Exscientia Presents Novel Immuno-Oncology Biomarker for EXS-21546 at the ESMO I-O Annual Congress

Rhea-AI Summary

Exscientia (NASDAQ: EXAI) has announced a breakthrough in identifying patient responders to its A2A receptor antagonist, EXS-21546. Highlighting new data, the company revealed the adenosine burden score (ABS) that predicts the effectiveness of the drug in combating tumor immunosuppression. Exscientia is set to confirm ABS's validity in its upcoming IGNITE-AI Phase 1/2 trial, which combines '546 with a checkpoint inhibitor for patients with relapsed renal cell carcinoma and non-small cell lung cancer. This research will be presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress from December 7-9 in Geneva.

Positive

• Identification of a novel adenosine burden score (ABS) that predicts patient response to EXS-21546, enhancing precision medicine.
• Recent initiation of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial (IGNITE-AI) to validate biomarker effectiveness.
• Presentation of significant research findings at the esteemed ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress.

Negative

• Dependence on the clinical trial outcomes for validating the adenosine burden score (ABS) effectiveness.

Uses multi-omics to identify a biomarker which could be predictive of '546 response in the clinic

Differentiated '546 development and patient enrichment strategy driven by Exscientia's precision medicine platform

Research highlights the relationship between Exscientia's high adenosine biomarker and prediction of checkpoint inhibitor response

Recently initiated Phase 1/2 clinical trial, IGNITE-AI, will evaluate biomarker signature and assess '546 in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in solid tumours

VIENNA, Austria & OXFORD, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Exscientia plc (Nasdaq: EXAI) today highlighted new data to identify patients that are more likely to respond to its A_2A receptor antagonist, EXS-21546 (‘546) as well as the relationship to potential impact of adenosine on PD-1 inhibitor response. The research identified a novel patient selection multi-gene transcript signature, the adenosine burden score (ABS), that will be confirmed in the Company's Phase 1/2 study, IGNITE-AI. The data are being presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Annual Congress, being held December 7-9 in Geneva, Switzerland.

In this study, researchers leveraged Exscientia's translational oncology platform with transcriptomics, to develop and begin pre-clinical biological confirmation of the ABS, a measure of adenosine burden. Data was also presented showing ABS outperformed other published adenosine signatures in specificity and sensitivity for detecting adenosine-rich microenvironments.

Additionally, the research identified an inverse relationship between ABS and another published signature that has been shown to be predictive of anti-PD-1 therapy success, the Tumour Inflammation Score (TIS). This suggests that reduction of adenosine burden through A_2AR antagonism with ‘546 could result in the restoration of checkpoint inhibitor response. The combination therapy approach will be validated in the IGNITE-AI Phase 1/2 clinical trial, combining ‘546 with a checkpoint inhibitor in solid tumours.

“We believe that the signature identified by thoroughly assessing adenosine activity in primary patient samples through our functional precision medicine platform provides us with a guided way to enrich for patients that may respond to ‘546 therapy,” said Gregory Vladimer, VP of Translational Research at Exscientia. “Adenosine in the tumour microenvironment is immuno-suppressive and only patients with high adenosine will benefit from A_2A receptor antagonist therapy. That is why we want to design our clinical programmes to specifically identify those patients and potentially improve the probability of response.”

Poster Presentation Details:
Title: Enriching for response: Patient selection criteria for A_2AR inhibition by EXS-21546 through ex vivo modelling in primary patient material
Abstract Number: 23P
Session Title: Biomarker development
Date/Time: Thursday, December 08 / 12:30 PM – 13:15 PM CET

The poster is available on Exscientia's website.

About EXS-21546

EXS-21546 is a highly selective A_2A receptor antagonist ​​co-invented and developed through a collaboration between Exscientia and Evotec SE (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: EVT, MDAX/TecDAX, ISIN: DE0005664809; Nasdaq: EVO). In June 2022, Exscientia reported topline data from a healthy volunteer study which confirmed Exscientia’s target product profile design, including potency, high receptor selectivity and expected low brain exposure with no CNS adverse events reported. Exscientia recently initiated a Phase 1/2 clinical trial of ‘546 in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor in patients with relapsed or refractory renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who previously received treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor.

About Exscientia

Exscientia is an AI-driven pharmatech company committed to discovering, designing and developing the best possible drugs in the fastest and most effective manner. Exscientia developed the first-ever functional precision oncology platform to successfully guide treatment selection and improve patient outcomes in a prospective interventional clinical study, as well as to progress AI-designed small molecules into the clinical setting. Our internal pipeline is focused on leveraging our precision medicine platform in oncology, while our partnered pipeline broadens our approach to other therapeutic areas. By pioneering a new approach to medicine creation, we believe the best ideas of science can rapidly become the best medicines for patients.

Visit us at https://www.exscientia.ai or follow us on Twitter @exscientiaAI.

Exscientia Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including with respect to the timing and progress of, and data reported from, clinical trials of Exscientia’s product candidates. Any statement describing Exscientia’s goals, plans, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those related to: the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic could have on the Company’s business, including the scope, progress and expansion of Exscientia’s product development efforts; the initiation, scope and progress of Exscientia’s and its partners’ planned and ongoing pre-clinical studies and clinical trials and ramifications for the cost thereof; clinical, scientific, regulatory and technical developments; the process of discovering, developing and commercialising product candidates that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics; and the endeavour of building a business around such product candidates. In light of these risks and uncertainties, and other risks and uncertainties that are described in the Risk Factors section and other sections of Exscientia’s Annual Report on Form 20-F, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on March 23, 2022 (File No. 001-40850), and other filings that Exscientia makes with the SEC from time to time (which are available at https://www.sec.gov/), the events and circumstances discussed in such forward-looking statements may not occur, and Exscientia’s actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied thereby. Although Exscientia’s forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by the Company. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221206005214/en/

Investor Relations:

Sara Sherman

investors@exscientia.ai

Media:

media@exscientia.ai

Source: Exscientia plc

FAQ

What is the significance of Exscientia's new biomarker for EXS-21546?

Exscientia's newly identified adenosine burden score (ABS) is significant as it could enhance patient selection for treatment with EXS-21546, predicting who is more likely to benefit from this therapy.

When is Exscientia's IGNITE-AI clinical trial set to begin?

The IGNITE-AI Phase 1/2 clinical trial has recently been initiated, assessing EXS-21546 in combination with checkpoint inhibitors.

What will be presented at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress?

Exscientia will present new data on the adenosine burden score (ABS) and its relationship to the effectiveness of EXS-21546 at the ESMO Immuno-Oncology Congress from December 7-9.

How does Exscientia's research improve cancer treatment?

Exscientia's research improves cancer treatment by identifying specific biomarkers that can predict patient response to immunotherapy, potentially increasing treatment efficacy.

What is the relationship between adenosine and checkpoint inhibitors?

The research indicates that high adenosine levels can suppress immune responses, and targeting this with EXS-21546 may enhance the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors.