Ankyra reports promising Phase 1 data on tolododekin alfa for cancer treatment

On April 28, 2025, Ankyra Therapeutics presented promising Phase 1 clinical data at the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting held in Chicago, Illinois. The data came from the first-in-human (FIH) ANCHOR Phase 1 clinical trial, which evaluated tolododekin alfa, an anchored interleukin-12 (IL-12) drug conjugate, as a potential treatment for advanced solid tumors. The preliminary findings highlighted the safety and efficacy of the treatment, with encouraging results indicating a high disease control rate among participants who had previously failed standard therapies. The trial enrolled 15 patients with metastatic solid tumors across four study sites in the U.S. and Canada. The primary tumor types included melanoma, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, bladder cancer, and apocrine adenocarcinoma. Remarkably, the study demonstrated that it was possible to deliver IL-12 locally to tumors in therapeutic doses without experiencing systemic toxicity. This was a significant advance, given that systemic administration of IL-12 had previously been limited by toxic side effects. Ankyra's leadership expressed optimism regarding the findings. Dr. Howard Kaufman, President and CEO of Ankyra, emphasized that the data supports the potential of the anchored drug conjugate platform, while Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joe Elassal noted the impressive local delivery of IL-12 that resulted in higher levels of CD8+ T cell infiltration and PD-L1 expression within tumors. This observation strengthens the rationale for further exploration of tolododekin alfa combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors like cemiplimab. In addition to the presentation of data regarding tolododekin alfa, current research trends are shifting towards immunotherapy as a less toxic alternative to traditional cancer treatments. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center recently conducted a study suggesting that immunotherapy could yield successful outcomes for a significant percentage of cancer patients, further underlining the importance of advances in cancer treatment methodologies. As a promising agent for cancer therapy, tolododekin alfa appears to represent a step forward in the ongoing exploration of immunotherapeutic strategies aimed at improving patient outcomes.