Revitalizing Immune Responses with Dual Action
Interleukin-10 (IL-10), also known as cytokine synthesis inhibitory factor (CSIF), is a cytokine exerting multiple effects in immunoregulation and inflammation. In clinical trials, the pegylated IL-10 is well tolerated in cancer patients and has been found to exhibit substantial anti-tumor efficacy, eliciting a dose titratable induction of the immune stimulatory cytokines. Recent studies have further demonstrated that IL-10-Fc fusion proteins can rejuvenate terminally exhausted CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by enhancing oxidative phosphorylation, while also synergizing with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapies. Moreover, overexpression of IL-10 or treatment with pegylated IL-10 (PEG-IL-10) has been shown to induce tumor rejection and establish long-lasting tumor immunity in mouse cancer models.
PLT011 is a human bifunctional anti-PD-L1/IL-10 fusion protein, composed of an anti-PD-L1 antibody linked to IL-10 polypeptides. By leveraging the targeting capability of the anti-PD-L1 antibody, PLT011 localizes specifically to the tumor microenvironment, effectively boosting and reinvigorating CD8+ T cells without inducing systemic immune activation. The IL-10-mediated rejuvenation of CD8+ T cells is further enhanced by PLT011’s anti-PD-L1 activity, amplifying anti-tumor immunity. Notably, Pilatus has demonstrated that PLT011 delivers remarkable anti-tumor efficacy in HCC and melanoma mouse models, reprogramming CD8+ T cell exhaustion while maintaining limited toxicity. These findings underscore the potential of PLT011 to address key challenges in immunotherapy and advance the field.
Effective in immune-cold cancers where traditional therapies fail.
Disturbed mitochondrial dynamics in CD8+ TILs reinforce T cell exhaustion.
Nature Immunology, Yi-Ru Yu, Ping-Chih Ho et al., 2020
Metabolic and epigenetic regulation of T-cell exhaustion.
Nature Immunology, Yi-Ru Yu, Ping-Chih Ho et al., 2020
Metabolic reprogramming of terminally exhausted CD8+ T cells by IL-10 enhances anti-tumor immunity.
Nature Immunology, Ping-Chih Ho et al., 2021
Microenvironment-driven metabolic adaptations guiding CD8+ T cell anti-tumor immunity.
Immunity, Ping-Chih Ho etal., 2023
A novel PD-L1 antibody-IL10 fusion protein, PTL011, exhibits synergized therapeutic effect in hepatocellular carcinoma mouse model.
SITC, 2023 (Poster is available upon request).