Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Scientists to Present Research at ASCO 2017 on IDO Pathway Inhibitors, Novel CAR-Ts and the Microbiome's Potential in Immunotherapy

ASCO is the largest cancer conference in the United States. The event is expected to draw more than 30,000 scientists, clinicians, advocates and others to discuss advances in the field. Parker Institute scientists will present data on promising new checkpoint therapy agents, immunotherapy resistance, T-cells engineered to combat cancer and how the microbiome may play a role in survival and response to cancer immunotherapy treatment.

SELECT ABSTRACTS

• IDO-1 inhibitor combined with nivolumab shows promise for solid tumors: Preliminary phase I/II results of ECHO-204 
  
  The authors will present new trial data on epacadostat, an inhibitor of the indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) immunosuppressive enzyme that helps control anti-tumor immune response. This drug was tested in combination with nivolumab for head and neck, melanoma, ovarian and colorectal cancers. Adil Daud, M.D., Parker Institute member researcher at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), is a co-author. (Abstract 3003)
  
  
• CRISPR knockouts used to test resistance to PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors
  
  Investigators used CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology to generate cell JAK1, JAK2 and beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) knockout cells. Cells lacking functionality in these genes were resistant to anti-PD-1 checkpoint blockade, likely due to different mechanisms, as explored in this study. Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center director at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is principal investigator. (Abstract 3077)
  
  
• Adenosine A2a receptor (A2aR) antagonist shows promise in patients with solid tumors resistant to PD-1 and PD-L1 checkpoint agents
  
  A novel drug, CPI-444, shows promise for renal cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer patients resistant to checkpoint agents targeting PD-1 and PD-L1. The drug showed anti-tumor activity alone and combined with atezolizumab. Parker Institute center co-director Lawrence Fong, M.D., of UCSF, is first author. Matthew Hellman, M.D., Ph.D., a Parker Institute member researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is a co-author. (Abstract 3004)
  
  
• Diversity and composition of the gut microbiome associated with response and survival in metastatic melanoma patients on anti-PD-1 therapy 
  
  A greater diversity in gut flora and an abundance of a specific bacteria was associated with improved survival among patients on anti-PD-1 checkpoint therapy. Jennifer Wargo, M.D., Parker Institute member researcher at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is principal investigator. (Abstract 3008)
  
  The Parker Institute is collaborating with Dr. Wargo on developing clinical trials to test whether influencing the microbiome makeup can affect patient response to checkpoint blockade treatments.
  
  
• Liver metastases in melanoma patients linked to lower PD-1 blockade response
  
  Jeffrey Bluestone, Ph.D., CEO and president of the Parker Institute, and Adil Daud, M.D., a Parker Institute member researcher at UCSF and head of the university's melanoma clinical research program, report that melanoma patients with liver metastases do not respond as well to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy agents, suggesting that where cancer metastasizes plays a role in a patient's responsiveness to immunotherapy treatment. This study also looks at the potential mechanism behind those findings in mice and humans. (Abstract 3072)
  
  
• Phase 1 study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of MEDI4736 (durvalumab) + tremelimumab in patients with advanced solid tumors
  
  The combination therapy of durvalumab and tremelimumab showed a manageable safety profile and preliminary evidence of clinical activity when used on solid tumors in this phase I multi-center study. The principal investigator is Jedd Wolchok, M.D., Ph.D., the Parker Institute center director at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where first author Margaret Callahan, M.D., Ph.D., is also a Parker Institute member researcher. (Abstract 3069)

AWARDS, LECTURES AND SESSIONS OF NOTE

• Driving New CARs for Cancer: PACE CARS, NASCARs, and SWEET CARs
  June 3, 11:15 a.m.
  Location: Hall B1
  
  Carl H. June, M.D., Parker Institute center director at the University of Pennsylvania, is the recipient of the 2017 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award and Lecture for his outstanding contributions to the field. His talk will focus on new developments in CAR-T therapy, which he pioneered. He will be awarded as part of the opening session.
  
  
• Oral Abstracts: Developmental Therapeutics—Immunotherapy
  June 5, 2017, 1:15 - 4:15 p.m.
  Location: Hall D1
  
  Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center co-director at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, co-chairs this session that features leading edge research on novel immunotherapy drugs. Several Parker Institute affiliated researchers will be part of the presentations and discussion panels, including Crystal Mackall, M.D., Parker Institute center director at Stanford Medicine, and Antoni Ribas, M.D., Ph.D., Parker Institute center director at UCLA.  
  
  
• Novel Approaches to Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors
  June 2, 2017, 1 p.m.
  Location: S100a
  
  James Allison, PhD, Parker Institute center director at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, will present from 1 to 1:45 p.m. during the session, "On the Shoulders of Giants: Historical Approaches to Immunotherapy in Solid Tumors."

About the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy brings together the best scientists, clinicians and industry partners to build a smarter and more coordinated cancer immunotherapy research effort.

The Parker Institute is an unprecedented collaboration between the country's leading immunologists and cancer centers, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Stanford Medicine, the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, San Francisco, the University of Pennsylvania and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Parker Institute network also includes more than 40 industry and nonprofit partners, more than 60 labs and more than 300 of the nation's top researchers focused on treating the deadliest cancers.

The goal is to accelerate the development of breakthrough immune therapies capable of turning most cancers into curable diseases. The institute was created through a $250 million grant from The Parker Foundation.

SOURCE Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy