- Global Phase 1 clinical trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of ZW171 in treatment of ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and other mesothelin (MSLN) expressing cancers
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 21, 2024) to evaluate the safety and tolerability of the investigational therapy ZW171 in the treatment of advanced or metastatic ovarian cancer, NSCLC, and other MSLN-expressing cancers.
MSLN has strong expression in a broad number of tumor indications, including ovarian cancer (~84%1), with moderate to strong expression in NSCLC (~36%1), making it an appealing target for therapeutic development with our proprietary T cell engager technology. In preclinical studies, ZW171 has demonstrated in vivo potent preferential killing of MSLN-overexpressing target cells and stimulation MSLN-dependent T cell activation, mitigating the risk of on-target-off tumor toxicity and peripheral T cell activation and cytokine release syndrome.
Data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in 2023 demonstrated that ZW171 exhibits greater anti-tumor activity compared to benchmark in MSLN-expressing tumor models and is well tolerated in cynomolgus monkeys up to 30 mg/kg2.
"We are very pleased to have initiated the clinical evaluation of ZW171 for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer and NSCLC, where it has the potential to be a highly effective therapy with favorable tolerability based on our preclinical research results," said Jeff Smith, M.D., FRCP, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Zymeworks. "Initiation of this trial marks a significant step forward in our effort to bring a potential new treatment to people living with difficult to treat cancers and highlights our goal to advance two therapeutic candidates, ZW171 and ZW191, into clinical studies in 2024."
The Phase 1 study is a two-part, open-label multi-center study that is expected to enroll approximately 160 adult patients with advanced MSLN-expressing cancers. Part 1 of the study will evaluate the safety and tolerability of ZW171 and involve dose escalation in patients with advanced ovarian and NSCLC, with secondary endpoints assessing pharmacokinetics and confirmed objective response rate. Part 2 of the study will involve dose expansion in three cohorts (ovarian cancer, NSCLC, and a basket cohort enrolling patients with any MSLN-expression) and will evaluate the anti-tumor activity of ZW171, with primary endpoints focused on safety and tolerability and secondary endpoints assessing progression-free survival, duration of response rates, and overall survival. The Company expects to conduct the Phase 1 study at investigator sites in the United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.
"We are also encouraged by the levels of interest in ZW171, which represents a promising and differentiated approach in the treatment of advanced mesothelin-expressing cancers," Dr. Smith added, noting, "Our trial is designed to rapidly generate clinical data on our differentiated product profile relative to other mesothelin-expressing therapeutics in clinical development."
About ZW171
ZW171 is a bispecific antibody designed to enable T cell-mediated tumor cell killing through simultaneous binding to the extracellular domain of MSLN protein on tumor cells and the engagement of CD3 on T cells. Moderate to high membranous MSLN expression is frequent in ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, mesothelioma and other cancers3. Preliminary evidence of anti-tumor activity with engineered T-cell therapy supports utility of T-cell targeted therapies in treatment of MSLN-expressing solid tumors4. ZW171's unique 2+1 format and incorporation of a novel low-affinity anti-CD3 binder aims to improve the therapeutic window in patients by limiting on-target, off-tumor effects and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) while maintaining potent anti-tumor activity against MSLN-expressing cancers5. By selectively binding to tumors and sparing normal tissues, ZW171 is designed to improve both tolerability and anti-tumor activity against MSLN-expressing cancers. Engineered using our Azymetric and EFECT2 technologies, ZW171 demonstrates enhanced anti-tumor activity and safety in preclinical models, inducing potent, preferential killing of MSLN-overexpressing cells while mitigating the risk of on-target, off-tumor activity, peripheral T cell activation, and CRS.
About Zymeworks Inc.
Zymeworks is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel, multifunctional biotherapeutics. Zymeworks' mission is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people impacted by difficult-to-treat cancers and other diseases. The Company's complementary therapeutic platforms and fully integrated drug development engine provide the flexibility and compatibility to precisely engineer and develop highly differentiated antibody-based therapeutic candidates. Zymeworks engineered and developed zanidatamab, a HER2-targeted bispecific antibody using the Company's proprietary Azymetric technology. Zymeworks has entered into separate agreements with BeiGene, Ltd.and follow @ZymeworksIncon X.
Forward Looking Statements
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Although Zymeworks believes that such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance they will prove to be correct. Investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The above assumptions, risks and uncertainties are not exhaustive. Forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as may be required by law, Zymeworks undertakes no obligation to update, republish, or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances, or to reflect the occurrences of unanticipated events.
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1 Weidemann, S. et al. Biomedicines 2021, Apr 7;9(4):397
2 Afacan N, et al. Presented at: AACR. 2023 (abstr #2942)
3 Chang K, Pastan I, Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1996;93(1):136-40
4 Hassan R, et al. Nat Med. 2023;29:2099-2109
5 Wang L, et al., Cancer Immunol Res. 2019; 7(12): 2013-2024
