Acepodia Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 1 Clinical Trial of ACE1831, an Anti-CD20 Armed Allogeneic Gamma Delta T-cell Therapy in Development to Treat Patients with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

ALAMEDA, Calif. and TAIPEI, May 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Acepodia, a clinical stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) platform to address gaps in cancer care, today announced that the first patient has been dosed with ACE1831 in a Phase 1, first-in-human clinical trial for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. ACE1831 is Acepodia's first gamma delta T cell therapy to enter clinical development from its proprietary ACC platform technology derived from 2022 Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi's pioneering work in the development of bioorthogonal chemistry which moves click chemistry into living organisms.

"As we continue to validate our Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) technology in humans, this trial marks the beginning of a new chapter in the field of allogeneic cell therapy," said Sonny Hsiao, Ph.D., chief executive officer of Acepodia. "Currently available cell therapies still present challenges in effectively engaging cancer cells due to immunosuppression caused by the tumor microenvironment. By utilizing potent gamma delta T cells with our novel tumor-targeting mechanisms, we are committed to identifying a safe and therapeutic dose in this Phase 1 trial and to advancing this study in larger patient cohorts."

The Phase 1 trial is a multi-center, dose escalation trial that will evaluate the safety of ACE1831 in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The goal of the study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose of ACE1831, which is administered intravenously via a single infusion following completion of lymphodepleting chemotherapy. The study is expected to enroll up to 42 patients in the United States.

ACE1831 is an off-the-shelf gamma delta T cell therapy candidate developed from Acepodia's proprietary ACC platform. ACE1831 targets CD20-expressing hematological cancers using anti-CD20 antibody conjugated gamma delta T cells. Taking advantage of the high expression of NK activating receptors of the gamma delta T cells to scavenge the malignant blood cells, ACE1831 has demonstrated in models enhanced cytotoxicity against cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. 

About Gamma-Delta T Cells
Acepodia's gamma delta T cell program harnesses the unique properties of gamma delta T cells to develop a new class of off-the-shelf cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Gamma delta T cells have characteristics of both the innate and adaptive immune systems that make them an ideal chassis for the development of cell therapies. This cell type can recognize and attack cancerous cells as well as coordinate a broad antitumor immune response by recruiting other immune factors and cells to the site of disease. Gamma delta T cells have also been shown to preferentially traffic to distinct tissues and could be ideally suited for more targeted treatment of certain types of cancers.

About Acepodia

Acepodia is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing first-in-class cell therapies with its unique Antibody-Cell Conjugation (ACC) platform technology to address gaps in cancer care. Leveraging its ACC technology, the company links tumor-targeting antibodies to its proprietary immune cells, such as natural killer and gamma delta T cells to create novel ACE therapies, which have increased binding strength against tumors that express low levels of tumor antigens.

Acepodia is made up of seasoned leaders and scientific experts dedicated to advancing its robust pipeline of ACE therapies with the potential to bring innovative, effective, and affordable cell therapies to a broad population of patients across a variety of solid tumors and hematologic cancers. For more information, visit https://www.acepodia.com and follow Acepodia on Twitter and LinkedIn

Gina Lee
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Acepodia, Inc.
E. [email protected]

SOURCE Acepodia, Inc.