Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF, FRA:ILA) has presented new Phase 1b data for its azer-cel cell therapy at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago, with responses recorded across six different blood cancer subtypes in patients who had not previously received CAR-T treatment.
The data was delivered during an oral presentation by University of Minnesota investigator Dr Supriya Gupta, a distinction reserved for a small proportion of submissions at the world's largest oncology conference. ASCO attracted more than 8,500 abstract submissions this year, with only a limited number selected for oral presentation.
Imugene said the presentation highlighted results from the CAR-T naïve cohort of its ongoing Phase 1b study evaluating azer-cel, an off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR-T therapy designed to treat relapsed or refractory CD19-positive B-cell malignancies.
Responses across multiple blood cancers
A total of 25 patients received azer-cel in combination with low-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2), with 24 evaluable for response after their first disease assessment at Day 28.
Responses were observed across all six cancer subtypes included in the analysis:
- Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL): 67% response rate
- Marginal zone lymphoma (MZL): 83% response rate
- Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL): 100% response rate
- Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL): 50% response rate
- Follicular lymphoma (FL): 100% response rate
- Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM): 100% response rate
Managing director and CEO Leslie Chong said interest from clinicians and researchers following the presentation had been encouraging.
"These are some of the most rigorous scientific minds in oncology, and the engagement we saw reflects growing recognition of azer-cel and its potential to offer patients further treatment options,” she said. “We look forward to providing further updates as the data matures.”
Study expands into next cohort
The ASCO presentation comes as Imugene advances the next stage of the study, which is evaluating azer-cel in combination with Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors (BTKi).
Last week, the company announced it had dosed the first patient in Cohort 3 of the Phase 1b trial, marking the start of testing for the combination approach in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies.
The broader trial includes both CAR-T naïve patients and those whose disease has relapsed or become refractory following previous CAR-T treatment. According to Imugene, the study is currently active across 10 sites in the United States and five sites in Australia.
Azer-cel is the company's lead cell therapy candidate and is being developed as an allogeneic, or donor-derived, CAR-T treatment that can be manufactured in advance and supplied off the shelf, potentially overcoming some of the logistical challenges associated with personalised autologous CAR-T therapies.
The company has previously reported strong early responses from the trial ahead of ASCO, with the latest presentation providing a more detailed look at outcomes across individual blood cancer subtypes as the program progresses through dose-expansion cohorts.