Ascentage collaborates on APG-1387 and toripalimab in treating cancers

China’s biopharma start up Ascentage Pharma has entered into a strategic collaboration with Shanghai Junshi Biosciences (1877: HK) to explore the synergies of Ascentage's inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) inhibitor APG-1387, and Junshi Biosciences' anti-PD-1 therapy toripalimab in clinical trials in solid and hematological tumors in China.

APG-1387 is a novel, small molecule IAP inhibitor that induces apoptosis by mimicking the dimeric form of the SMAC protein, which is being developed to treat advanced solid tumors and chronic HBV infection. APG-1387 has completed dose-escalation Phase I trials as a single agent in solid tumors in both China and Australia. It is currently in Phase Ib trial in combination with anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with advanced solid tumors in the United States. APG-1387 is the first IAP-targeting investigational drug to enter clinical trials in China.

In preclinical studies, the combination of APG-1387 and anti-PD-1 immuno-oncology therapy demonstrated strong antitumor activity, resulting in clinically relevant responses such as complete response (CR). These results suggest that the combination treatment may enhance the activity of PD-1 blockade therapy and warrant further investigation in humans.