MaaT Pharma, a clinical-stage biotechnology company specializing in Microbiome Ecosystem Therapies™ (MET), has unveiled promising preclinical data for its next-generation microbiome therapy MaaT034 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
The data presented demonstrates MaaT034's potential to enhance patient responses to immunotherapies, particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors, offering new hope for improving cancer treatment outcomes.
Key Preclinical Findings
Studies conducted in germ-free mice showed that MaaT034 successfully colonizes the gastrointestinal tract, ensuring the long-term presence of beneficial bacteria in the gut environment. More significantly, the therapy was found to potentiate anti-tumor effects when used in combination with anti-PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors.
The research also revealed that MaaT034 leads to the production of key microbial-derived metabolites in the test subjects, including Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA), secondary bile acids, and tryptophan derivatives. These metabolites are known to promote gut barrier restoration and modulate immune responses.
"These positive data in tumor-bearing mice demonstrate the significant potential of MaaT034 as a microbiome ecosystem therapy candidate and provide a robust basis for the progression of this therapy into clinical development for solid tumors," said Gianfranco Pittari, MD PhD, Chief Medical Officer at MaaT Pharma.
Advancing Microbiome-Based Cancer Therapies
MaaT034 represents a significant advancement in the company's therapeutic pipeline as the first candidate from its proprietary MET-C platform. Unlike earlier therapies, MaaT034 is developed using a co-culturing technology optimized for large-scale production, eliminating the need for donors.
Hervé Affagard, CEO and co-founder of MaaT Pharma, highlighted the strategic importance of this development: "While the PICASSO trial builds on MaaT013's established safety and efficacy to potentially unlock significant new market opportunities in oncology, our next-generation candidate, MaaT034, is designed with an optimized microbiome composition that incorporates defined and reproducible immunomodulatory properties, offering enhanced therapeutic potential across a broader range of oncology indications."
Mechanism of Action
The therapeutic mechanism of MaaT034 centers on enhancing gut barrier repair and modulating immune responses. By improving gastrointestinal physiological functions, the therapy is expected to complement the action of immunotherapeutic agents, potentially improving their efficacy in treating solid tumors.
This approach represents a novel strategy in cancer treatment, leveraging the growing understanding of the gut microbiome's role in immune system function and response to therapy.
Company Pipeline and Future Directions
MaaT Pharma is simultaneously developing donor-derived microbiome therapies, including MaaT013, which has been tested in patients with acute Graft-versus-Host Disease (aGvHD) and advanced melanoma receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors in the PICASSO trial.
The company plans to further evaluate MaaT034's potential benefits in upcoming research phases, with the goal of advancing the therapy into clinical development for solid tumors. MaaT Pharma has also announced participation in several upcoming conferences, including the Bio International Convention in Boston and the European Hematology Association Congress in Milan, where they will likely share further developments in their microbiome-based therapeutic approach.
As a pioneer in microbiome-driven immunomodulators for oncology, MaaT Pharma continues to lead the development of innovative therapies aimed at extending the lives of cancer patients through immune modulation.
