Adicet Bio is shelving plans to use its lead asset to treat cancer and instead shifting its target to autoimmune diseases.
The move, disclosed by the cell therapy-focused biotech in an SEC filing Tuesday, is just the latest example of oncology startups pivoting to immunology. Adicet had been developing its cell therapy ADI-001 as a treatment for mantle cell lymphoma. It will close enrollment in a Phase 1 study of that disease and start work on four autoimmune conditions: lupus nephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and inflammation of smaller blood cells. It plans to add more indications soon.
The company will launch a single Phase 1 study with three arms, each testing one of the new indications (lupus nephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus will be included in the same study arm). The primary endpoint will be safety, but secondary endpoints will measure both efficacy and drug pharmacology. Data are expected in the first half of 2025.
The move to immunology was made despite encouraging interim data from the MCL trial. On Tuesday, Adicet also reported that among 10 mantle cell lymphoma patients, ADI-001 had an 80% overall response rate and a 60% complete response rate. There were no cases of graft-versus-host disease and “low incidence” of grade 3 or greater cases of cytokine release syndrome.
A spokesperson for Adicet attributed the indication change in part to the larger size of the autoimmune market, adding that the move won’t result in layoffs and that the biotech continues to grow.
Adicet’s broader oncology plans are not completely done, however. Interim data are also expected next year from the first clinical trial of ADI-270, an off-the-shelf, CD70-targeting gamma delta CAR-T cell therapy that’s going after solid tumors. At an investor conference Tuesday, CEO Chen Schor told investors that “everything about this program is differentiated” except for the CD70 target.
Editor’s note: This story was updated with a comment from an Adicet spokesperson.