First-in-human phase 1 study of IT1208, a defucosylated humanized anti-CD4 depleting antibody, in patients with advanced solid tumors

BACKGROUND: Transient CD4(+) T cell depletion led to the proliferation of tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells in the draining lymph node and increased infiltration of PD-1(+)CD8(+) T cells into the tumor, which resulted in strong anti-tumor effects in tumor-bearing mice. This is a first-in-human study of IT1208, a defucosylated humanized anti-CD4 monoclonal antibody, engineered to exert potent antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. METHODS: Patients with advanced solid tumors were treated with intravenous IT1208 at doses of 0.1 or 1.0 mg/kg. The first patient in each cohort received a single administration, and the other patients received two administrations of IT1208 on days 1 and 8. RESULTS: Eleven patients were enrolled in the 0.1 mg/kg (n = 4) and 1.0 mg/kg cohorts (n = 7). Grade 1 or 2 infusion-related reactions was observed in all patients. Decreased CD4(+) T cells in peripheral blood due to IT1208 were observed in all patients and especially in those receiving two administrations of 1.0 mg/kg. CD8(+) T cells increased on day 29 compared with baseline in most patients, resulting in remarkably decreased CD4/8 ratios. One microsatellite-stable colon cancer patient achieved durable partial response showing increased infiltration of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells into tumors after IT1208 administration. Moreover, transcriptomic profiling of the liver metastasis of the patient revealed upregulation of the expression of interferon-stimulated genes, T cell activation-related genes, and antigen presentation-related genes after IT1208 administration. Two additional patients with gastric or esophageal cancer achieved stable disease lasting at least 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: IT1208 monotherapy successfully depleted CD4(+) T cells with a manageable safety profile and encouraging preliminary efficacy signals, which warrants further investigations, especially in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s40425-019-0677-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.