Corvus publishes data on potential of soquelitinib to modulate tumor activity

Corvus Pharmaceuticals (CRVS) announced the publication of preclinical data highlighting the potential of soquelitinib, the Company’s lead ITK inhibitor program, as a novel approach to modulate tumor immunity. The data was published in npj Drug Discovery , an open access, international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing the highest quality research relevant to all aspects of drug design and discovery. The publication, entitled “Synthesis and characterization of soquelitinib a selective ITK inhibitor that modulates tumor immunity,” includes a detailed overview of soquelitinib’s mechanism of action – suppressing Th2 and Th17 cytokine production and sparing Th1 cytokines – that serves as a novel approach to cancer immunotherapy, both as a single agent and in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The data also shows that soquelitinib increases effector function of cytotoxic CD8 positive T cells and leads to an increase in memory T cells with enhanced effector function. “We continue to build awareness of the unique potential of soquelitinib and ITK inhibition as a novel therapy that modulates parallel signaling pathways in the immune system for the treatment of oncology and immune diseases,” said Richard A. Miller, M.D., co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Corvus. “This publication in npj Drug Discovery highlights foundational work characterizing key properties and mechanisms of soquelitinib conducted at Corvus and with academic collaborators, and we are excited to now be in clinical development for PTCL and atopic dermatitis, along with a broad range of additional opportunities for soquelitinib and our next-generation ITK inhibitors.”