Dispatch Bio has administered the first dose of DISP‑10 in a Phase I, first‑in‑human trial for advanced gastrointestinal cancers. The multi‑centre, open‑label study will evaluate tolerability, dose‑limiting toxicity and early signs of efficacy in adults with colorectal, gastric, oesophageal and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas. DISP‑10 pairs an engineered viral vector (DV‑10) that delivers a modified BCMA plus IL‑18 and CXCL9 with Bristol Myers Squibb’s ide‑cel CAR‑T therapy. The program has received FDA Fast Track designation as Dispatch Bio pursues new approaches to treating solid tumours.
Dispatch Bio Doses First Patient in First‑in‑Human Phase I Trial of DISP‑10 for Advanced GI Cancers
The trial targets adults with advanced GI cancers. Credit: mi_viri / Shutterstock.com.
Dispatch Bio has dosed the first participant in a first‑in‑human Phase I trial of DISP‑10, an investigational immunotherapy being evaluated for advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The multi‑centre, open‑label study will assess tolerability, dose‑limiting toxicity and early signs of clinical activity in adults with colorectal, gastric, oesophageal and gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas.
Per the trial protocol, the initial participant has completed the dose‑limiting toxicity (DLT) assessment. Additional participants will be enrolled and evaluated according to the study schedule to further characterize safety and preliminary efficacy.
What DISP‑10 Is
DISP‑10 is a two‑component immunotherapy approach:
- DV‑10: an engineered viral vector designed to deliver a modified B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) together with immunostimulatory payloads — Interleukin‑18 (IL‑18) and C‑X‑C motif chemokine ligand 9 (CXCL9) — intended to reprogram tumour cells and enhance local T cell recruitment and activity.
- ide‑cel: Bristol Myers Squibb's idecabtagene vicleucel (ide‑cel), a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T‑cell therapy that is approved in the US for certain hematologic indications (e.g., multiple myeloma) but is not authorised for solid tumours.
By combining a tumour‑reprogramming viral vector with CAR‑T cells, Dispatch Bio aims to overcome key barriers in solid‑tumour immunotherapy, including heterogeneous antigen expression, a suppressive tumour microenvironment and a narrow therapeutic window.
Mauro Avanzi, Chief Medical Officer at Dispatch Bio, said: "Initiating this trial represents a meaningful step forward for patients with advanced GI cancers, reinforced by the FDA's Fast Track designation for DISP‑10. We look forward to advancing this study as we work to overcome the longstanding limitations of treating solid tumours with immunotherapy, including lack of a safe and homogeneously expressed target antigen, a narrow therapeutic window, and an inhibitory tumour microenvironment."
DISP‑10 has been granted Fast Track designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of advanced gastrointestinal cancers, a designation intended to expedite development and review of therapies that address unmet medical needs.
Dispatch Bio highlights the urgency in this area: colorectal cancer remains a leading cause of cancer death in people under 50, underscoring the need for new therapeutic strategies for advanced GI malignancies.
Trial status: Ongoing. The study will continue to enroll and monitor participants to define safety, tolerability and early efficacy signals for DISP‑10.
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