Alloplex has developed a highly-differentiated, non-engineered, cellular therapy platform with potentially broad anti-tumor activity across multiple tumor types.
The ongoing inaugural Phase 1 clinical trial of SUPLEXA cells marks a significant milestone, showcasing not only single-agent clinical efficacy in solid tumor patients but also establishes a reassuring safety profile. Furthermore, analyses of longitudinal peripheral blood samples from treated patients have unveiled notable pharmacodynamic shifts in cellular composition within several weeks of treatment. These changes favor an anti-tumor bias and emphasize the potential therapeutic impact of SUPLEXA in treating end-stage metastatic cancer patients. Taken together with data emerging from continued laboratory characterization of SUPLEXA cells, multiple mechanisms of action are emerging that fully complement that of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Frank Borriello MD, PhD
Alloplex Biotherapeutics Inc. is a privately-owned Boston-based cellular therapeutics company founded in 2016. The concept on which it is based was developed by our scientific founder, Frank Borriello MD, PhD, after observing from many scientific reports that activation of numerous well-known immune pathways could contribute to the degree of anti-tumor immune activity.
Recognizing the advantage of consolidating the activity of multiple immune pathways into a single therapeutic, Dr. Borriello envisioned using a proprietary engineered cell line to train a patient’s white blood cells to recognize and kill cancer cells.
Alloplex reduced this concept to practice using specially tailored tumor cell lines, collectively called ENLIST cells. These ENLIST training cells were engineered to display a precise array of immunomodulatory protein ligands to stimulate naturally occurring receptors on multiple immune cell types found peripheral blood (PBMC). The simultaneous activation of multiple immune pathways in PBMC revealed a previously unappreciated synergy between key pathways to yield SUPLEXA therapeutic cells. SUPLEXA cells are reprogrammed in this manner to display potent anti-tumor activity without the issues that arise with genetic engineering. The SUPLEXA therapeutic cells are comprised of cells long-known by the scientific community to individually possess anti-tumor activity and represent elements of both the innate and adaptive immune systems.
The concept is protected by a combination of patent (U.S. Provisional 62/425424, issued as U.S. Patent 10,731,128 on August 4, 2020) and trade secrets.
Alloplex has refined a first generation autologous SUPLEXA cell drug candidate. In April 2022, patient enrolment began in the Phase 1 first-in-human clinical trial in Australia and, to date, SUPLEXA Therapeutic Cells show a safe and well tolerated profile yielding clinical activity across tumor types.
The Clinical Pipeline for developping the SUPLEXA Therapeutic platform.
Alloplex sought the opinion of a number of cellular therapy experts to solicit their unbiased opinions regarding the differentiation and potential of SUPLEXA therapeutic cells. Their universally positive reactions in pre-clinical phase have been borne out in the Phase 1 trial.
Responses received include:
