A dimming view for VISTA

Sensei Biotherapeutics had been one of the leading proponents of VISTA blockade, but the company admitted defeat on Thursday, discontinuing its lead asset solnerstotug and beginning a review of “strategic alternatives”. The anti-VISTA MAb was designed to overcome the toxicity and PK issues of first-generation VISTA-targeted antibodies; at ESMO, the company reported dose-expansion data from a phase 1/2 trial, showing an ORR of 14% among 35 post-PD-(L)1 inhibitor solid tumour patients receiving solnerstotug plus Libtayo. At the time, Sensei said it was planning two phase 2 trials for 2026, in NSCLC and Merkel cell carcinoma, both in post-checkpoint inhibitor patients. However, the group now says that after reviewing “future funding needs” and “the current capital markets environment”, it has decided not to take the asset any further. The most advanced anti-VISTA MAb now, according to OncologyPipeline, is TuHura’s TBS-2025, which it gained via the acquisition of Kineta, completed in June. TuHura is planning a phase 2 trial next year, alongside a menin inhibitor, in relapsed/refractory NPM1-mutant AML. Another recent deal saw Percheron Therapeutics license Hummingbird’s HMBD-002 for up to $290m, although the up-front fee wasn’t disclosed.

Anti-VISTA Mabs in clinical development

Source: OncologyPipeline.