Abstract 2074: ORIC-533, a small molecule CD73 inhibitor with best-in-class properties, reversesimmunosuppression and has potential as an immunomodulatory therapy in patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Junttila Melissa R. , Ray Arghya , Warne Robert , Chen Xi , Du Ting , Sutimantanapi Dena , Chang Jae H. , Blank Brian , Moore Jared , Ndubaku Chudi O. , Zavorotinskaya Tatiana , Multani Pratik , Nadeem Omar , Chauhan Dharminder , Anderson Kenneth C. , Friedman Lori S. 
Published: June 2022

Adenosine accumulation within the tumor microenvironment can severely limit antitumor immunity by promoting the expansion of immunosuppressive cell types and impairing immune cell function, including T cells, natural killer cells and dendritic cells. The generation of adenosine from adenosine monophosphate (AMP) requires the activity of a cell surface ecto-5’-nucleotidase, CD73, expressed on the surface of various cell types including immune cells. CD73 overexpression is observed in many tumor types and correlates with unfavorable clinical outcomes. Given the essential role of CD73 in generating adenosine, inhibition of CD73 is a promising therapeutic strategy. Recent clinical proof of concept data demonstrated a significant improvement in progression free survival for non-small cell lung cancer patients upon targeting CD73 with the oleclumab anti-CD73 antibody in combination with anti-PDL1, relative to anti-PDL1 checkpoint inhibitor treatment alone.We developed ORIC-533, a potent, orally bioavailable, AMP-competitive, small molecule inhibitor of CD73, that is highly selective for CD73 and exhibits picomolar potency in biochemical assays, completely blocking adenosine production from AMP. In ex vivo assays, ORIC-533 displayed greater potency in restoring immunosuppressed CD8+ T cell proliferation and activation compared to oleclumab, as well as greater potency versus small molecule inhibitors of CD73 and the adenosine receptor. In multiple myeloma (MM) patients, elevated adenosine levels in the bone marrow (BM) niche correlate with progression of multiple myeloma through a CD73-mediated pathway. Moreover, we recently reported a functional role of CD73 signaling in BM of MM patients, indicating that CD73 inhibition may represent a unique vulnerability and treatment strategy for MM (Ray et al., abstract #2675, ASH 2021).

We tested the impact of CD73 inhibition in bone marrow aspirates from patients with relapsed or refractory MM, using an autologous ex vivo assay system comprised of the multiple myeloma BM microenvironment. CD73 inhibition stimulated the activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and T cell activation in the context of the MM BM milieu. Moreover, ORIC CD73 inhibitor as a single agent overcame immune suppression and triggered significant lysis and cell death of multiple myeloma cells by autologous T-cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the ORIC CD73 inhibitor potently inhibits the adenosine pathway, which restores anti-tumor immunity and therefore holds potential for patients with MM. Based upon these data, ORIC-533 is being studied as a single agent in a Phase 1 clinical trial in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

Citation Format: Melissa R. Junttila, Arghya Ray, Robert Warne, Xi Chen, Ting Du, Dena Sutimantanapi, Jae H. Chang, Brian Blank, Jared Moore, Chudi O. Ndubaku, Tatiana Zavorotinskaya, Pratik Multani, Omar Nadeem, Dharminder Chauhan, Kenneth C. Anderson, Lori S. Friedman. ORIC-533, a small molecule CD73 inhibitor with best-in-class properties, reversesimmunosuppression and has potential as an immunomodulatory therapy in patients with multiple myeloma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 2074.