Full Press Release Details
INmune Bio, Inc. Highlights
INKmune Data Featured in NK Cells in Solid Tumors Workshop at Innate Killer Summit
INKmune , unlike IL15 and other NK-activating
cytokines, upregulates all mitochondrial survival proteins and more than 40 nutrient receptors on the NK cell to increase survival
Boca Raton, Florida, April 04, 2022 (GLOBE
NEWSWIRE) -- INmune Bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: INMB) ("INMB" or "the Company"), a clinical-stage immunology
company focused on developing treatments that harness the patient's innate immune system to fight disease, today highlights key
findings from the NK Cells in Solid Tumors workshop. Dr. Mark Lowdell, INmune Bio's Chief Scientific Officer (CSO),
led the workshop on the role of NK cells in treatment of solid tumors during the Innate Killer Summit in San Diego (March 30 -April 1,
The conference is widely viewed as one of
the most important in translational NK cell immunotherapy.
Two consistent themes of this year's
conference were the importance of memory-like NK cells and the poor in-vivo survival of adoptively transferred allogeneic
NK cells, with or without genetic modification. Strategies to improve NK cell "fitness" and improve NK cell metabolism were
at the forefront. NK cell dysfunction and poor survival in the recipient and, in particular the TME may be due to damaged mitochondria
- considered the "powerplants" of the cell that are essential for survival. Dr. Lowdell observed that INKmune ,
unlike IL15 and other NK-activating cytokines, simultaneously upregulates all mitochondrial survival proteins and more than 40 nutrient
receptors on the NK cell. These unique changes may help INKmune-primed NK cells survive and thrive in the hypoxic immunosuppressive TME.
Data from patients treated with INKmune have shown tumor killing memory-like NK cells present in peripheral blood and bone marrow
for at least 15 weeks after INKmune therapy and provoked a lot of discussion about whether INKmune can be used in combination
with adoptive NK therapies to sustain the memory-like phenotype and increase survival.
"For NK cells to become relevant in
the treatment of solid tumors, several problems must be solved," said Dr. Lowdell, CSO of INmune Bio. "At the workshop, we
presented how INKmune , INmune Bio's NK cell therapeutic, may solve these problems as demonstrated by published and unpublished
pre-clinical and clinical data from the INKmune Phase I trial in high-risk MDS."
Dr. Lowdell's presentation underscored
the purpose of NK cell immunotherapy for solid tumors is to kill cancer cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). He outlined three goals
for NK cell immunotherapy in treatment of solid tumors, including increasing the ability of NK cells to infiltrate the tumor; improving
the ability of NK cells to survive the hostile environment of the TME; and facilitating the killing of NK resistant cancer cells. Based
on available evidence, INKmune-treated NK cells appear to solve two of the three problems - survival and killing NK resistant cancers.
"A common therapeutic strategy is giving ex
vivo-activated NK cells from peripheral blood which are conditioned to normal oxygen levels. Hoping that these cells track to the
tumor and aren't inhibited by the hypoxic, immunosuppressive TME does not align with our understanding of tumor biology in patients,"
Dr. Lowdell posited during his talk. "Activation of tumor-resident NK cells in vivo is likely to be important for patient treatment
and tumor-activated NK cells seem to be better than cytokine-primed NK cells in surviving the hostile hypoxic and immunosuppressive environment
of the TME. As far as we know, INKmune is the only agent which can give the pleiotropic NK activating signals that improve NK function
in the hostile immunosuppressive and hypoxic environment of the TME."
Dr. Lowdell also discussed therapeutic persistence,
the period of time there are adequate numbers of functional tumor killing NK cells in the circulation, most probably a key metric of therapeutic
efficiency. Up-regulated mitochondrial survival and nutrient receptor proteins should contribute to therapeutic persistence by polarizing
INKmune-primed NK cells to long-term survival. He presented data showing that cytokine-primed NK cells do not upregulate mitochondrial
survival proteins or nutrient proteins, which may make cytokine-primed NK cells more prone to death in-vivo.
"I came away from this meeting even
more convinced that INKmune can have a major impact in current and future NK immunotherapies in hematological and solid tumors
and with a list of potential new collaborators for our future trials", said Dr Lowdell.
Slides from Dr. Lowdell's presentation
can be reviewed by clicking here.
[INKmuneTM is a pharmaceutical-grade,
replication-incompetent human tumor cell line which conjugates to resting NK cells and delivers multiple, essential priming signals akin
to treatment with at least three cytokines in combination. INKmune is stable at -80oC and is delivered by a simple IV
infusion. The INKmune:NK interaction ligates multiple activating and co-stimulatory molecules on the NK cell and enhances its avidity
of binding to tumor cells; notably those resistant to normal NK-mediated lysis. Tumor-primed NK (TpNK) cells can lyse a wide variety of
NK-resistant tumors including leukemias, lymphomas, myeloma, ovarian cancer, breast cancer.
About INmune Bio, Inc.
is a publicly traded (NASDAQ: INMB), clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing treatments that target the innate immune
system to fight disease. INmune Bio has two product platforms that are both in clinical trials. The DN-TNF product platform utilizes dominant-negative
technology to selectively neutralize soluble TNF, a key driver of innate immune dysfunction and mechanistic target of many diseases. DN-TNF
is in clinical trials to determine if it can treat cancer (INB03 ), Mild Alzheimer's disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment and
treatment resistant depression (XPro). The Natural Killer Cell Priming Platform includes INKmune aimed at priming the patient's
NK cells to eliminate minimal residual disease in patients with cancer. INmune Bio's product platforms utilize a precision medicine
approach for the treatment of a wide variety of hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and chronic inflammation. To learn more, please
visit www.inmunebio.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Clinical trials are in early stages and there
is no assurance that any specific outcome will be achieved. Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical
facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements
contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements as that term is defined
in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations
but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results and the timing of certain events and circumstances may differ materially
from those described by the forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties. INB03 , XPro1595, and INKmune
are still in clinical trials or preparing to start clinical trials and have not been approved and there cannot be any assurance that they
will be approved or that any specific results will be achieved. The factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially
from current expectations include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties relating to the Company's ability to produce
more drug for clinical trials; the availability of substantial additional funding for the Company to continue its operations and to conduct
research and development, clinical studies and future product commercialization; and, the Company's business, research, product
development, regulatory approval, marketing and distribution plans and strategies. These and other factors are identified and described
in more detail in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report
on Form 10-K, the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K. The Company assumes
no obligation to update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of