Dr. Gadi on the Investigation of AMUN-003 in TNBC

Vijayakrishna Gadi, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, the Division of Hematology and Oncology, the University of Illinois (UI) Health, UI College of Medicine, deputy director, UI Cancer Center, discusses the investigation of AMUN-003 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC).

AMUN-003 is a newly developed oncolytic adenovirus that expresses both soluble transforming growth factor receptor II and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Its efficacy as a single agent and in combination with immunotherapy was evaluated in preclinical models and presented at the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Preclinical data from mouse models showed that the injection of AMUN-003 into TNBC tumors did not lead to whole-body toxicity, according to Gadi, who adds this was a key observation for potential progression toward clinical trials in humans.

Regarding efficacy, the AMUN-003 injected with control viruses prevented cancer cells from growing. Additionally, the combination of adenovirus with immune checkpoint inhibitors stopped cancer progression in the tumors and provided systemic effects. For example, lung nodules were absent in animals that received the combination of AMUN-003 and immunotherapy, showing that this treatment could provide a localized and systemic effect, Gadi concludes.