naratuximab emtansine (DEBIO 1562)

Debio 1562M is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) that targets CD37 and is optimized to deliver more toxins to tumor cells than the first-generation ADC Debio 1562, while maintaining a good safety profile. Debio 1562M was able to target leukemic stem cells in vitro and significantly decrease tumor burden in blood and bone marrow, resulting in survival prolongation compared with standard-of-care treatments. These data demonstrate that CD37 is a relevant target for both indications and that Debio 1562M is a promising therapeutic candidate.

Anti-IL6 antibody tocilizumab improved the ADC's cytotoxic activity in CD37+ cells...Adding idelalisib or venetoclax overcame resistance in the resistant derivative and improved the cytotoxic activity in the parental cells. In conclusion, targeting B-cell lymphoma with the naratuximab emtansine showed vigorous anti-tumor activity as a single agent, which was also observed in models bearing genetic lesions associated with inferior outcomes, such as MYC translocations and TP53 inactivation or R-CHOP resistance. Resistant DLBCL models identified active combinations of naratuximab emtansine with drugs targeting IL6, PI3Kδ, and BCL2.

Our work revealed that the clinically relevant anti-CD37 antibody drug conjugate (ADC) Debio 1562 (αCD37-DM1) is highly cytotoxic to AML blasts, but not normal hematopoietic stem cells. We found that αCD37-DM1 improved clinical outcomes and overall survival in multiple in vivo models of AML. Together, these data demonstrate that targeting CD37 with an ADC such as αCD37-DM1 is a feasible and promising therapeutic option for the treatment of AML.

DL analysis of the co-expression and spatial arrangement of CD37 and CD20 positive cells in pre-treatment biopsies of DLBCL patients could potentially be used as a predictive biomarker for a response to a combination treatment of naratuximab emtansine and rituximab in DLBCL, and may improve patient stratification for further clinical trials.

DL analysis of the co-expression and spatial arrangement of CD37 and CD20 in pre-treatment biopsies of DLBCL patients could potentially be used as a predictive biomarker for a response to a combination treatment of anti-CD37 and anti-CD20 drugs in DLBCL, and may improve patient stratification for further clinical trials.