Ankyra Therapeutics Presents Preclinical Data on ANK-203 CD137-Anchored Immunotherapy

Ankyra Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering anchored immunotherapy to deliver better outcomes for people with cancer and other serious diseases, announced preclinical data on ANK-203, a first-in-class anchored immunotherapy using monoclonal antibody CD137 (4-1BB). The data were presented in an oral session at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Immuno-Oncology Conference in Los Angeles, CA.

ANK-203 is a first-in-class anchored immunotherapy designed to unlock the full therapeutic potential of monoclonal antibody CD137 through localized delivery and retention. In preclinical studies, ANK-203 activated the CD137 (4-1BB) immune pathway and showed strong anti-tumor activity with no observed systemic toxicity. Additional studies are underway.

The data were presented in an oral session titled "Agonistic CD137 (4-1BB) anchored immunotherapy (ANK-203) elicits potent 4-1BBL signaling in vitro and therapeutic responses against established tumors without systemic toxicity in vivo" (abstract # 64034).

ANK-203 is designed to activate the CD137 (4-1BB) immune pathway through localized delivery and retention at the tumor site. In preclinical studies, ANK-203 demonstrated robust activation of the CD137 (4-1BB) immune pathway and regression of established tumors following localized administration. Treatment was well tolerated, with no significant safety signals observed.

In addition to local tumor control, ANK-203 induced anti-tumor responses in distant, untreated tumors, suggesting the induction of a systemic immune response.

The Chief Scientific Officer stated that CD137 has long been recognized as a powerful immune costimulatory molecule with a high potential for cancer immunotherapy, but safety challenges have constrained its clinical potential. By anchoring CD137 locally, ANK-203 enables focused immune activation where it matters most – at the tumor site – while minimizing systemic exposure, offering a differentiated approach to maximize clinical benefit.

The Chief Executive Officer stated that the anchored immunotherapy platform has already demonstrated promising clinical activity with tolododekin alfa, validating the approach to improving the therapeutic index of potent immune modulators, like IL-12. ANK-203 extends the platform's application beyond cytokines to monoclonal antibodies and expands the pipeline, reinforcing its versatility and underscoring the potential to realize the promise of therapeutics that have been shelved due to toxicity.

Based on these findings, Ankyra plans to advance ANK-203 through additional preclinical studies to further characterize immune mechanisms and support potential clinical development.

Ankyra's pipeline also includes tolododekin alfa, an IL-12 anchored immunotherapy with promising Phase 1 clinical activity and favorable tolerability as monotherapy in advanced solid tumors.

Ankyra Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company pioneering anchored immunotherapy to deliver better outcomes for people with cancer and other serious immune-mediated diseases. Powered by its novel anchoring platform, Ankyra engineers therapies that unlock the full therapeutic potential of immune-modulating drugs once limited by toxicity. Anchored immunotherapies are designed to stay precisely at the disease site, allowing higher doses for greater therapeutic impact while limiting systemic exposure.