Medicenna Presents Preclinical Data from its Anti-PD1-IL-2 BiSKIT and IL-2 Super Agonist Programs at the 39th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)

Core Insights - Medicenna Therapeutics Corp. announced promising preclinical data for its novel immunotherapy MDNA113, which targets IL-13Rα2 and shows potential for treating a wide range of malignancies, including "cold tumors" affecting over two million patients annually [1][6] - The company will present updated clinical results from the MDNA11 Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 study at the 39th Annual Meeting of SITC [1][2] Group 1: MDNA113 Overview - MDNA113 is a novel IL-13Rα2 tumor-targeted BiSKIT designed to deliver an anti-PD1-IL-2 Superkine to the tumor microenvironment, activated by tumor-associated proteases [1][6] - Treatment with MDNA113 resulted in complete tumor regression in IL-13Rα2 expressing tumors, indicating its effectiveness in aggressive cancer models [2][3] - The drug demonstrated the ability to prevent metastasis in a triple-negative breast cancer model when administered prior to surgery, achieving 100% survival [3][4] Group 2: Preclinical and Clinical Data - Preclinical studies showed that MDNA113 significantly inhibited tumor growth in IL-13Rα2 positive tumors and improved tolerability compared to unmasked anti-PD1-IL-2SK [3][4] - Independent research indicated that MDNA11 and anti-PD1-IL-2SK BiSKIT extended overall survival in aggressive glioblastoma mouse models and stimulated immune cell activity in human GBM explants [2][4] - Ex-vivo studies with patient-derived GBM explants treated with IL-2SK or anti-PD1-IL-2SK showed increased CD8+ T and NK cell populations alongside reduced tumor burden [5] Group 3: Medicenna's Technology Platforms - MDNA113 is based on Medicenna's IL-2 and IL-13 Superkine platforms, with MDNA11 being a long-acting IL-2 super agonist currently in clinical evaluation [2][7] - MDNA11 is engineered to preferentially activate immune effector cells while minimizing stimulation of immunosuppressive Tregs, enhancing its therapeutic potential [7][8] - Medicenna focuses on developing highly selective versions of Superkines to address unmet needs in oncology, with ongoing studies for various cancer types [8]