I-Mab announced that the first patient had been dosed in its China phase 2 study (NCT05145907) of efineptakin alfa (also known as TJ107) in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) in patients with advanced solid tumors. The study will follow a "basket" trial design to include selected tumor types, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN). Efineptakin alfa, the world's first and only long-acting recombinant human interleukin-7 (rhIL-7) developed as a T lymphocyte-booster for cancer-related immunotherapy, has distinct advantages over other cytokines such as human IL-2. Efineptakin alfa combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-(L)1 therapies, has a synergistic effect as it increases the number of circulating anti-tumor T cells for tumor suppression.

It has been tested as monotherapy and in combination with checkpoint inhibitors to treat advanced solid tumors in the U.S., South Korea and China, with encouraging clinical results.