Anocca steps into a KRAS battle

The Swedish biotech Anocca is preparing to start dosing patients in the Vidar-1 trial of its KRAS-targeting T-cell receptor candidates following a SEK440m ($46m) funding round. According to the EU clinical trial protocol, the phase 1/2 umbrella trial will evaluate different experimental therapies – ANOC-001, ANOC-002 and ANOC-003 – in pancreatic cancer patients with KRAS mutations. Anocca aims to treat the first patient during the second half of 2025 with ANOC-001, a TCR therapy engineered to specifically target KRAS-G12V (HLA-A*A11:01). The company’s chief executive, Reagan Jarvis, declined to say which mutations ANOC-002 and ANOC-003 target. The KRAS TCR space is becoming increasingly competitive, with several companies currently advancing candidates through early clinical trials. AstraZeneca is directing its efforts towards the G12D mutation, while Affini-T Therapeutics is concentrating on G12V, and is expected to expand into G12D in the near future. When asked what differentiates Anocca’s approach, Jarvis told ApexOnco that the platform can identify the precise peptide that’s loaded, and can also characterise off-target specificities. Anocca will also use the funds to progress its preclinical TCR pipeline, which includes candidates against the likes of p53, PRAME and MAGE.

KRAS-targeting TCRs in the clinic

Source: OncologyPipeline.