Innovent Biologics Inc (HKEX: 01801), a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercialises medicines for the treatment of oncology, autoimmune, metabolic and other major diseases, has dosed the first patient in a phase one clinical trial (CIBI939A101) of anti-T-cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains recombinant fully human monoclonal antibody drug candidate in China, it was reported on Monday.

CIBI939A101 is a Phase one clinical study conducted in China to assess IBI939 intended for the treatment of patients with advanced malignancies. The primary aims of the study are to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and initial anti-tumour efficacy of IBI939, either as monotherapy or in combination with TYVYT (sintilimab injection), an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody drug. The product can directly bind to Ig and ITIM domains, disturb the interaction between CD155 and Ig and ITIM domains, relieve the inhibition and depletion of T cells and NK cells, improve the anti-tumour immune response of T cells and NK cells.

Professor Lin Shen, vice president of Peking University Cancer Hospital, said, 'Although immune checkpoint inhibitors have made encouraging progress in the treatment of a variety of tumours, there are still some problems to be solved, such as potential drug resistance and initial treatment efficacy to be further improved. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop the next generation of tumour immune drugs. Ig and ITIM domains is expected to be one of the most promising targets for a new generation of tumour immune drugs, and we are looking forward to the clinical results of IBI939.'