A phase 1 study found MP0317, a FAP-targeting CD40 agonist, showed tumor-localized CD40 activation, a favorable safety profile, and immune remodeling in advanced solid tumors.
Astellas terminated its phase 1 ASP5502 study in Sjögren’s syndrome as Novartis said the FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation to ianalumab. Novartis plans global regulatory submissions from early 2026 after positive phase III data.
Spyre Therapeutics announced ECCO 2026 presentations featuring 20-week follow-up from the Phase 1 SPY003 study and details of the SKYLINE-UC platform study. The company is also seeking to raise $403 million in a follow-on stock offering.
Researchers have developed new immunotherapy approaches including internal immune cell reprogramming and CD40-based therapies showing promising results in early trials. Meanwhile, glioblastoma remains resistant to current immunotherapies due to blood-brain barrier constraints, though advances in antibody engineering offer new potential strategies.
A redesigned CD40 agonist antibody achieved complete remission in two of 12 patients with metastatic cancer in early trials, while separate research identified a method to prevent deadly heart complications from immune checkpoint inhibitors.
