- Agenus Inc. (AGEN, Financial) unveils promising data on botensilimab at ASCO 2025, showcasing its potential to overcome resistance in metastatic colorectal cancer.
- Botensilimab activates the immune system, potentially improving outcomes for patients with traditionally resistant tumors.
- New insights suggest early immune markers can predict patient response, offering a pathway to personalized treatment strategies.
Agenus Inc. (AGEN), a prominent player in the immuno-oncology field, presented new translational data at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. The study underscores the efficacy of botensilimab in inducing a robust T cell immune response in microsatellite stable (MSS) metastatic colorectal cancer—a type of tumor conventionally resistant to immunotherapy. These tumors make up approximately 85-95% of all colorectal cancers.
The research collaboration, involving Agenus, Leuven University Hospitals, KU Leuven, and Omniscope, reveals that botensilimab can initiate T cell activation within two weeks, with continued expansion across treatment cycles. This T cell activity is detectable before traditional imaging, allowing for earlier intervention. Remarkably, the immune activity predicted by blood tests could identify patients most likely to benefit from the treatment.
Dr. Steven O’Day, Chief Medical Officer at Agenus, highlighted the promising results, emphasizing botensilimab's role in making these 'cold' tumors visible to the immune system, which is crucial in overcoming resistance to existing therapies. The presentation is part of the Gastrointestinal Cancer—Colorectal and Anal session, accessible online via Agenus' publications section.
As part of its continued development, botensilimab has been explored in over 1,100 patients through phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials, often in combination with Agenus' investigational PD-1 antibody, balstilimab. For more details on the trials, interested parties can visit the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Agenus, headquartered in Lexington, MA, remains dedicated to expanding the reach of immunotherapy through innovative combination approaches, aiming to enhance patient outcomes in several cancer types. For more updates, Agenus encourages engagement via their website and social media platforms.
