Combination of IL-15 and IL-21 robustly augments NK and CD8 T cell activity

LA JOLLA, Calif., October 07, 2024--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Equillium Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging a deep understanding of immunobiology to develop novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced that an abstract was accepted for poster presentation at the 39^th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. The conference will take place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas from November 6 to 10, 2024.

Title: Interleukin (IL)-15 and IL-21 synergistically enhance NK and CD8+ T cell responses
Presenting Author: Phoi Tiet, Senior Research Associate, Equillium, Inc.
Abstract Number: 908
Location: Exhibit Halls A & B
Date: Saturday, November 9, 2024

The abstract highlights that cytokines are a focus of anti-cancer therapeutic development due to their central role in regulating anti-tumoral immune responses, and that data demonstrates that IL-15 and IL-21 synergistically augment NK and CD8 T cells activities, which further enhanced their proliferation and cytolytic function. With the ability to rescue T cell dysfunction, this cytokine combination could be a promising treatment approach to stimulating anti-tumor immune responses.

About Multi-Cytokine Platform and Multi-Cytokine Inhibitors EQ101 & EQ302

Our proprietary multi-cytokine platform generates rationally designed composite peptides that selectively block key cytokines at the shared receptor level targeting pathogenic cytokine redundancies and synergies while preserving non-pathogenic signaling. This approach is expected to avoid the broad immuno-suppression and off-target safety liabilities that may be associated with other therapeutic classes, such as Janus kinase inhibitors. Many immune-mediated diseases are driven by the same combination of dysregulated cytokines, and we believe identifying the key cytokines for these diseases will allow us to target and develop customized treatment strategies for multiple autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Current platform assets include EQ101, a clinical stage, first-in-class, selective, tri-specific inhibitor of IL-2, IL-9, and IL-15 for intravenous and subcutaneous delivery and EQ302, a preclinical stage, first-in-class, selective, bi-specific inhibitor of IL-15 and IL-21 for oral delivery.

About Equillium

Equillium is a clinical-stage biotechnology company leveraging a deep understanding of immunobiology to develop novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need. The company’s pipeline consists of the following novel first-in-class immunomodulatory assets and product platform targeting immuno-inflammatory pathways. EQ101: a selective tri-specific cytokine inhibitor targeting IL-2, IL-9, and IL-15; recently announced positive results from a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical study of patients with alopecia areata. EQ302: an orally delivered, selective bi-specific cytokine inhibitor targeting IL-15 and IL-21; currently in pre-clinical development. The multi-cytokine platform: generates rationally designed composite peptides that selectively block key cytokines at the shared receptor level targeting pathogenic cytokine redundancies and synergies while preserving non-pathogenic signaling. Itolizumab: a monoclonal antibody that targets the CD6-ALCAM signaling pathway which plays a central role in the modulation of effector T cells; currently under evaluation in a Phase 3 clinical study of patients with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and exhibited positive results in a completed Phase 1b clinical study of patients with lupus/lupus nephritis in April 2024. Equillium acquired rights to itolizumab through an exclusive partnership with Biocon Limited and has entered a strategic partnership with Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., for the development and commercialization of itolizumab under an option and asset purchase agreement.