AskGene Presents Latest Results on ASKG315 and ASKG915 at SITC 2022

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Camarillo, California, November 15th, 2022 – AskGene presented the pre-clinical results of ASKG315 (IL-15 prodrug) and ASKG915 (PD-1/IL-15 prodrug) at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) 37th Annual Meeting in Boston on November 8 – 12, 2022.  For ASKG315 phase I clinical study design was also presented.  The two posters were:

  • #1101, Chunxiao Yu et al., ASKG315 – An IL-15 Prodrug with Antibody-like PK, Enhanced Safety and Expanded Therapeutic Window
  • #1183, Kurt Shanebeck et al., ASKG915 – An Anti-PD-1 Antibody-IL-15 Prodrug Fusion Molecule with Enhanced Therapeutic Potential

About ASKG315

ASKG315 is the first prodrug molecule derived from the SmartKine® platform, which is AskGene’s proprietary cytokine prodrug technology platform. It is projected to be the world’s first IL-15 prodrug to enter clinical development.  Preclinical data of ASKG315 showed that this molecule can selectively activate NK cells and CD8+ cells.  Compared to previous generations of cytokine drugs, the prodrug design effectively improved the safety window, significantly extended the half-life, and reduced toxicity.  ASKG315 has been approved for clinical trials in Australia and China, and phase I trials will be initiated in both countries in the near future.

About ASKG915

ASKG915 is projected to be the world’s first PD-1 antibody-IL-15 prodrug fusion molecule to enter clinical development.  The molecule can achieve tumor targeting through PD-1 and be locally activated at the tumor site.  At the same time, the molecule can achieve high dosage, so the PD-1 antibody has full PD-1 blockage functionality.  Preclinical data showed that ASKG915 has extended PK, significantly better efficacy than PD-1 antibody monotherapy, and expanded therapeutic window.  ASKG915 is expected to benefit more patients than existing PD-1 antibody monotherapies.  IND applications for ASKG915 will be submitted in US and China in the fourth quarter of 2022.  Phase I clinical trials are expected in 2023.