Enterome Selected to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program
LLS TAP is a strategic funding initiative to accelerate innovative blood cancer therapeutics Strategic equity investment of €3 million to support clinical advancement of EO2463 in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Paris, France – October 30, 2023 Enterome, a clinical-stage company developing first-in-class immunomodulatory drugs for solid and liquid malignancies and inflammatory diseases based on its unique Mimicry platform, today announced that it received a €3 million investment from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Therapy Acceleration Program® (LLS TAP). The funding will propel the Company’s ongoing Phase 2 SIDNEY study of EO2463 in indolent non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (iNHL).
“We are excited to support the clinical development of Enterome’s innovative OncoMimics™ platform to the benefit of blood cancer patients,” said Lore Gruenbaum, Ph.D., Vice President, LLS TAP. “The observed good safety profile of EO2463 together with its unique mechanism of immune activation may create a substantial benefit for blood cancer patients and open the door to treatment at earlier stages of disease. Moreover, it could provide a key building block for the next generation of combination and maintenance therapies.”
“We are honored to be recognized and supported by LLS’s Therapy Acceleration Program,” said Dr. Pierre Belichard, Chief Executive Officer of Enterome. “This investment represents a significant vote of confidence in our OncoMimics™-based immunotherapies. It also provides us with immediate capital and access to guidance from the most renowned scientists and experts in the field of liquid tumors, facilitating the acceleration of our ongoing Phase 2 SIDNEY study of EO2463 in iNHL. With LLS’s support, we are poised to bring this potentially transformative therapy to patients battling iNHL.”
“EO2463 was designed to mimic certain proteins on B lymphocytes, activate pre-existing memory T cells, and drive anti-tumor activity against B-cell malignancies,” said Dr. Jan Fagerberg, Chief Medical Officer of Enterome. “This unique, OncoMimics™-based approach specifically targets and reduces malignant B cells in iNHL. Initial results have shown promising efficacy and tolerability in iNHL B-cell lymphomas. We look forward to our collaboration with LLS and to the continued advancement of our clinical program.”
SIDNEY (EONHL1-20) is a Phase 1/2 multicenter, open-label, first-in-human study of EO2463 as monotherapy and in combination with lenalidomide and/or rituximab for the treatment of patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (iNHL). The study aims to assess the safety, tolerability, immunogenicity, and preliminary efficacy of EO2463 monotherapy and combination therapy in approximately 60 patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL). For more information on the study, refer to Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT04669171.
About EO2463
EO2463 is an innovative, off-the-shelf immunotherapy candidate that combines four synthetic OncoMimic™ peptides. These non-self, microbial-derived peptides correspond to CD8 HLA-A2 epitopes that exhibit molecular mimicry with the B lymphocyte-specific lineage markers CD20, CD22, CD37 and CD268 (BAFF receptor). EO2463 also includes the helper peptide (CD4+ epitope) universal cancer peptide 2 (UCP2).
About OncoMimics™
OncoMimics™ immunotherapies are designed to activate pre-existing effector memory T cells that target bacterial (non-self) peptides, which are strongly cross-reactive against selected Tumor-Associated Antigens (TAAs), or B cell markers expressed on tumoral cells, resulting in a rapid, targeted cytotoxic response against cancer.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Therapy Acceleration Program® (TAP)
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® (LLS) is a global leader in the fight against cancer. The LLS mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Founded in 1949 and headquartered in Rye Brook, NY, LLS has regions throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org. Patients should contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET.
LLS is the only organization featured in the nonprofit category on both Fast Company’s 2022 Brands That Matter list and the 2023 Best Workplaces for Innovators list. LLS stands out among brands around the world for its relevancy, cultural impact, ingenuity, and mission impact.
LLS TAP is a Mission-driven, strategic venture philanthropy initiative that seeks to accelerate the development of innovative blood cancer therapeutics and change the standard of care. LLS TAP collaborates with biotech companies to support the development of novel platforms, first-in-class assets addressing unmet medical needs, emerging patient populations and even rare blood cancers. LLS TAP accepts funding applications on a rolling basis from companies with innovative science that has a high potential to improve patient lives. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org/therapy-acceleration-program. Follow LLS on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
***
Contacts
| ENTEROME | MEDIA RELATIONS |
| Guillaume Bayre
Head of External Communications Tel: +33 (0)1 76 21 58 15 |
LifeSci Advisors LLC
Ashley R. Robinson (US) +1 617 430 7577 Sandya von der Weid (Europe) +41 78 680 05 38 |
About Enterome
Enterome is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing breakthrough immunomodulatory drugs for the treatment of cancer and immune diseases. Enterome’s pioneering approach to drug discovery is based on its unique and powerful bacterial Mimicry drug discovery platform, which allows it to analyze and uncover new biological insights from the millions of gut bacterial proteins in constant cross-talk with the human body.
Enterome’s first-in-class small protein and peptide drug candidates modulate the immune system by closely mimicking the structure, effect or actions of specific antigens, hormones, or cytokines.
The company’s two pipelines of drug candidates include:
- OncoMimics™ peptides, a pipeline of peptide-based immunotherapies. Lead candidate, EO2401, is in Phase 2 clinical trials in patients with glioblastoma and adrenal tumors and has demonstrated clinical proof of concept. EO2463 is in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial for indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and has demonstrated a good safety profile with first signs of efficacy. EO2040, a new immune therapy, is expected to start a Phase 2 trial in 2023 in patients suffering from colorectal cancer with ctDNA-defined, minimal residual disease. EO4010 is in development for third-line colorectal cancer and targeted to enter clinical trials in 2023.
- EndoMimics™ peptides, a pipeline of next generation bioactives acting like human hormones or cytokines, are being developed in collaboration with Nestlé Health Science, for food allergies and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Lead candidate, EB1010, is expected to enter the clinic in 2024.
Enterome employs 70 people and is headquartered in Paris, France. Since its inception, the company has raised a total of €118 million from Europe- and US-based life science investors and more than €100 million from pharmaceutical partnerships.
Download the press release (.pdf format)