Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Scientists Present at ASCO 2018 on Gene Editing in Cell Therapy, Novel Checkpoint Inhibitor Combinations and Other Advances in Immuno-Oncology

Investigators affiliated with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy will present results on some of the most noteworthy developments in immuno-oncology research at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The event takes place at McCormick Place in Chicago from June 1 through June 5.

ASCO is the largest cancer conference in the United States. The event is expected to draw more than 32,000 oncology professionals to discuss advances in the field. Parker Institute scientists will be at the forefront of discussions about new treatment targets under exploration, novel immunotherapy combinations and the future of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR-T therapy.

SELECT ABSTRACTS

Initial results from first-in-human study of IPI-549, a tumor macrophage-targeting agent, combined with nivolumab in advanced solid tumors

IPI-549 is an oral selective PI3K-γ inhibitor that in preclinical studies reprograms macrophages from an immune-suppressive to an immune-activating phenotype that could potentially overcome resistance to checkpoint inhibitors. Results to be presented show early signs of clinical activity and evidence of immune modulation. (Abstract 3013)

Jedd Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center director at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is senior author. Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center director at the University of California, Los Angeles, is a co-author.

Nivolumab plus anti-VEGF drug followed by surgery shows promise in kidney cancer

This randomized pilot study for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma evaluated the checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab combined with the anti-VEGF drug bevacizumab pre-surgery, versus nivolumab alone or combined with ipilimumab. Patients able to stay on therapy and undergo surgery had the best overall response rates ranging from 70 to 93 percent. Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center co-director at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is senior author. (Abstract 4520)

Five-year survival results in patients with advanced melanoma treated with pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-001)

After treatment with pembrolizumab, the 5-year survival rate among patients with advanced melanoma was 34 percent for previously treated patients and 41 percent for untreated patients. The results confirm the checkpoint inhibitor provides a durable anti-tumor effect, according to the authors.

Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center director at the University of California, Los Angeles, is senior author. Other Parker Institute investigator authors include F. Stephen Hodi, M.D., of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Parker Institute director Jedd Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Adil Daud, M.D., of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Tara Mitchell, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania. (Abstract 9516)

Using genetic sequencing to help guide clinical treatment for gynecological cancers

Scientists evaluated the clinical impact of using next-generation sequencing to test for mutations that can help inform treatment for patients with advanced cervical and vulvovaginal cancers. Claire Friedman, M.D., a Parker Institute investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is first author. Dmitriy Zamarin, M.D., Ph.D., also a Parker Institute investigator at MSK, is a co-author. (Abstract 5531)

CAR-T therapy yields durable response in phase 2 follow-up of B-cell lymphoma patients (ZUMA-1)

In this phase 2 study of CAR-T drug axicabtagene ciloleucel, doctors found that complete response rates increased through the long-term follow-up period, with some patients developing a complete response as late as a year after infusion. For example, out of 34 patients with partial response at 1 month, 32 percent showed a complete response by the long-term follow-up time. David Miklos, M.D., Ph.D., a Parker Institute investigator at Stanford Medicine, is a co-author. (Abstract 3003)

LECTURES AND SESSIONS OF NOTE

Genetically Modified Cell Therapy
June 4, 1:55 p.m.
Location: Arie Crown Theater

Carl June, M.D., Parker Institute center director at the University of Pennsylvania, will be speaking about gene editing in cell therapy and CAR-T during the session, “Immunotherapy Beyond the Checkpoints: CARs, Trucks, and More” that runs from 1:15 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Novel Checkpoint/Targeted Therapy Combinations
June 1, 1:20 p.m.
Location: Hall S406

Jennifer Wargo, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute investigator at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will speak about combining targeted therapies with checkpoint inhibitors during the education session, “Rational Combinations With an Immuno-Oncology Backbone,” that runs from 1 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.

Please note that dates and times may change. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the ASCO 2018 iPlanner.

About the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy brings together the best scientists, clinicians and industry partners to build a smarter and more coordinated cancer immunotherapy research effort.

The Parker Institute is an unprecedented collaboration between the country’s leading immunologists and cancer centers. The program started by providing institutional support to six academic centers, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Stanford Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The institute also provides programmatic support for top immunotherapy investigators, including a group of researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Robert Schreiber, Ph.D., of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Nina Bhardwaj, M.D., Ph.D., of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Phil Greenberg, M.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The Parker Institute network also includes more than 40 industry and nonprofit partners, more than 60 labs and more than 300 of the nation’s top researchers focused on treating the deadliest cancers.

The goal is to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies capable of turning most cancers into curable diseases. The institute was created through a $250 million grant from The Parker Foundation. www.parkerici.org

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Contact Information:

Shirley Dang
Science Communications Manager
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
sdang@parkerici.org
415-930-4385