Elpiscience Biopharma, Inc. a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing life-changing immuno-oncology therapies for cancer patients worldwide, today announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1 clinical trial of ES014, a first-in-class anti-CD39xTGF-? bispecific antibody (bsAb). The principal investigator of the study is Professor Lu Shun, Director of Oncology Department of Shanghai Chest Hospital.
ES014 simultaneously targets the CD39-adenosine and TGF-? pathways, aiming to convert the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) into an immune-friendly one. Adenosine and TGF-? are two key immunosuppressive pathways within the TME. TGF-?, frequently expressed on solid tumors, suppresses T cell activation and induces CD39 expression, the rate-limiting enzyme in the ATP-adenosine pathway. ES014 is designed to have the following functions: 1. It blocks suppressive adenosine generation through CD39 inhibition while maintaining high levels of immune-stimulatory extracellular ATP, the substrate of CD39; 2. ES014 simultaneously neutralizes TGF-?, leading to activation of T cells and blockade of Treg differentiation while avoiding or minimizing systemic immunotoxicity.
