In recent years, advancements in cancer treatment have highlighted the crucial role of understanding the tumor microenvironment (TME) and its immune responses. Ionpath’s Multiplexed Ion Beam Imaging (MIBI™) technology has been pivotal in a groundbreaking Phase 1 clinical trial that demonstrates the significant impact of RBN-2397, a novel inhibitor of PARP7. This enzyme is overexpressed or amplified in certain cancers in response to cancer-induced stress and inhibits antitumor immunity.

The study highlights RBN-2397 as a promising candidate for cancer immunotherapy. Leveraging Ionpath’s MIBI™ technology, researchers gained valuable insights into the drug’s ability to enhance immune responses within the TME, paving the way for improved cancer treatment strategies and better patient outcomes. MIBI™ technology was crucial in enabling simultaneous detection of multiple immune cell types, quantifying immune cell changes between baseline and treatment, and providing high-resolution images to visualize immune cell positions relative to tumor cells.

Key Findings

The study provided valuable insights into the effects of RBN-2397 on immune responses within the TME:

• Enhanced Immune Cell Presence: Post-treatment analysis revealed substantial increases in CD8+ T cells, M1 macrophages, and monocytes in tumor regions, all of which play critical roles in attacking cancer cells.
• Increased Checkpoint Proteins: A notable rise in the expression of several checkpoint proteins essential for the immune system’s ability to recognize and destroy tumor cells was observed.
• Improved Spatial Context: High-resolution imaging provided by MIBI™ revealed precise localization patterns of immune cells within tumor tissues, offering deeper insights into immune-cancer cell interactions.