Hematopoietic Gene Expression Regulation Through m6A Methylation Predicts Prognosis in Stage III Colorectal Cancer

Safety and Pharmacokinetic Assessment of the FIC CLDN18.2/4-1BB Bispecific Antibody in Rhesus Monkeys

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, particularly in China, with over half a million new cases and over 400 thousand deaths in 2022. Zolbetuximab, a first-in-class investigational monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting tumor-associated antigen CLDN18.2 which is highly expressed on gastric cancer cells, was recently reported to meet the primary endpoint in Phase III trial as first-line treatment in CLDN18.2 positive and HER2-negative gastric cancers. In the present study, we developed a humanized bispecific antibody (bsAb) CLDN18.2/4-1BB named PM1032. PM1032 activates immune cells via CLDN18.2 mediated crosslinking of 4-1BB, a potent stimulator of T/NK cells. It induced strong immunological memory in multiple tumor-bearing animal models, indicating significant potential as an effective treatment for CLDN18.2 positive cancers such as gastric cancer. Since liver and gastrointestinal (GI) related toxicities were reported in 4-1BB and CLDN18.2 targeting programs during the clinical development, respectively, extensive pharmacokinetics (PK) and safety profile characterization of PM1032 was performed in rhesus monkeys. PM1032 had a half-life comparable to a conventional IgG1 mAb, and serum drug concentration increased in a dose-dependent pattern. Furthermore, PM1032 was generally well tolerated, with no significant abnormalities observed in toxicity studies, including the liver and stomach. In summary, PM1032 demonstrated good PK and an exceptional safety profile in rhesus monkeys supporting further investigation in clinical studies.

Supplementation of quinoa peptides alleviates colorectal cancer and restores gut microbiota in AOM/DSS-treated mice

Quinoa protein hydrolysate has been previously reported to exert anti-cancer effects in cultured colon cancer cells. Here, we investigated the effect of quinoa protein and its hydrolysate on an azoxymethane/dextran sulfate sodium (AOM/DSS)-induced mouse model of colorectal cancer (CRC) and examined its underlying mechanism using gut microbiota analysis and short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production analysis. Our results showed that quinoa protein or its hydrolysate mitigated the clinical symptoms of CRC and increased SCFAs contents in colon tissues. Moreover, administration of quinoa protein or its hydrolysate partially alleviated gut microbiota dysbiosis in CRC mice by decreasing the abundance of pathogenic bacteria and increasing the abundance of probiotics. Additionally, PICRUSt analysis revealed that the functional profile of gut microbiota in the quinoa protein treated groups was more similar to that of the control group. These findings indicated that the modulation of gut microbiota by quinoa protein diet intervention may ameliorate AOM/DSS-induced CRC.