Purple Biotech provided an update on its ongoing Phase 1b/2 clinical trial of CM24, a monoclonal antibody blocking CEACAM1, in combination with nivolumab (Opdivo®), a PD-1 inhibitor, in advanced cancer patients, with expansion cohorts in subjects with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in combination with nivolumab and nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®) in pancreatic cancer. Top-line data from the first dose cohort of CM24 10mg/kg included a partial response demonstrated in a patient with refractory advanced pancreatic cancer previously treated with two lines of therapy following two courses of treatment with CM24 in combination with nivolumab 480mg/kg. Additionally, there were no dose-limiting toxicities or serious adverse events observed in any of the three patients enrolled in the first cohort of the study. The study is a Phase 1b/2 clinical trial with expansion cohorts in subjects with NSCLC and pancreatic cancer. CM24 is dose escalated (3+3 design) from 10mg/kg, in combination with nivolumab, 480mg q4w, in Phase 1b, in patients with NSCLC, pancreatic cancer, ovarian carcinoma, colorectal adenocarcinoma, melanoma, or thyroid carcinoma, with the primary objective of evaluating safety, PK and determining the recommended Phase 2 dose. In the Phase 2 component, patients with NSCLC will be treated with CM24 and nivolumab after first-line immuno-oncology failure, and patients with advanced/metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma will be treated with CM24, nivolumab, and nab-paclitaxel (Abraxane®) after first-line therapy failure, with study endpoints being safety and preliminary efficacy. CEACAM1 level of expression, as well as a number of other immune, biochemical and adhesion-related molecules, will be evaluated as potential biomarkers in the study.