Key findings support weekly induction of immune cell trafficking by Decoy20, a critical factor in effective cancer immunotherapy
NEW YORK, March 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Indaptus Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: INDP), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing novel treatments for cancer and viral infections, today provided an update on key pharmacodynamic findings from the weekly dosing cohort of its ongoing Phase 1 trial of Decoy20.
As announced in last week’s earnings release, the Company has now enrolled more than 20 patients in the weekly dosing cohort, marking a key milestone in the trial. Initial data indicate that Decoy20 at the 30 million cell dose was generally well-tolerated, with a favorable safety profile and promising early signs of clinical benefit, including some patients demonstrating stable disease. Additionally, Decoy20 triggered short-term increases in multiple key immune system biomarkers (cytokines and chemokines), which play a crucial role in activating the body’s natural defenses against cancer.
Today, Indaptus is reporting further insights showing that weekly Decoy20 treatment also leads to broad, blood-based immune cell trafficking. This immune cell movement, which includes transient weekly increases and decreases in the levels of major innate and adaptive immune cell types in the blood, is an important pharmacodynamic marker, indicating that immune cells are actively mobilizing from bone marrow and/or trafficking to tissues.
Michael Newman, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Indaptus, commented, “Immune cell movement – or trafficking to and from tissues, tumors and bone marrow – is critical for successful anti-tumor therapy. In our weekly dosing cohort, we have observed transient but broad movement of key immune cells that is consistent with the chemokine induction we previously reported. These findings further validate Decoy20’s ability to modulate the immune system in a controlled and potentially meaningful way. We are encouraged by the consistency of these pharmacodynamic effects with each week of Decoy20 dosing and look forward to continuing to assess their impact on potential tumor response.”
Decoy20 is designed to activate both the innate and adaptive sides of the immune system, with the goal of potentially enhancing the effectiveness of existing cancer treatments, including checkpoint inhibitors. The Company previously announced that it has initiated a new arm of its Phase 1b/2 clinical trial evaluating Decoy20 in combination with BeiGene’s PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor, tislelizumab, which will focus on safety, dose optimization, and preliminary anti-tumor activity.
Indaptus remains committed to advancing innovative therapies that harness the body’s immune system to fight cancer and will continue to share updates as new data emerges.
About Indaptus Therapeutics Indaptus Therapeutics has evolved from more than a century of immunotherapy advances. The Company’s novel approach is based on the hypothesis that efficient activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells and pathways and associated anti-tumor and anti-viral immune responses will require a multi-targeted package of immune system-activating signals that can be administered safely intravenously (i.v.). Indaptus’ patented technology is composed of single strains of attenuated and killed, non-pathogenic, Gram-negative bacteria producing a multiple Toll-like receptor (TLR), Nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR) and Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) agonist Decoy platform. The product candidates are designed to have reduced i.v. toxicity, but largely uncompromised ability to prime or activate many of the cells and pathways of innate and adaptive immunity. Decoy product candidates represent an antigen-agnostic technology that have produced single-agent activity against metastatic pancreatic and orthotopic colorectal carcinomas, single agent eradication of established antigen-expressing breast carcinoma, as well as combination-mediated eradication of established hepatocellular carcinomas, pancreatic and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in standard pre-clinical models, including syngeneic mouse tumors and human tumor xenografts. In pre-clinical studies tumor eradication was observed with Decoy product candidates in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint therapy, low-dose chemotherapy, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or an approved, targeted antibody. Combination-based tumor eradication in pre-clinical models produced innate and adaptive immunological memory, involved activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells, and was associated with induction of innate and adaptive immune pathways in tumors after only one i.v. dose of Decoy product, with associated “cold” to “hot” tumor inflammation signature transition. IND-enabling, nonclinical toxicology studies demonstrated i.v. administration without sustained induction of hallmark biomarkers of cytokine release syndromes, possibly due to passive targeting to liver, spleen, and tumor, followed by rapid elimination of the product. Indaptus’ Decoy product candidates have also produced significant single agent activity against chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and chronic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in pre-clinical models.
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Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These include statements regarding management’s expectations, beliefs and intentions regarding, among other things, our expectations and plans regarding our Phase 1 clinical trial of Decoy20 and our Phase 1b/2 of the combination study and the anticipated effects of our product candidates, including Decoy20. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believe”, “expect”, “intend”, “plan”, “may”, “should”, “could”, “might”, “seek”, “target”, “will”, “project”, “forecast”, “continue” or “anticipate” or their negatives or variations of these words or other comparable words or by the fact that these statements do not relate strictly to historical matters. Because forward-looking statements relate to matters that have not yet occurred, these statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Many factors could cause actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to the following: our limited operating history; conditions and events that raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as going concern; the need for, and our ability to raise, additional capital given our lack of current cash flow; our clinical and preclinical development, which involves a lengthy and expensive process with an uncertain outcome; our incurrence of significant research and development expenses and other operating expenses, which may make it difficult for us to attain profitability; our pursuit of a limited number of research programs, product candidates and specific indications and failure to capitalize on product candidates or indications that may be more profitable or have a greater likelihood of success; our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of any product candidate; the market acceptance of our product candidates; our reliance on third parties to conduct our preclinical studies and clinical trials and perform other tasks; our reliance on third parties for the manufacture of our product candidates during clinical development; our ability to successfully commercialize Decoy20 or any future product candidates; our ability to obtain or maintain coverage and adequate reimbursement for our products; the impact of legislation and healthcare reform measures on our ability to obtain marketing approval for and commercialize Decoy20 and any future product candidates; product candidates of our competitors that may be approved faster, marketed more effectively, and better tolerated than our product candidates; our ability to adequately protect our proprietary or licensed technology in the marketplace; the impact of, and costs of complying with healthcare laws and regulations, and our failure to comply with such laws and regulations; information technology system failures, cyberattacks or deficiencies in our cybersecurity; and unfavorable global economic conditions. These and other important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 13, 2025, and our other filings with the SEC, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this press release. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by applicable law.
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