NOXXON Pharma N.V. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company primarily focused on cancer treatment, announced that it presented data yesterday at the ESMO conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, studying the role of CXCL12 inhibition by NOX-A12 (olaptesed pegol) in tumor stroma spheroids, a preclinical model that mimics the complexity of the tumor microenvironment.
As Noxxon informed us, these studies showed that NOX-A12 synergizes with therapies working through either T cells or NK cells. Further studies of NOX-A12 with agents working through T-cells such as checkpoint inhibitors or CAR-T cells as well as NK cell-based therapies are warranted.
NOX-A12, which inhibits the key tumor microenvironment chemokine CXCL12, may be a key partner for a wide range of IO (immuno-oncology) agents. NOXXON has generated promising pre-clinical and clinical data, including recent animal data showing synergy with a checkpoint inhibitor as well as recent phase 2a trials in multiple myeloma and a second hematological cancer that showed a safety profile that supports further development and first signs of efficacy. The company believes that additional clinical trials are warranted to investigate combinations of NOX-A12 multiple classes of IO agents including those acting on or through T-cells and NK cells.