Lyc-55716: A novel small-molecule RORγ agonist immuno-oncology agent: Rationale for tumor selection and clinical evaluation of gastric and esophageal carcinoma in phase 2a expansion.

67Background: Type 17 effector T cell differentiation and function are regulated by the master transcription factor retinoic acid receptor–related orphan receptor γt (RORγ). Synthetic RORγ agonists, which modulate immune cell gene expression to enhance effector functions and decrease Treg and checkpoint pathways, have shown promise as mono- and combination therapy in syngeneic tumor models. Translational and bioinformatics assessments were performed during Phase 1 testing of the investigational RORγ agonist LYC-55716 to support inclusion of patients with gastric carcinoma (GC) and esophageal carcinoma (EC) in a Phase 2a expansion of clinical trial LYC-55716-1001 (NCT02929862). Methods: Transcriptional profiling of murine and human T cells treated ± RORγ agonists identified a gene signature. Using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and other public datasets, data on GC and EC patients were evaluated to determine: (a) RORγ and RORγ-inducing cytokine expression; (b) signature genes associated with RORγ biology,...