Kineta Presents New Preclinical Data on its VISTA Antagonist Antibodies at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy

SEATTLE, Oct. 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Kineta, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on the development of novel immunotherapies in oncology and neuroscience, announced today the presentation of new preclinical data on its VISTA antagonist antibodies at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Virtual Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy.

Thierry Guillaudeux, PhD, Vice President Immuno-oncology at Kineta, presented the new preclinical data on the company's fully human anti-VISTA antibodies during the Innate and Adaptive Checkpoints plenary session.  Key findings from the presentation include the following:

• Kineta's anti-VISTA antibodies carry unique sequences and the selected lead candidates exhibit potencies in the subnanomolar range
• Kineta's human anti-VISTA antibodies are highly specific and cross-react with cyno-VISTA but not mouse-VISTA
• VISTA antagonist antibody induces strong anti-tumor response as a single agent or in combo-therapies with anti-PD-L1 or anti-CTLA-4 in CT26 tumor models
• VISTA antagonist antibody activates dendritic cells in the blood and reduces MDSCs

"We are very pleased with the development of our new anti-VISTA antibody program and the selection of our lead candidates," said Thierry Guillaudeux. "VISTA is a unique immuno-oncology target for the treatment of non-immunogenic tumors, with a central role in re-programming the tumor microenvironment to turn cold tumors hot."

VISTA is a key driver of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and is overexpressed on myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) and regulatory T cells (Tregs). It is a critical myeloid cell immune-checkpoint, and VISTA blockade can reprogram suppressive myeloid cells and reactivate antitumor immune function.  Blocking VISTA activates an immune cell cascade that increases T cell effector functions to drive an efficient anti-tumor response. Preclinical studies have demonstrated single agent anti-VISTA activity but also demonstrate that targeting VISTA in combination with PD-1, PD-L1 or CTLA-4 can significantly improve the efficacy of those checkpoint inhibitors. 

Click on the link below to take you to the Kineta website where you can view the presentation:

VISTA Publications - Kineta VISTA Presentation at AACR 

Kineta, Inc. is a clinical stage biotechnology company committed to developing disruptive life science technologies that address unmet patient needs.  We have leveraged our expertise in immunology and innate immunity to advance a focused pipeline of investigational drugs in oncology, neuroscience and biodefense.  We actively collaborate with a broad array of private, government and industry partners to advance our innovative products.  For more information on Kineta visit our website, www.kinetabio.com, follow us on Twitter at @kinetabio, LinkedIn and Like us on facebook.com/KinetaBio. 

NOTICE: This document contains certain forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements regarding Kineta's and its affiliates' plans for pre-clinical and clinical studies, regulatory filings, investor returns and anticipated drug effects in human subjects. You are cautioned that such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties inherent in Kineta's and its subsidiaries' businesses which could significantly affect expected results, including without limitation progress of drug development, ability to raise capital to fund drug development, clinical testing and regulatory approval, developments in raw material and personnel costs, and legislative, fiscal, and other regulatory measures. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and neither Kineta nor its affiliates undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the issuance of this press release.

Contact Jacques Bouchy
[email protected]
(206) 378-0400

SOURCE Kineta, Inc.