Helmholtz Munich presented preclinical data portending PH-762 to enhance persistence of T cells for tumor cell killing
At the 9th Immunotherapy of Cancer Conference (ITOC), held September 22 to 24, 2022 in Munich, Helmholtz Munich presented preclinical data showing that PH-762, an INTASYL compound targeting PD-1, increases the frequency of a T cell population expressing stem cell-like characteristics. In doing so, it is expected to improve T cell persistence in vivo, therefore, resulting in prolonged duration of anti-tumor activity.
In 2D and 3D co-culture experiments of TCR53 transduced T cells with their cognate tumor cell line, mimicking the situation of Adoptive T cell therapy and the tumor microenvironment, the functional quality of PH-762 induced stem-like subsets and their tumor cell killing are being assessed.PH-762 is the lead clinical product of Phio Pharmaceuticals Corp., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of therapeutics based on its proprietary self-delivering RNAi (INTASYL™) therapeutic platform.
ITOC is a European meeting providing a global platform for translational research in the field of immuno-oncology as well as a forum for discussion of early clinical translation and to address its unique challenges.
The presentation was held by Helmholtz Munich doctoral researcher Anna Herbstritt and was titled, "RNAi mediated PD-1 knockdown induces a TCF-1 positive population in activated human CD8 T cells with stem-like associated marker profile."
About the people:
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Elfriede Nößner, Head of Immunoanalytics, Research Group Tissue Control of Immunocytes (IMA-TCI)
Anna Herbstritt, doctoral researcher, Immunoanalytics, Research Group Tissue Control of Immunocytes (IMA-TCI)