Benzinga | Jun 28, 2021 04:06PM EDT

Sensei Biotherapeutics Announces Prioritization of Next-Generation Multi-Antigenic ImmunoPhage Platform, Monoclonal Antibody and Nanobody Programs

- Company to focus on development of next-generation phage product candidates from ImmunoPhage platform and monoclonal antibody and nanobody programs -

- Discontinuation of first-generation, single-antigen phage SNS-301 program upon analysis of clinical activity and antigen specific T-cell data -

- Cash runway extended into first half of 2024 -

- Conference call scheduled for today at 4:30 p.m. ET -

BOSTON, June 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sensei Biotherapeutics, an immunotherapy company focused on the discovery and development of next generation therapeutics for cancer, today announced that it is reprioritizing its pipeline programs to focus on its product candidates, including its multi-antigenic next generation ImmunoPhage candidate, now referred to as SNS-401-NG, and its monoclonal antibody SNS-VISTA (V-set Immunoglobulin Domain Suppressor of T cell Activation) candidate. With this reallocation of resources, Sensei expects its cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund its operations into the first half of 2024.

"Sensei's approach to drug development is deeply rooted in targeting key mechanisms of checkpoint resistance to induce a robust, focused and coordinated immune response to cancer. We believe our next generation, multi-antigenic ImmunoPhage product candidates have the potential to drive robust antigen-specific T cell responses that will translate into clinical benefit," said John Celebi, president and chief executive officer of Sensei Biotherapeutics. "Given the totality of data generated to-date from the Phase 1/2 combination trial of first-generation SNS-301, we believe we have captured important insights into the power of our ImmunoPhage platform that will further advance development of our pipeline product candidates. Through SNS-301, we have gained important information on key product attributes that we believe contribute to the safety and immunogenicity of our ImmunoPhage platform as well as how to manufacture and scale our product candidates. Specifically, we have learned that the use of gpD fusion as an antigen display technology is suboptimal for use in an active cancer vaccine. We believe the incorporation of new antigen attachment technologies will ensure optimal immunogenicity. We are excited by our next generation programs, and we look forward to further advancing our two ongoing programs SNS-401-NG and SNS-VISTA into the clinic and completing discovery work for our VSIG4 antibody program."

"I would like to express my gratitude to all of the patients and their families, investigators and collaborators who participated in the SNS-301 study," said, Marie-Louise Fjaellskog, M.D., Ph.D. chief medical officer of Sensei Biotherapeutics. "Our data-driven decision-making process is at the forefront of our work, and we are well positioned and capitalized to further progress our next-generation pipeline programs, SNS-401-NG and SNS-VISTA, by utilizing our two unique drug discovery approaches -- our ImmunoPhage platform and our monoclonal antibody and nanobody platform. We look forward to initiating IND-enabling studies for SNS-VISTA by the end of 2021 and for SNS-401-NG in second half of 2022."

SNS-301 was developed as a first-generation, bio-engineered, inactivated bacteriophage virus expressing a fragment of the tumor-associated antigen, human aspartate ?-hydroxylase (ASPH), as a fusion protein to the bacteriophage lambda capsid decoration protein, gpD, for patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic squamous cell head and neck cancer (SCCHN). To date, 25 patients were enrolled in the Phase 1/2 clinical study and received at least one dose of SNS-301 in combination with pembrolizumab; one patient had a deep and durable partial response (PR) and 8 patients had stable diseases. While encouraged by the safety profile of the SNS-301 single antigen approach, based upon the recent analysis of antigen specific T-cell activation which did not show a significant increase in ASPH-specific T cells, including the one patient who experienced a long-standing and deep PR, and an updated analysis of clinical data, Sensei has decided to reprioritize its pipeline and refocus resources. Sensei anticipates sharing full SNS-301 clinical data and the results of specific B and T cell response data at a future scientific conference.