ABL Bio at ESMO 2024: Global Focus on Next-Gen Target 4-1BB
ABL Bio CEO Discusses Promising Bispecific Antibodies and Key Business Developments
People Hit News Met at ESMO 2024
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), one of the world’s largest oncology conferences, draws experts and professionals from the pharmaceutical and biotech industries for its annual scientific meeting. Held in Barcelona, Spain, from September 13-17, the event featured presentations of key phase 3 clinical trials, corporate exhibitions, business meetings, and poster sessions. Hit News sat down with representatives from Korean biotech firms to discuss their goals and innovations.
Interview with Sang-Hoon Lee, CEO of ABL Bio
Hit News had the opportunity to interview Sang-Hoon Lee, CEO of ABL Bio, a company at the forefront of developing bispecific antibodies for cancer and central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
How does this year’s ESMO compare to previous events?
"I was surprised by the large turnout this year, especially the significant presence of participants from China. Compared to events like ASCO or BIO USA, ESMO had a distinct atmosphere. The research being presented this year, particularly around bispecific antibodies and dual-target inhibitors like EGFR x MET and PD-L1 x VEGF, is especially promising. I’m looking forward to seeing meaningful research results."
You’ve had several business meetings here. What were the key discussions?
"This year, we held meetings with four companies, including major global pharmaceutical firms. The discussions mainly centered around our bispecific antibodies, ABL102 (ROR1 x 4-1BB) and ABL103 (B7-H4 x 4-1BB). ABL103, which is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials, has shown promising dose-escalation data, and the companies we met likely see potential synergies between their products and ours.
There has been considerable interest in the 4-1BB antibodies, given their unique mechanism of co-stimulation and memory cell enhancement, offering potential synergistic effects with other therapies. We’re also in talks to collaborate on ABL102, which is in the preclinical stage, with plans to begin clinical trials next year."
i-Mab recently presented a poster on ABL111. Can you tell us more about that?
"We are co-developing two bispecific antibodies with i-Mab: ABL111 (CLAUDIN18.2 x 4-1BB) and ABL503 (PD-L1 x 4-1BB). At this year’s ESMO, i-Mab presented the results of ABL111’s Phase 1 clinical trial. The study showed partial responses in five gastric cancer patients, with relatively low toxicity levels.
Astellas is also developing a CLAUDIN18.2-targeting agent, zolbetuximab, but it has some limitations such as higher toxicity. In contrast, we believe ABL111 can stand out in this space. It’s currently in a Phase 1b trial as a first-line treatment for gastric cancer, in combination with Opdivo and chemotherapy. Earlier this year at ASCO, we saw one complete remission and six partial responses. We plan to meet i-Mab’s CEO soon to discuss how we can further focus on ABL111 and ABL503."
What’s the latest with your most advanced candidate, ABL001?
"ABL001, our DLL4 x VEGF bispecific antibody, is being developed by our licensing partner, Compass Therapeutics. It’s currently in Phase 2/3 trials for biliary tract cancer and Phase 2 trials for colorectal cancer. The biliary tract cancer trial has completed patient enrollment with 150 participants, and the trial is progressing well.
Additionally, an investigator-initiated trial for ABL001 as a first-line treatment for biliary tract cancer has started at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the U.S. This trial aims to evaluate ABL001’s potential as part of the standard care for biliary tract cancer, alongside gemcitabine, cisplatin, and durvalumab."
What future developments can we expect from ABL Bio?
"We’re scheduled to give an oral presentation at the PEGS Europe Protein & Antibody Engineering Summit in November, where we will introduce ABL Bio's technologies. In December, updated Phase 1 data for our ROR1 ADC, ABL202, will be presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH). This follows the initial data we shared at this year’s ASCO.
We’re also moving forward with preclinical studies on three bispecific ADC candidates, with plans to submit Investigational New Drug (IND) applications by next year. Our goal is to submit INDs for all three pipelines by the end of 2025. We will continue to focus on research and development to bring more positive updates in the near future."