Poolbeg Pharma PLC (AIM:POLB, OTCQB:POLBF) said a poster presented by Dr Emma Searle, from The Christie Hospital, Manchester, highlighted the potential of lead asset POLB 001 as a potential therapy for cytokine release syndrome (CRS), one of the side-effects of immunotherapies.
CRS is a known risk following certain cancer treatments, such as T-cell engaging antibodies and CAR T cell therapies.
This condition often leads to admitting patients to hospital, increasing healthcare costs and limiting the availability of these treatments. The high incidence of CRS also poses a considerable risk to patient health, making it a barrier to outpatient treatment delivery.
The study, presented at the 65th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diageo, revealed that POLB 001 demonstrated promising results in addressing CRS.
Poolbeg Pharma’s LPS human challenge trial also showed that POLB 001 is safe and tolerable, exhibits a clear dose-response relationship, inhibits p38 MAPK activation, and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Notably, the treatment moderates immune over-reaction without compromising the core immune function. These positive outcomes have propelled the company into Phase II trial activities, attracting significant interest from potential pharmaceutical partners.
"The field of cancer immunotherapies, including CAR T and bispecific antibodies, is burgeoning and expected to grow to over $100bn by 2030," said Poolbeg's chief business officer, David Allmond.
"However, CRS is rate limiting in the delivery of these potentially lifesaving therapies. There is strong interest from pharma partners seeking an effective and convenient (orally administrable) solution to CRS to broaden the utilisation of their breakthrough immunotherapies.
"Presenting at ASH is strong validation of POLB 001's potential and we are delighted to have the opportunity to continue our productive partnering discussions at this prestigious conference."