Pilatus Biosciences (the “Company”), a biotechnology company pioneering first-in-class biologics targeting metabolic checkpoints to revolutionize cancer treatment, today announced that it will present new preclinical data on its anti-CD36 antibody program, PLT012, at the upcoming Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) 2024 Annual Meeting. The data will be shared in a poster presentation entitled “PLT012 Targets CD36-Mediated Metabolic Adaptations to Restore Anti-Tumor Immunity in Liver Metastasis by Disarming M2 Macrophages and Enhancing Effector Functions” on November 9th, 2024 (Abstract #1346).

Details of the poster presentation are as follows:

Full text of the abstracts has been released on the SITC website and the posters will be available on the Company's website.About CD36 and PLT012CD36, a fatty acid transporter, is known to be upregulated in malignant cells and various tumor-associated immune cells, such as regulatory T cells, tumor-associated macrophages, and CD8+ T cells. This upregulation facilitates metabolic adaptation to the lipid-rich tumor microenvironment (TME). The CD36-driven metabolic shift not only reprograms cellular metabolism but also modifies immune cell functions, fostering an immunosuppressive TME characterized by increased exhaustion of tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells and a rise in immunosuppressive immune populations.

PLT012, a humanized anti-CD36 antibody, is designed to specifically inhibit CD36-mediated fatty acid uptake while preserving other physiological functions. Its goal is to disarm immunosuppressive cells within the tumor microenvironment and enhance both innate and adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. This approach has demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity and shows potential for synergistic effects when combined with current immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies. Comprehensive data will be presented at SITC 2024.

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