AstraZeneca Launches First-in-Class Phase II Trial of Anti-LIF Monoclonal Antibody AZD0171 in Combination with Durvalumab and Chemotherapy for First-Line Treatment of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Source: PharmaCube Info

Author: Shi Bei

Recently, AstraZeneca registered a Phase II clinical trial on ClinicalTrials.gov for the first-line treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with the first-in-class anti-LIF monoclonal antibody AZD0171 (MSC-1) in combination with the anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody durvalumab and chemotherapy (gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel). Currently, no immunotherapy for PDAC has been approved globally.

This study is an open-label, single-arm, multicenter Phase II study with a planned enrollment of 115 subjects and is expected to be completed in November 2023.

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a pleiotropic cytokine involved in various physiological and pathological processes. LIF is highly expressed in tumor cells across multiple cancer types and has been shown to be associated with poor prognosis. LIF promotes tumor growth and progression through immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment, and also serves as a key regulator of cancer-initiating cells (CICs).

AZD0171 is a first-in-class fully human anti-LIF monoclonal antibody acquired by AstraZeneca from Northern Biologics that effectively and selectively inhibits LIF. Preclinical models demonstrate that AZD0171 inhibits tumor growth by suppressing STAT3 signaling, promoting immunostimulatory macrophages, and increasing the infiltration of CD8+ T cells and NK cells into tumors.