Phase I Study of Monoclonal Antibondy (GS) 5745, an Matix Metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) Mab Inhibitor, in Combination With Bevacizumab in Patients With Recurrent Glioblastoma

Despite surgery and first-line standard of care which consist of radiotherapy with concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide, all patients with glioblastoma (GB) will experience relapse. At the time of recurrence, therapeutic options include surgery or reirradiation in selected cases, while in other cases, bevacizumab, approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) but not European Medicines Agency (EMA), is the preferred option worldwide. Primary and acquired resistance to bevacizumab has been explored without definitive finding. Biomarkers able to predict response to antiangiogenic agents and particularly to bevacizumab are an unmet medical need. We have showed that a low Matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) or a high Matrix metallopeptidase 2 (MMP2) baseline plasma levels were associated with a high response rate and a prolonged Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in recurrent GB patients treated with bevacizumab but not with cytotoxic chemotherapy. We also observed that MMP9 plasma level decreased during bevacizumab treatment and tend to increase at progression. Finally, in a retrospective analysis performed in the Avaglio trial (a randomized phase III trial that tested bevacizumab versus placebo in addition to standard of care in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma), a low plasma level of MMP9 at baseline predicted consistently PFS and OS gain associated to bevacizumab. These results are consistent with the role of MMP9 in vasculogenesis, since MMP9 contribute to the recruitment of circulating endothelial and myeloid precursors, an alternative vascularization process which is in part independent of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. Monoclonal Antibody (GS) 5745 is specifically directed against MMP9. First in human phase I study has been completed. Development is ongoing. Our results strongly support a role for MMP9 in the primary or acquired resistance to bevacizumab. Therefore, we hypothesize that the Monoclonal An