Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Cohort in NCI-Led Multi-Cohort Study Demonstrates Promising Response Rate, Triggering Enrollment Expansion Under Simon Two-Stage Design
PRINCETON, N.J., July 10, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PDS Biotechnology Corporation (Nasdaq: PDSB) (“PDS Biotech” or the “Company”), a late-stage immunotherapy company focused on transforming how the immune system targets and kills cancers, today announced patient recruitment has been completed in Stage 1 of a clinical trial of the Company’s PDS01ADC therapeutic administered systemically in combination with floxuridine (FUDR) administered by hepatic artery infusion pump (HAIP) for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (NCT05286814), led by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study met the pre-set RECIST v1.1 criteria for expansion into Stage 2 of the study.
The trial is an open label, single center, non-randomized Phase 2 study with three cohorts: metastatic colorectal cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and adrenocortical cancer. It is led by Dr. Jonathan Hernandez, Chief of the Surgical Oncology Section, Surgical Oncology Program, Center for Cancer Research, at the NCI. A Simon two-stage trial design is being used for each cohort. For the colorectal cancer cohort, if at least 6 of 9 participants experienced an objective response by RECIST v1.1 criteria, the cohort would continue to enroll up to a total of 22 participants. This milestone has been achieved for the colorectal cancer cohort, and enrollment has progressed to Stage 2. The cholangiocarcinoma and adrenocortical cancer cohorts continue to enroll in Stage 1. The study is being performed under the Company’s collaborative research and development agreement with the NCI.
PDS01ADC is a fused antibody drug conjugate composed of two Interleukin-12 (IL-12) heterodimers, each fused to the NHS76 antibody, which binds to both single- and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), and therefore targets regions of tumor necrosis where DNA has become exposed.
“Colorectal cancer is among the most deadly and difficult to treat cancers. In 2020, it was estimated that more than 930,000 deaths were due to colorectal cancer worldwide according to the World Health Organization, and more effective treatments are desperately needed,” said Frank Bedu-Addo, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of PDS Biotech. “This novel investigational approach to the targeting and use of IL-12 results in little, or no systemic exposure to IL-12, and may allow patients to reap the benefits of cytokine therapy without the typical treatment-limiting toxicities. We are delighted that the NCI has achieved this milestone and anticipate completion of patient recruitment for the metastatic colorectal cancer cohort of the study by the fourth quarter of 2025.”
Each year, more than 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. Approximately 20% of these cases are already metastatic at the time of diagnosis, and an additional 25% of patients with initially localized disease will eventually progress to metastatic disease (Biller LH, 2021;325;(7):669-685). According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
About PDS Biotechnology
PDS Biotechnology is a late-stage immunotherapy company focused on transforming how the immune system targets and kills cancers. The Company has initiated a pivotal clinical trial to advance its lead program in advanced HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell cancers. PDS Biotech’s lead investigational targeted immunotherapy Versamune® HPV is being developed in combination with a standard-of-care immune checkpoint inhibitor, and also in a triple combination including PDS01ADC, an IL-12 fused antibody drug conjugate (ADC), and a standard-of-care immune checkpoint inhibitor. PDS01ADC is being evaluated in multiple phase 2 trials in various cancer indications in combination with standard of care.
For more information, please visit www.pdsbiotech.com
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Versamune® is a registered trademark of PDS Biotechnology Corporation.
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