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Advances in immuno‐oncology have provided a variety of novel therapeutics that harness the innate immune system to identify and destroy neoplastic cells. It is noteworthy that acceptable safety profiles accompany the development of these targeted therapies, which result in efficacious cancer treatment with higher survival rates and lower toxicities. Adoptive cellular therapy (ACT) has shown promising results in inducing sustainable remissions in patients suffering from refractory diseases. Two main types of ACT include engineered Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cells and T cell receptor (TCR) T cells. The application of these immuno‐therapies in the last few years has been successful and has demonstrated a safe and rapid treatment regimen for solid and non‐solid tumors. The current review presents an insight into the clinical pharmacology aspects of immuno‐therapies, especially CAR‐T cells. Here, we summarize the current knowledge of TCR and CAR‐T cell immunotherapy with particular focus on the structure of CAR‐T cells, the effects and toxicities associated with these therapies in clinical trials, risk mitigation strategies, dose selection approaches, and cellular kinetics. Finally, the quantitative approaches and modeling techniques used in the development of CAR‐T cell therapies are described.

OBJECTIVES The class III variant of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRvIII) represents the most common EGFR mutation in GBM. AMG 596 is a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE®) molecule designed to engage a patient’s own CD3-positive T cells to EGFRvIII-positive tumor antigens. This is the first clinical data readout for AMG 596. METHODS This phase 1, first-in-human, open-label, sequential dose-escalation/expansion study evaluates continuous intravenous AMG 596 in patients with EGFRvIII-positive GBM or malignant glioma in recurrent (Group 1) or newly diagnosed in maintenance treatment (Group 2) settings. Eligible patients: adults with EGFRvIII-positive GBM or malignant glioma; ≤2 mg/day dexamethasone, ECOG performance status ≤1; life expectancy ≥3 months; and acceptable renal, hematological, and hepatic function. The primary objective evaluates safety and tolerability. Additional assessments include objective response rate per modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) Criteria. RESULTS As of June 2019, 15 rGBM patients (Group 1) were enrolled; 14 patients received ≥1 dose AMG 596. 14/15 (93.3%) patients were evaluable at time of analysis (safety analysis set). Median age was 54.5 years (range, 44–68); 50% were male. Seven patients discontinued for progressive disease (PD). AEs occurred in all patients and were serious in 7/14 (50%). None resulted in discontinuation; two (14.3%) fatal AEs were related to PD. Headache and depressed consciousness (both n=2, 14.3%) were the most common grade ≥3 treatment emergent AEs. In patients with sufficient follow-up to assess response (n=8), 1 (12.5%) achieved partial response, 2 (25%) had stable disease, 4 (50%) had PD at initial scan, and 1 (12.5%) discontinued treatment for PD. Semi-quantitative EGFRvIII expression analysis revealed a median H-score of 115 (range, 8–280). CONCLUSION This interim analysis suggests a first indication that AMG 596 may be well-tolerated and offer anti-tumor activity in patients with rGBM. Enrollment is ongoing and additional data will be presented. NCT03296696.

TPS2071 Background: GBM is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults and is extremely difficult to treat. Patients with GBM tend to progress rapidly within weeks or months. Median overall survival is only 12–15 months despite aggressive treatment, and less than 5% of patients survive 5 years. GBM also severely impacts quality of life and cognitive function. Approximately 50% of GBM tumors test positive for amplification or mutation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), the most common of which is the EGFRvIII gain-of-function mutation. AMG 596 is a bispecific T cell engager (BiTE®) antibody construct designed to crosslink and engage CD3-positive T cells to EGFRvIII-positive tumor cells, inducing tumor cell lysis and T cell proliferation. A clinical trial is being conducted for this novel immunotherapy agent in patients with EGFRvIII-positive GBM. Methods: NCT03296696 is a phase 1, first-in-human, open-label, sequential dose-escalation and dose-expansion study evaluating the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of AMG 596 in patients with EGFRvIII-positive GBM. AMG 596 is administered via continuous intravenous infusion. The study is expected to enroll approximately 82 patients total and comprises two groups (Group 1: patients with recurrent GBM; Group 2: patients with newly diagnosed GBM in the maintenance treatment phase after standard of care). Key inclusion criteria include: male or female; ≥ 18 years of age; with pathologically documented and diagnosed grade IV GBM; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 1; life expectancy ≥ 3 months per study investigator; and acceptable renal, hematological, and hepatic function. The primary endpoint evaluates the safety and tolerability of AMG 596 via collection of treatment-emergent adverse events. Additional endpoints include objective response rate per modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology Criteria and PK/PD analyses of AMG 596 in serum. The study began enrolling patients in April 2018 and enrollment is ongoing. For more information, please contact Amgen Medical Information: medinfo@amgen.com. Clinical trial information: NCT03296696.

The melanocortin system is involved in the regulation of several complex physiological functions. In particular, the melanocortin- 3 and −4 receptors (MC3R/MC4R) have been demonstrated to regulate body weight, energy homeostasis, and feeding behavior. Synthetic and endogenous melanocortin agonists have been shown to be anorexigenic in rodent models. Herein, we report synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of 27 non-peptide small molecule ligands based on an unsymmetrical substituted urea core. Three templates containing key residues from the lead compounds, showing diversity at three positions (R1, R2, R3), were designed and synthesized. The syntheses were optimized for efficient microwave-assisted chemistry that significantly reduced total syntheses time compared to a previously reported room temperature method. The pharmacological characterization of the compounds on the mouse melanocortin receptors identified compounds 1 and 12 with full agonist activity at the mMC4R, but no activity was observed at the mMC3R when tested up to 100 µM concentrations. The SAR identified compounds possessing aliphatic or saturated cyclic amines at the R1 position, bulky aromatic groups at the R2 position, and benzyl group at the R3 position resulted in mMC4R selectivity over the mMC3R. The small molecule template and SAR knowledge from this series may be helpful in further design of MC3R/MC4R selective small molecule ligands.