Agenus (AGEN) Presents New Phase 1b Clinical Data on BOT/BAL Combination for MSS mCRC

Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN) is one of the most undervalued penny stocks to buy right now. On February 19, Agenus presented new translational and clinical biomarker data from its Phase 1b C-800-01 trial, focusing on the combination of botensilimab/BOT and balstilimab/BAL. The study highlighted the therapy’s effectiveness in immunologically cold tumors, such as microsatellite-stable metastatic colorectal cancer/MSS mCRC, which typically resist standard immunotherapies.

In a group of 341 evaluable patients, the combination achieved an objective response rate of 17% and a median overall survival of 17.2 months, with a 24-month survival rate of 38%. The research introduced a biologically grounded approach to patient stratification by balancing systemic inflammation markers in the blood against immune activity within the tumor microenvironment.

Findings indicated that while high systemic inflammation correlates with poorer outcomes, BOT+BAL can provide clinical benefits even in patients with low levels of immune infiltration that would normally disqualify them from conventional checkpoint inhibitor treatment. This suggests that the Fc-enhanced mechanism of botensilimab lowers the necessary threshold of baseline immunity required for a successful clinical response. Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN) continues to develop its pipeline of immunological agents, using these findings to expand the population of patients who can benefit from next-gen cancer immunotherapies.

Agenus Inc. (NASDAQ:AGEN) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that discovers and develops therapies to activate the body’s immune system against cancer and infections internationally.

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