I-Mab announced that the updated clinical results from its Phase 1 study of givastomig (also known as TJ-CD4B/ABL111) in advanced solid tumors will be reported in a poster presentation at the upcoming European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2023, on October 23 at 12:00 p.m. CET. It binds to tumor cells expressing various levels of CLDN18.2, i.e., gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer cells, and conditionally activates intra-tumoral T cells at the tumor site through the 4-1BB arm. Givastomig appears to effectively maintain a strong tumor binding property and anti-tumor activity attributable to a synergistic effect of both CLDN18.2 antibody and 4-1BB antibody while avoiding or minimizing liver toxicity and systemic immunotoxicity commonly seen with 4-1BB antibodies as a drug class.

Being developed under collaboration between I-Mab and ABL Bio, a clinical-stage biotechnology company in South Korea, givastomig is currently being investigated in a Phase 1 clinical study in the U.S. and China. In March 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Orphan Drug Designation for givastomig for the treatment of gastric cancer, including cancer of the gastroesophageal conjunction.