NeoImmuneTech said Monday that it would present two poster presentations of clinical and nonclinical studies on NT-I7 (efineptakin alfa) at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), which will be held from Nov. 1-5 in San Diego, Calif.

In an animal cancer model, the triple combination of NT-I7, IL-2, and an immune checkpoint inhibitor (PD-1 inhibitor) confirmed that NT-I7 amplifies Tpex (precursor of exhausted T cells), a specific T cell known to be targeted by PD-1 inhibitors.

NeoImmuneTech said that NT-I7 amplifies Tpex, and IL-2 increases the activity of these cells, revealing a mechanism by which PD-1 inhibitors can maximize their anticancer activity by reducing the resistance of cancer cells.

In addition, NeoImmuneTech will present analytical results from NIT-110, a nonclinical research project in which NT-I7 was administered in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in solid tumors.

NeoimmuneTech analyzed the cancer tissues of patients with pancreatic cancer and MSS colorectal cancer and presented the results by analyzing in detail the amplification of T cells in cancer tissues by NT-I7, the types of amplified T cells, and the correlation between specific T cell amplification and anticancer effects.

In the case of cold tumors, such as pancreatic cancer and MSS colorectal cancer, PD-1 inhibitors alone do not show any anticancer effects. However, the nonclinical study demonstrated that NT-I7 can change the tumor environment and produce anticancer effects when used in combination.

NeoImmuneTech will discuss partnerships with many global pharmaceutical companies with PD-1 inhibitors at the conference.

Based on the data, NeoImmuneTech plans to expand the supply of NT-I7 for clinical trials and research purposes. It aims to sign supply and investment agreements with more than 10 global biotech firms by the end of this year.

"Through many meetings at SITC, we will continue to discuss material supply and clinical expansion as well as licensing discussions with global biotech companies in various fields," a NeoImmuneTech official said.