Simcha Therapeutics, a clinical-stage immunobiology company, has announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ST-067 in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA®, for patients with advanced solid tumors. The study aims to determine the maximum tolerated dose and preliminary activity of the combination treatment.
Simcha Therapeutics has observed promising anti-tumor activity in preclinical studies combining their decoy-resistant IL-18 with PD-1 inhibitors. They believe that adding ST-067 to KEYTRUDA could further improve clinical outcomes and become a powerful new therapeutic option for cancer patients.
ST-067 is the first "decoy-resistant" variant of IL-18, designed to maintain strong immune stimulation in the tumor microenvironment. It is currently being studied as both a monotherapy and in combination with KEYTRUDA in Phase 1/2 clinical trials.
Simcha Therapeutics is focused on developing first-in-class engineered cytokine therapeutics for patients. Their lead program, ST-