Innolake Biopharm Announces First-in-Human Dosing of Novel Selective A2aR Antagonist ILB-2109 in Phase I Trial for Advanced Solid Tumors
On April 25, 2022, Innolake Biopharm announced that the first patient had been dosed in a Phase I clinical trial of ILB-2109, its novel A2aR-selective antagonist with global intellectual property rights, for the treatment of advanced solid tumors.
This study (NCT05278546) is an open-label, multicenter, Phase Ia clinical trial evaluating ILB-2109 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors. The primary objective is to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic profile, and preliminary efficacy of ILB-2109 monotherapy in subjects with advanced solid tumors.
In recent years, immunotherapy has achieved significant breakthrough success in the treatment of advanced cancer. However, due to the presence of various compensatory immunosuppressive mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment, the response rate to immunotherapy remains suboptimal. Studies have shown that the CD39-CD73-A2aR axis is one of the adenosine-mediated signaling pathways that suppress the tumor immune microenvironment. The downstream adenosine A2a receptor is expressed on immune cells such as T lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, and dendritic cells. Adenosine binds to the adenosine A2a receptor, thereby inhibiting both innate and adaptive immune responses of these immune cells. Therefore, the development of adenosine A2a receptor antagonists holds promise for providing patients with a new therapeutic option. Currently, there are no drugs targeting this specific mechanism or the CD39-CD73-A2aR pathway approved for anti-tumor therapy worldwide.
Dr. Xia Mingde, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of InnoLake Pharma, stated that ILB-2109 is one of the projects at InnoLake Pharma currently entering the clinical trial phase, marking a significant milestone in the company’s rapid development. Preclinical study results have demonstrated that ILB-2109 exhibits potent and safely controllable anti-tumor effects. As a novel nucleoside inhibitor-based modulator of the tumor immune microenvironment, ILB-2109 has the potential to deliver unique clinical benefits to patients with advanced solid tumors. During this critical period of China’s nationwide epidemic prevention and control efforts, we will work closely with clinical researchers to safeguard enrolled patients with advanced cancer in clinical trials, striving to benefit more oncology patients. International clinical studies for this project are also being actively prepared.
InnoLake Pharma is a new drug R&D enterprise focused on oncology and autoimmune diseases, dedicated to developing innovative therapeutics with global value to address unmet clinical needs worldwide. Founded in 2020 by Dr. Xia Mingde and Mr. Chen Rulei, the company completed its Pre-A financing round of nearly RMB 300 million in March 2021. In the same year, it was recognized as a “Hangzhou Quasi-Unicorn Enterprise” and listed among the “Top 100 Innovators in China’s Biopharmaceutical Industry Chain 2021.” InnoLake boasts a management and R&D team with extensive experience and international competitive advantages in new drug development and clinical research. By simultaneously deploying proprietary platforms for small molecules, large molecules, and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), alongside strategic collaborations both domestically and internationally, the company has established its core technologies and first-stage R&D pipeline. This includes more than 10 first-in-class (FIC) and best-in-class (BIC) product candidates that are leading in their respective subfields, two of which have already entered clinical trials.