Scopus BioPharma’s Duet presents data on DUET-102 with PD-1 blockade

Scopus BioPharma and its majority-owned subsidiary, Duet BioTherapeutics Inc., presented compelling new data that DUET-102 in combination with PD-1 blockade demonstrates significant anti-tumor activity in models of malignant glioma. The new data was presented on November 4, 2023 at the 38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer by Marcin Kortylewski, Ph.D. Dr. Kortylewski, Professor of Immuno-Oncology at City of Hope, is the Co-Founder and Senior Scientific Advisor of Duet. Duet is developing novel immunotherapies to overcome treatment-resistant cancers. DUET-102 is a double-stranded antisense oligonucleotide STAT3 inhibitor linked to a TLR9 immune activator being developed for the treatment of glioma. Glioma is a common type of tumor originating in the glial cells of the brain. Approximately 20,000 patients are diagnosed in the United States annually, with such patients having a 5-year survival rate of less than 7%, reflecting the need for new therapies to combat this disease. Dr. Kortylewski presented the data in a poster titled “Reprograming of Tumor-associated Myeloid Cells by TLR9-targeted STAT3 Antisense Oligonucleotides Sensitizes Malignant Glioma to PD1-specific Immunotherapy”. The featured data shows: Intracranially injected DUET-102 sensitizes malignant glioma to systemic PD-1 blockade, triggering complete rejection of both orthotopic GL261 and PD-1 refractory QPP8 tumors in the majority of treated mice. DUET-102 creates ideal conditions for PD-1 blockade to recruit cancer-killing effector CD8 positive T cells into the tumor by activating intratumoral dendritic cells, M1 macrophages, and microglia, while concurrently reducing immunosuppressive tumor-associated M2 macrophages, resting microglia, and regulatory T cells. DUET-102, as a monotherapy, inhibited tumor growth and extended survival of mice in U251, GL261, and QPP8 models of glioma. DUET-102 was well tolerated and demonstrated unique suitability for intracranial injection, with optimized activity and tolerability in the brain compared to single-stranded ASO designs.