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

SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Investigators affiliated with the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy will present results on some of the most noteworthy developments in immuno-oncology research at the 53(rd) Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The event takes place at the McCormick Convention Center in Chicago from June 2 through June 6.

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
        responseJeffrey 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 tumorsThe
        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 CARsJune 3,
        11:15 a.m.Location: Hall B1Carl 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--ImmunotherapyJune 5, 2017,
        1:15 - 4:15 p.m.Location: Hall D1Padmanee 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 TumorsJune 2, 2017, 1
        p.m.Location: S100aJames 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.

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SOURCE Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy