusvertikimab in ‘Blood’, a high-level journal within the field of hematology whose manuscripts are reviewed by prominent specialists. Novel targeted immunotherapy options are urgently needed for B-ALL and T-ALL patients and we are happy to collaborate with the research leaders in hematology from the University of Kiel to face this clinical challenge.”
The abstract, titled: “The IL-7R antagonist Lusvertikimab reduces leukemic burden in xenograft-ALL via antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis” reported that IL-7R immunotherapy with Lusvertikimab shows significant in vivo efficacy in preclinical models using samples from B-ALL and T-ALL. Mechanistically, Lusvertikimab targeted ALL cells via a dual mode:
- On one hand it blocks IL-7 receptor signaling and hence block proliferative and pro-survival signals induced by Interleukin-7.
- In parallel, it induces leukemic cells elimination by macrophages (antibody-dependent phagocytosis), in particular with strong correlation with the level of IL-7R surface expression on leukemic cells.
About Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a heterogeneous group of lymphoid disorders resulting from clonal proliferation of immature lymphocytes of B-cell (85%) or T-cell (15%) lineages (3) in the blood, bone marrow, and other lymphoid organs.
Although it is one of the most common cancers in children, accounting for approximately 25% of all childhood cancer diagnoses among children under 15 years of age (4), adults can also develop ALL. About 40% cases of ALL diagnosed are in adults and among them about 50% present refractory disease or undergo relapse under current conventional therapies (4).
The American Cancer Society estimates that almost 6,660 new cases of ALL will be diagnosed in the United States in 2022(5). In Europe, 7,000 cases of ALL are diagnosed each year (6). The number of patients in Japan was reported to be about 5,000 in a survey by the Japanese MHLW in 2017. The number of diagnosed incident cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in Europe, US, Japan and China is estimated to achieve 26,482 cases in 2029(7).
(1) ASH Publication – Blood (2022) 140 (Supplement 1): 1045 – 1047
(2) Lennart Lenk, PhD, Irène Baccelli, PhD, Dorothee Winterberg, PhD, Anna Dietterle, Frédérique Corallo, MD, Julien Taurelle, Emma Narbeburu*, Anna Laqua, PhD, Beat Bornhauser, PhD, Jean-Pierre Bourquin, MD, PhD, Fotini Vogiatzi, PhD, Martin Schrappe, MD, Gunnar Cario, Monika Brüggemann, MD, Nicolas Poirier, PhD and Denis Martin Schewe, MD
(3) DeVita, Jr. VT, Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, eds.; Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology, 10th ed.; Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, PA; 2014.
(4) Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, accessed October 2022
(5) American Cancer Society. Key 2022 Statistics for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/acute-lymphocytic-leukemia/about/key-statistics.html#references., accessed October 2022
(6) Gatta G, van der Zwan JM, Casali P, et al. Rare cancers are not so rare: The rare cancer burden in Europe. Eur. J. Cancer. 2011; 47: 2493-2511.
(7) Global Data