EMITT-1: Clinical and pharmacodynamic activity with the oral ERAP1 inhibitor GRWD5769 and cemiplimab in 6 completed phase 1b expansion cohorts in solid tumors with anti–PD-1 resistance or MSS-CRC.
2500 Background: Resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy remains a major unmet need. GRWD5769 is a first-in-class oral Endoplasmic Reticulum Amino Peptidase 1 inhibitor (ERAP1i) that modulates tumor antigen presentation on MHC-I. Dosing GRWD5769 Q3W on/off generates 2 alternating antigen repertoires (AgR) that could both broaden T cell responses and avoid T cell exhaustion from chronic tumor antigen exposure. We report clinical and translational results from 6 completed stage 1 expansion cohorts of combination GRWD5769 with cemiplimab in patients (pts) with secondary resistance to anti-PD1 and in MSS-CRC (NCT06923761). Methods: Pts with NSCLC, Urothelial (UC), HCC, Cervical & SCCHN with secondary resistance to ≥3 month 1 st line aPD-1 or MSS-CRC without liver mets received 400 mg BD GRWD5769 and cemiplimab. ORR, Durable Clinical Benefit (DCB; defined as CR, PR or SD lasting ≥6 months) and PFS were assessed. T cell repertoire and immune phenotype changes were evaluated longitudinally. Results: All 6 cohorts are fully recruited (n= 81) with median follow up of 6.0 months at this interim analysis. Durable responses were observed in all cohorts (Table 1) with ORR 10-33%; DCB 26-57%. Median PFS ranged from 1.9-7.5 months across evaluable cohorts. Therapy was well tolerated with no observed safety signals. imARs were reported in 12 pts, with only 1 ≥Gr3 event (immune hepatitis) which required drug discontinuation. ≥Gr3 TRAEs occurred in 3% of pts. TCR repertoire diversity increased substantially in pts who achieved clinical benefit, driven by expansion of low-frequency, putative de novo TCR clonotypes. Responders exhibited cyclical Vß gene-usage dynamics indicative of broad T cell clonal expansion and contraction, consistent with AgR shifts resulting from ERAP1i. Dynamic activation of T cell associated genes further supported antigen-driven T-cell remodelling. Conclusions: GRWD5769 with cemiplimab demonstrated broad, durable activity across all 6 phase 1b expansion cohorts in pts with ≥2 prior lines of therapy and secondary anti-PD-1 resistance, or MSS-CRC. Translational analyses suggest that GRWD5769 exerts a dual mechanism of action, both reprogramming antigen-experienced T cells and inducing de novo T cell responses, in keeping with its potential to address both primary and secondary resistance to anti-PD-1 therapy. Based on the efficacy and tolerability of the combination, stage 2 cohort expansions are now ongoing, to inform a randomized Phase 2 study. Clinical trial information: NCT06923761 . Summary of expansion cohort efficacy by iRECIST. Dosed n Evaluable* n ORR%confirmed ORR%unconfirmed DCB % PFS m NSCLC 14 14 14 21 54 7.5 UC 14 12 25 33 44 2.1 HCC 15 14 14 14 32 3.9 MSS-CRC 12 7 29 29 57 2.1 SCCHN 11 7 14 14 26 3.7 Cervix 15 10 10 10 - 1.9 Data snapshot Jan 26, update for presentation. *≥1 scan or PD or death before 1st scan.
Authors
- Javier García-Corbacho
- Iphigénie Korakis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2112-5932)
- Kaïssa Ouali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8269-3001)
- Philippe A. Cassier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3857-1688)
- Thomas Lillie
- Varun Jain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4243-2925)
- Christian H. Ottensmeier (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3619-1657)
- Natalie Hyland
- Eduardo Castañón Álvarez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2957-4414)
- Thibault de la Motte Rouge
- Fiona Thistlethwaite
- Tatiana Hernandez Guerrero
- Tanya Palmer
- Jia Liu
- Ruth Plummer
- Emiliano Calvo
- Victor Moreno
- Stefan N. Symeonides
- Cheryl McAlpine
- Desamparados Roda
Institutions
- Mater Health Services (AU)
- Universitat de València (ES)
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Institut Gustave Roussy (FR)
- Freeman Hospital (GB)
- Edinburgh Cancer Research (GB)
- Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Sir Bobby Robson Foundation (GB)
- Centre Léon Bérard (FR)
- Centre Eugène Marquis (FR)
- Institut Claudius Regaud (FR)
- Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz (ES)
- Mater Private Hospital (AU)
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust (GB)
- Clinica Universidad de Navarra (ES)
- Hospital Universitario HM Sanchinarro (ES)
- Delfos Hospital (ES)
- The Kinghorn Cancer Centre (AU)
- Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Victoria (ES)
- INCLIVA Health Research Institute (ES)
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (ES)
- Mater Adult Hospital (AU)
- Newcastle University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Clinical Oncology
- Published
- 2026-05-27
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.2500
- Primary Topic
- Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00