Research by top universities together with Oncopeptides on NK cell engagers to be presented at ASH
Oncopeptides today announces that a collaborative study within the Eurostars funded project NKENGAGE has been accepted as a poster and will be presented at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, taking place in San Diego, California, between December 6–9, 2025.
The study, entitled “Ex vivo Expanded Adaptive NK Cells in Combination with a Bispecific NK Cell Engager Targeting BCMA for Synergistic Control of Multiple Myeloma,” explores an innovative approach to harness natural killer (NK) cells for the treatment of multiple myeloma. The research, led by Oslo University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Turku based CRO Pharmatest Services, together with Oncopeptides, evaluates the combination of an optimized affibody-derived bispecific NK cell engager targeting CD16a on NK cells and BCMA on multiple myeloma cells, together with ADAPT-NK, an off-the-shelf adaptive NK cell product.
In preclinical models, the combination demonstrated synergistic anti-myeloma activity, efficient tumor cell lysis, and reduced cytokine release compared to existing T-cell-based strategies, supporting the potential of this new modality as a novel immunotherapeutic approach for relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
“These results illustrate the significant potential of NK cell–based immunotherapies to overcome some of the challenges associated with current T cell–directed approaches,” says Prof. Karl-Johan Malmberg, Department of Cancer Immunology, Oslo University Hospital. “By combining adaptive NK cells with a bispecific NK cell engager, we demonstrate how innate immune mechanisms can be harnessed to achieve effective and well-tolerated anti-tumor responses in multiple myeloma.”
Oncopeptides is advancing a new generation of NK cell-based immunotherapies through its proprietary SPiKE platform (Small Polypeptide-based innate Killer Engagers). The platform is designed to redirect NK cells toward cancer cells with high precision, aiming to deliver potent anti-tumor activity while minimizing the toxicities often associated with T-cell directed therapies.
“We are proud to see our collaboration within the NKENGAGE consortium recognized at ASH,” says Stefan Norin, Chief Medical Officer at Oncopeptides. “These findings highlight the potential of combining affibody-derived NK cell engagers with allogeneic NK cells to address the unmet needs in multiple myeloma and further expand Oncopeptides’ expertise beyond peptide–drug conjugates.”
ASH is the world’s largest professional society dedicated to hematologic research and clinical practice, attracting over 25,000 attendees annually.
The abstract including key data has been published and is available through this link.
Title
Ex vivo Expanded Adaptive NK Cells in Combination with a Bispecific NK Cell Engager Targeting BCMA for Synergistic Control of Multiple Myeloma
Authors
Thorstein Boxaspen et al.
Publication Number
abs25-6133
Program
Oral and Poster Abstracts
Time
Saturday, December 6, 05:30 PM – 07:30 PM EST
Session
Presentation id: 2354
Session: 703. Cellular Immunotherapies other than CAR-T Cells: Basic and Translational: Poster I
Questions and answers for investors
What is this?
A collaborative preclinical study within the Eurostars-funded NKENGAGE project has been accepted as a poster at the ASH 2025 Annual Meeting.
What is being presented?
Data evaluating a bispecific NK cell engager targeting BCMA in combination with allogeneic adaptive NK cells (ADAPT-NK), demonstrating synergistic anti-myeloma activity in preclinical models.
Why is this significant?
NK-cell immunotherapy represents an emerging field with potential benefits over T-cell-based approaches, including reduced risk of cytokine-related toxicities. This research highlights the potential for novel NK-based strategies in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.
How is Oncopeptides involved?
The work is part of the Eurostars NKENGAGE consortium. Oncopeptides contributes scientific leadership and its proprietary SPiKE platform technology to advance NK-cell engager therapeutics.
Does this affect Oncopeptides’ commercial product Pepaxti?
No. This work is preclinical and part of Oncopeptides’ broader pipeline strategy beyond PDCs and Pepaxti commercialization.
Is this clinical data?
No, these are preclinical results.
What are the next steps?
Continued preclinical development and preparations for potential advancement toward clinical evaluation.