– BPT567, a first-in-class PD1-IL18 immunocytokine, delivers coordinated PD-1 blockade and potent IL-18 signaling to PD-1⁺ T effector cells resulting in striking antitumor activity –

– BPT331, a PD1-IL2 cis-signaling immunocytokine with potent best-in-class properties –

– Innovative chemical conjugation platform enables combination of multiple key immuno-oncology mechanisms in a single molecule with unparalleled flexibility –

SAN DIEGO and BASEL, Switzerland, Nov. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bright Peak Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company developing next-generation, multifunctional precision immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune disease, today announced the presentation of multiple new cancer immunotherapy agents at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) being held on November 9-12, 2022, in Boston, MA.

Bright Peak has leveraged its exclusive technology platform and world-class protein engineering capabilities to functionally optimize the master cytokines IL-18 and IL-2, and integrated these highly active payloads with PD-1 checkpoint blockade. “We are extremely excited to present our PD-1-targeted multifunctional immunocytokines. We are advancing these therapeutics to upgrade immune checkpoint therapy to the next level – our aim is to establish these unique “PD-1 2.0” programs as new backbone agents in immuno-oncology," said Jon Wigginton M.D., President of Research and Development of Bright Peak Therapeutics. "At SITC, we are introducing BPT567, the first ever PD1-IL18 immunocytokine. We have observed compelling preclinical antitumor activity with BPT567. We hypothesize that BPT567 may accomplish this by simultaneously blocking the PD-(L)1 pathway and delivering strong IL-18 signaling in cis to PD-1⁺ IL18R⁺ T effector (T_eff) cells located within the tumor microenvironment."

Additionally, using the same functionally optimized IL-18 payload that has been incorporated into BPT567, Bright Peak has developed BPT543, a best-in-class, half-life extended IL-18 therapeutic designed for IV administration. This IL-18 binding protein-resistant molecule with enhanced affinity for the IL-18 receptor has demonstrated striking synergistic antitumor activity in combination with PD-1 blockade in preclinical models.

“We have also advanced BPT331, a PD1-IL2 immunocytokine that demonstrates superior antitumor activity compared to PD-1 inhibition alone," continued Dr. Wigginton. "We rationally designed our PD-1 targeted IL-2 payload with the intent of selectively targeting and activating antigen-experienced PD-1⁺ T_eff cells in the tumor microenvironment, while limiting the broad systemic activation of other immune cells."

Details regarding the upcoming SITC abstract presentations are as follows:

November 10, 2022, 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM (EST)
Poster 1195: Generation of a highly potent, cis-signaling PD1-IL2 immunocytokine using a novel chemical synthesis and conjugation platform

Abstract Highlights: Bright Peak has developed a unique, chemical conjugation process that enables the generation of immunocytokines via rapid and site-specific conjugation of synthetically engineered cytokines to the Fc domain of existing human Abs. We generated a PD1-IL2 immunocytokine (BPT331) with significantly enhanced potency in PD-1^high versus PD-1^low T cells. In mice, high tumor exposure of BPT331 relative to blood combined with PD-1-targeting and cis-signaling result in potent immune stimulation, and strong antitumor efficacy that is markedly superior to an anti-PD-1 antibody alone. These results demonstrate the ability of our cytokine engineering platform to generate potent, multifunctional immunocytokine therapeutics with synergistic, complementary mechanisms of action.

November 11, 2022, 9:00 AM – 8:30 PM (EST)
Poster 1080: Using site-specific chemical conjugation to generate superior half-life extended or PD-1-targeted formats of a potent IL-18 variant resistant to IL-18 binding protein

Abstract Highlights: Bright Peak has identified a conjugatable variant of human IL-18 that is 300-fold more potent and >600-fold less sensitive to inhibition by its natural inhibitor IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) than wild-type IL-18. Site-specific conjugation of this enhanced IL-18 payload to a 30 kDa PEG created BPT543, which significantly improves PK/PD properties, and mediates strong antitumor efficacy and potent synergy in combination with an anti-PD-1 antibody. Chemical conjugation of our enhanced IL-18 payload to an anti-PD-1 antibody generated BPT567, a PD1-IL18 immunocytokine with fully preserved potency of the cytokine payload as well as PD-1 binding. BPT567 demonstrates enhanced potency in PD-1^high versus PD-1^low T cells, and exhibits striking antitumor activity in vivo, with complete responses in 89% of animals.

The abstracts will be made available for viewing on Bright Peak’s website upon presentation at the SITC Annual Meeting (www.brightpeaktx.com).

About Bright Peak Therapeutics

Bright Peak is a privately held biotechnology company based in Basel, Switzerland and San Diego, CA. We are rapidly advancing a robust portfolio of next generation, multifunctional, immunotherapies for the treatment of patients with cancer and autoimmune disease. We accomplish this by leveraging our world class protein engineering capabilities and our unique cell-free technology platform to chemically synthesize and conjugate novel protein therapeutics that reflect state-of-the-art insights into cytokine and immune checkpoint biology. Our pipeline stretches from discovery to IND-enabling and encompasses enhanced cytokines, antibody-cytokine conjugates and other novel formats. Bright Peak is funded by a syndicate of leading healthcare investors.

Contact: info@brightpeaktx.com