Lokon Pharma Teams Up To Boost Pancreatic Cancer Treatment With New Gene Therapy Combo

Lokon Pharma AB has launched a collaborative Phase 2 clinical trial to assess the effects of combining its tumor microenvironment (TME) gene-engineering therapy, LOAd703, with BeiGene’s anti-PD-1 antibody, tislelizumab, in treating patients with pancreatic cancer. In prior studies, LOAd703 has been tested in a Phase 1/2 trial for pancreatic cancer, where it was combined with both an anti-PD-L1 antibody and chemotherapy, and for refractory melanoma, in combination with an anti-PD-L1 antibody alone. At the ESMO annual conference on September 13, 2024, findings from the melanoma study were shared in an oral presentation, showing LOAd703’s ability to activate the tumour microenvironment (TME), resulting in tumour response in patients who had previously shown progression despite checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Dr. Angelica Loskog, the CEO of Lokon Pharma, said in a statement, “We are excited to share the news that LOAd703 will be combined with tislelizumab and chemotherapy in our next randomised phase 2 clinical trial enrolling patients with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is considered not sensitive to immunotherapy with checkpoint blockade antibodies, but gene engineering of the TME with LOAd703 inflames the tumour which makes the LOAd703 and tislelizumab combination therapy highly relevant”.