Turnstone Biologics Shifts Focus To 'High Unmet Medical Need' Cancers, Shares Initial Data From Colorectal Cancer Cell Therapy Study

Core Insights - Turnstone Biologics Corp. has released initial data from its Phase 1 STARLING trial of TIDAL-01 in metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (MSS mCRC), leading to a decline in stock price [1] Clinical Data Summary - The initial data from the trial indicates a 25% overall response rate (ORR) and a 50% disease control rate (DCR) among four evaluable MSS mCRC patients [2] - One patient achieved a deep and durable ongoing complete response (CR), with 50% of patients showing sustained clinical benefit [2] - Notable progression-free survival was over one year for the patient with ongoing complete response and six months for a patient with stable disease [2] - The TIDAL-01 process successfully generated high-titer, polyclonal, and multi-epitope tumor neoantigen-reactive T cells that expanded in the patient and correlated with increased CD8 T cell tumor infiltration [2] - The therapy was generally well-tolerated, with safety events consistent with known adverse events associated with the lymphodepletion regimen, IL-2, and pembrolizumab administration [2] Strategic Focus - The clinical development strategy for TIDAL-01 is now concentrated on three high unmet medical need indications: colorectal cancer, head and neck cancer, and uveal melanoma [3] - The trial is currently enrolling patients for these indications, while cutaneous melanoma and breast cancer have been deprioritized [3] Financial Position - As of June 30, 2024, the company reported cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments totaling $62.4 million, which are expected to fund operations into the third quarter of 2025 [4] - Following the release of the trial data, Turnstone Biologics stock has decreased by 57.53%, trading at 93 cents [4]