CatalYm To Present Update From GDF-15 Targeting First-in-Human I/O Clinical Trial in Plenary Session at AACR-NCI-EORTC Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics

MUNICH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CatalYm today announced that a data update from their ongoing first-in-human trial “GDFather” (GDF-15 Antibody-mediated Effector cell Relocation) has been accepted for oral presentation at the 2021 AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. The conference will be held virtually from October 7 -10, 2021.

“GDF-15 is frequently overexpressed in various tumor types and appears to play a central role in suppressing several key mechanisms by which the immune system recognizes and eliminates tumors, making it an exciting target in immuno-oncology drug development. We look forward to presenting an update from this trial to the scientific community in an oral plenary session,” said Eugen Leo, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer at CatalYm.

Details of the oral presentation:

Presentation title: A phase I, first-in-human clinical trial of the GDF-15 neutralizing antibody CTL-002 in subjects with advanced stage solid tumors

Session title: New Drugs on the Horizon II

Speaker: Eugen Leo, MD, PhD, MBA, Chief Medical Officer of CatalYm

Date/time: October 9, 2021, at 4.05 pm ET/22.05 pm CEST

About the GDFather Trial

The ongoing first-in-human GDFather trial (GDF-15 Antibody-mediaTed Effector cell Relocation) is a two-part, open-label study to evaluate GDF-15 inhibitor CTL002 in advanced, checkpoint inhibitor refractory or relapsed solid tumor patients. In the dose escalation phase (Part A), up to 24 patients will receive escalating doses of CTL-002 in a “3+3” manner with the lead candidate given as a monotherapy and followed by combination with an anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor. In the second dose expansion phase (Part B, phase 2a), several cohorts with tumors identified to be GDF-15-dependent will be treated to further evaluate safety and preliminary efficacy of CTL-002 treatment.

About CTL-002

CTL-002 is a humanized, monoclonal antibody designed to neutralize the tumor-produced Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15). GDF-15 secretion by the tumor has been shown to prevent T cell migration into the tumor and suppresses T cell function and the adaptive immune response in the tumor microenvironment. All these mechanisms help the tumor evade the immune system and become resistant to standard of care and current immunotherapy approaches such as checkpoint inhibitors. CTL-002 counteracts these immuno-suppressive mechanisms by neutralizing GDF-15, enhancing the infiltration of immune cells into the tumor, improving both priming of T cells by dendritic cells and tumor killing by T cells and NK cells.

About CatalYm

CatalYm has identified GDF-15 as a central regulator of the immune system in the tumor microenvironment. We are pioneering the reversal of GDF-15-mediated immunosuppression to induce a potent antitumoral immune reaction in non-responsive tumors. CatalYm’s lead program CTL-002 is poised to demonstrate clinical proof-of-concept in multiple solid tumor indications which will expand the treatment horizon for current and future immunotherapies.