Trial data back glioblastoma treatment’s potential to extend survival
Add-on therapy could 'change treatment landscape'
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Add-on treatment with DeltEx DRI, a cell therapy being developed by In8bio, may help prolong survival in people with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of glioma, according to new data from an ongoing clinical study.
“These data continue to support the potential of DeltEx DRI to change the treatment landscape for newly diagnosed glioblastoma,” William Ho, CEO and co-founder of In8bio, said in a company press release.
Available glioblastoma treatments include radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. But even with modern treatment, survival outcomes remain comparatively poor; most people with glioblastoma survive little more than a year with the disease.
“Patients today face the same outcomes as patients diagnosed over twenty years ago,” said Ho. “Despite more than two decades with little advancement, we are seeing encouraging signals of durable disease control and prolonged survival supported by observed biomarker and immune reconstitution data. The need for new treatments for this devastating cancer is critical.”
One of the major limitations of current cancer treatments, like chemo and radiation, is that these therapies kill immune cells, including cells that are able to destroy cancer cells. So while standard treatments can effectively kill cancer, they also hamper the body’s natural ability to fight off the tumor.
Study data looks at progression-free survival vs standard treatment
DeltEx DRI uses gamma-delta T cells, a type of immune cell that can kill certain cancer types, engineered to be resistant to standard cancer treatments. The goal is to promote a more effective immune attack while still retaining the anticancer effects of standard treatments. Two versions of the therapy, INB-200 and INB-400, are in development.
In8bio is running a Phase 1/2 study (NCT05664243) to test DeltEx DRI in people with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. The new data cover 17 patients treated with the cell therapy in addition to standard of care treatments. Results from these patients were compared with data from other individuals who received only standard-of-care at the same centers.
As previously reported, in patients receiving standard of care, median progression-free survival was 6.6 months and median overall survival was 13.2 months. Progression-free survival refers to the length of time patients live without the tumor worsening. In patients given DeltEx DRI, median PFS was 13 months, roughly double that seen in those given standard of care.
Median overall survival in the DeltEx DRI group has not yet been calculated. In other words, most patients are still alive at the latest follow-up. Current median overall survival is estimated at just under 20 months, but this figure is expected to increase over time.
According to In8bio, 43% of patients given repeated doses of DeltEx DRI are still alive after two years. By comparison, 20% of patients given standard care are alive after two years.
The company also said biomarker data from the study have been consistent with the idea that DeltEx DRI can promote an anti-tumor immune response not typically seen in people receiving standard therapies. Data suggest increased levels of cancer-killing immune cells in tumors correlated with better survival outcomes. The experimental cell therapy has also been tolerated well so far, according to In8bio.
“These findings suggest DeltEx DRI may not only directly target residual tumor cells, but also help sustain immune competency during chemotherapy treatment,” said Kate Rochlin, PhD, president and chief operating officer of In8bio. “The ability to preserve and restore key immune cell populations while driving local tumor microenvironment remodeling represents an important potential advancement in [glioblastoma] immunotherapy.”
