Enumeral Reports That Its Novel Class of Potentially Allosteric Anti-PD-1 Antibodies Can Elicit an Additive Effect on T Cell Activation in Ex Vivo Human Assays When Used in Combination with a Currently Marketed Anti-PD-1 Antibody
8:00 am ET November 18, 2015 (BusinessWire) Print Enumeral Biomedical Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB: ENUM) ("Enumeral" or the "Company"), a biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing novel antibody immunotherapies that help the immune system fight cancer and other diseases, today announced that its novel class of potentially allosteric anti-PD-1 antibodies, when used in combination with conventional anti-PD-1 antagonists, provides additional enhancement of T cell function. It is believed that currently marketed anti-PD-1 antibodies must disrupt PD-1 interaction with PD-L1, a tumor cell-expressed negative regulatory ligand that suppresses T cell activity following PD-1 engagement. Enumeral's antibodies block PD-L1-mediated immunosuppression, but do not disrupt PD-1 interaction with PD-L1.
Enumeral's researchers employed ex vivo methods to determine responsiveness of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) derived from lung biopsies to various anti-PD-1 antibodies, measuring restoration of interferon gamma production, which is a key cytokine reflective of T cell activation. The Company's researchers found that approximately 50% of assayed biopsies harbored TILs responsive to a series of anti-PD-1 antibodies. When a conventional anti-PD-1 antibody was combined with Enumeral's antibody, interferon gamma levels were further increased above controls in a subset of the responsive samples. Additionally, Enumeral researchers have found that TILs isolated from lung tumor biopsies that display elevated TIM-3 expression levels have lower responsiveness to the effects of anti-PD-1 antibodies in ex vivo assays.
"We are excited by these findings, building on our earlier observations that our potentially allosteric class of anti-PD-1 antibodies may elicit elevated T cell activation above that which is possible with currently marketed anti-PD-1 antibodies. An additive effect may indicate that our antibodies drive a qualitatively different biology through the PD-1 signaling axis, leading to a greater extent of T cell activation," said Cokey Nguyen, Ph.D., Enumeral's Vice President of Research and Development.
"Our observations on the possible additive effects of currently marketed anti-PD-1 antibodies when used in combination with our antibodies further demonstrates the differentiated activity of our novel class of anti-PD-1 antibodies," continued Dr. Nguyen. "Moreover, we observed that TIM-3 expression may correlate to hypo-responsiveness to PD-1 blockade, suggesting that combining an anti-TIM-3 antibody with an anti-PD-1 antibody could represent a testable therapeutic path for treatment of lung cancer."
About Enumeral
Enumeral is a biopharmaceutical company discovering and developing novel antibody immunotherapies that help the immune system fight cancer and other diseases. The Company is building a pipeline focused on next-generation checkpoint modulators, with initial targets including PD-1, TIM-3, LAG-3, TIGIT, VISTA, and others. In developing these agents, Enumeral's researchers apply a proprietary immune profiling technology platform that measures functioning of the human immune system at the level of individual cells, providing key insights for candidate selection and validation. For more information on Enumeral, please visit www.enumeral.com.
Forward Looking Statements Disclosure
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Such statements reflect current beliefs of Enumeral Biomedical Holdings, Inc. ("Enumeral") with respect to future events and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors affecting operations, market growth, Enumeral's stock price, services, products and licenses. No assurances can be given regarding the achievement of future results, and although Enumeral believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, actual results may differ from the assumptions underlying the statements that have been made regarding anticipated events. Factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results to differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements include, among others, the risks that (a) Enumeral's expectations regarding market acceptance of the Company's business in general and the Company's ability to penetrate the antibody discovery and development fields in particular, as well as the timing of such acceptance, (b) Enumeral's ability to attract and retain management with experience in biotechnology and antibody discovery and similar emerging technologies, (c) the scope, validity and enforceability of Enumeral's and third party intellectual property rights, (d) Enumeral's ability to raise capital when needed and on acceptable terms and conditions, (e) Enumeral's ability to comply with governmental regulation, (f) the intensity of competition, (g) changes in the political and regulatory environment and in business and fiscal conditions in the United States and overseas and (h) general economic conditions.
More detailed information about Enumeral and risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements, including forward-looking statements in this press release, is set forth in Enumeral's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Enumeral urges investors and security holders to read those documents free of charge at the Commission's website at http://www.sec.gov. Forward-looking statements speak only as to the date they are made, and except for any obligation under the U.S. federal securities laws, Enumeral undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.