Compugen initiates Phase 1 trial of COM701 cancer immunotherapy in advanced solid tumors

Israeli pharmaceutical company Compugen has announced the commencement of a phase 1 clinical trial for its innovative cancer immunotherapy antibody, COM701, targeting patients with advanced solid tumors. This groundbreaking trial represents a significant advancement in the field of immuno-oncology, focusing on a novel immune checkpoint target identified through Compugen’s computational discovery capabilities.

COM701 has been meticulously designed to target the PVRIG gene, a new immune checkpoint that plays a crucial role in regulating immune responses against tumors. By binding to PVRIG and inhibiting its interaction with the PVRL2 ligand, COM701 is engineered to enhance T-cell activation within the tumor microenvironment, thereby potentially inducing robust anti-tumor immune responses.

Henry Adewoye, Chief Medical Officer of Compugen, highlighted the potential impact of the trial, stating, “COM701 is a promising and differentiated asset in the crowded landscape of immuno-oncology trials. Our clinical and biomarker strategy for testing COM701 is premised on a robust biological rationale which suggests that targeting PVRIG may be necessary to induce a sufficient anti-tumor immune response in cancer patient subpopulations where both the PVRIG and TIGIT pathways are operative.”

The phase 1 open-label clinical trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of COM701, administered as both a monotherapy and in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor. The trial aims to enroll nearly 140 patients across various oncology clinical centers in the US and will assess preliminary anti-tumor activity in specific tumor types, including non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and breast cancer.

Anat Cohen-Dayag, President and CEO of Compugen, expressed enthusiasm about the trial’s initiation, remarking, “Dosing the first patient with COM701, a first-in-class drug opportunity targeting a novel immune checkpoint we identified with our computational predictive platform, is a landmark event for us. It also serves as a proof of concept for our discovery capabilities and marks Compugen as a leader in the field of computational discovery.”

This trial not only underscores Compugen’s commitment to leveraging its computational platforms to develop innovative therapies but also represents a potential leap forward in treating various forms of advanced cancers. As the trial progresses, it promises to provide vital insights into the effectiveness of COM701 in activating immune responses against tumors, addressing the high unmet need of relapsed and refractory disease following existing immunotherapies.