IO Biotech Presents Data on an Immunomodulatory CCL22-based Vaccine at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- IO Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, immune modulating anti-cancer therapies, based on its proprietary T-win® technology, presented preclinical data on the therapeutic potential of an immunomodulatory CCL22-based vaccine. These data were presented today at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia.

CCL22 is a macrophage-derived chemokine that exerts immunosuppressive functions by the recruitment of regulatory T-cells to the tumor microenvironment (TME). CCL22 is expressed by cells in the TME in many different cancer types including melanoma, breast, lung and pancreatic cancer and is thought to mediate immune suppression via the recruitment of regulatory CD4⁺ T-cells.

It has previously been described that CCL22-specific T-cells from cancer patients can kill CCL22-expressing tumor cells, and activation of CCL22-specific T-cells may directly influence the CCL22 concentration in the TME, suggesting that CCL22 may be an interesting target for an immunomodulatory vaccine. In this poster, IO Biotech has tested this concept further, demonstrating that CCL22 vaccination mediates antitumor immunity in two mouse tumor models. Moreover, an assessment of gene expression in the tumors revealed that CCL22 vaccination leads to a direct reduction of tumor growth related to a reduction of CCL22 expression, alongside other immunosuppressive molecules such as IDO1, in the TME. In conclusion, these findings provide a rationale for novel cancer immunotherapy to target the immunosuppressive TME.

"These new findings suggest that it is possible to target and modulate the tumor microenvironment by the targeting of CCL22 expressing cells," said Mai-Britt Zocca PhD, Chief Executive Officer of IO Biotech. "This will enable us to explore the potential of CCL22 vaccination further. Through the coming year, we expect to obtain additional preclinical data and then initiate first-in-human trials."

IO Biotech has a compound, IO140, targeting cells expressing CCL22 in preclinical development.

About T-win technology platform
IO Biotech's proprietary T-win technology platform enables identification of compounds with a dual mechanism of action targeting and directly killing immunosuppressive cells and tumor cells, and indirectly activating other T-effectors, leading to strong anti-tumor responses.

About IO Biotech
IO Biotech is a clinical stage biotech company developing disruptive immune therapies for the treatment of cancer. The pipeline of first-in-class immune modulating anti-cancer therapies is developed by a unique technology platform, T-Win, enabling the activation of T cells that are specific for immunosuppressive molecules. IO Biotech has a proven track record of progressing preclinical and clinical compounds. The two lead compounds targeting IDO and PD-L1 are in clinical development, and several pipeline compounds are in pre-clinical phase.

For further information, please visit www.iobiotech.com.  

Contacts
Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, CEO and founder of IO Biotech
E-mail: mz@iobiotech.com

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SOURCE IO Biotech