Surface Oncology and Merck Launch Clinical Trial of SRF617 (CD39 Inhibitor) in Combination with Keytruda for Gastric Cancer

Today, immuno-oncology company Surface Oncology announced that it has entered into a clinical trial collaboration with MSD to evaluate the safety and efficacy of its CD39 inhibitor SRF617 in combination with MSD’s blockbuster PD-1 inhibitor Keytruda for the treatment of patients with solid tumors. This combination therapy will be part of the first Phase 1/1b clinical study of SRF617, focusing on the treatment of gastric cancer and patients with cancers resistant to checkpoint inhibitors.

SRF617 is a CD39 inhibitor. CD39 is a critical enzyme in the breakdown of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and the generation of adenosine. Extensive research has confirmed the role of CD39 in cancer immune evasion. For example, in gastric cancer, tumor-infiltrating immune cells typically express high levels of CD39, which may impair the overall anti-tumor immune response even in the presence of anti-PD-1 antibodies. The combination therapy of SRF617 and Keytruda has the potential to overcome this barrier to immune system activation and enhance anti-tumor immunity.

▲CD39 is essential for ATP degradation and adenosine generation (Image source: Reference [2])

“Surface Oncology is dedicated to developing breakthrough therapies to improve the treatment of cancer patients. The collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) will add significant value to the clinical development of SRF617 and enable us to more rapidly evaluate its therapeutic potential,” said Dr. Robert Ross, Chief Medical Officer of Surface Oncology. “We have already demonstrated in preclinical studies that inhibition of CD39 leads to substantial activation of both the innate and adaptive immune systems. Encouragingly, we also found that combining this approach with anti-PD-1 therapy enhances immune activation, and that this combination has the potential to overcome resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy.”

References:

[1] Surface Oncology and Merck to Collaborate on Immuno-Oncology Study Evaluating SRF617, Targeting CD39 in Combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in Solid Tumor Patients. Retrieved 2020-05-20, from http://investors.surfaceoncology.com/news-releases/news-release-details/surface-oncology-and-merck-collaborate-immuno-oncology-study

[2] The fully human antibody SRF617 is a potent enzymatic inhibitor of CD39 with strong immunomodulatory activityhttps://www.surfaceoncology.com/wp-content/uploads/SRF617-SITC-2019-Final-Poster.pdf. Retrieved 2020-05-20, from

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