Krystal Biotech announced that it will develop injectable and inhaled versions of its KB707 gene therapy for the treatment of malignant solid tumors, including metastatic cancer. The company said that it intends to amend an existing IND to add a clinical trial of the inhaled formulation by the end of the year, with the trial expected to begin by mid-2024. Krystal recently initiated a Phase 1 trial of another inhaled gene therapy, KB407, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.
According to Krystal, “KB707 is a modified HSV-1 vector designed to deliver genes encoding both human IL-12 and IL-2 to the tumor microenvironment and promote systemic immune-mediated tumor clearance.”
Krystal President of Research and Development Suma Krishnan said, “We believe KB707 is a unique and highly differentiated drug candidate with the potential to unlock the capabilities of cytokine-based immunotherapy. By enabling localized and sustained cytokine expression within a treated tumor, KB707 has the potential to maximize therapeutic efficacy while avoiding the tolerability challenges of systemic cytokine treatments.”
CEO Krish S. Krishnan commented, “The KB707 program leverages our learnings and clinical experience in two tissue areas, the skin and the lung, and underscores the broader potential of our HSV-1 platform to deliver all types of exogenous genetic material and improve outcomes for patients with debilitating diseases.”
Read the Krystal Biotech press release.
