LAVA Therapeutics N.V. announced dosing of the first patient in the company’s Phase 1/2a clinical trial of LAVA-051 in patients with relapsed and/or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma (MM) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). LAVA-051, LAVA’s lead product candidate, is a humanized bsTCE engineered to selectively target CD1d-expressing hematological cancers through activation of both gamma-delta T cells and type 1 natural killer T (NKT) cells. The open-label, multi-center, Phase 1/2a clinical trial will evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, immunogenicity and preliminary antitumor activity of LAVA-051. The Phase 1 dose-escalation portion will determine an optimal Phase 2 dose of LAVA-051. Once a recommended Phase 2 dose has been established, the trial will expand into the Phase 2a portion, which will enroll patients in three disease specific cohorts for relapsed and/or refractory CLL, MM and AML, to confirm safety and evaluate preliminary antitumor activity in each disease cohort. The Phase 1/2a clinical trial for LAVA-051 will initially be conducted in Europe, where the Company has already received regulatory approval for its Clinical Trial Application (CTA). LAVA expects to file an Investigational New Drug application (IND) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which if accepted, will subsequently expand the trial to include patients in the United States.