Jounce Therapeutics to Present New Data on a Potential Predictive Biomarker from the Vopratelimab ICONIC Trial at the 2020 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium Annual Meeting

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. JNCE, a clinical-stage company focused on the discovery and development of novel cancer immunotherapies and predictive biomarkers, today announced that new data from the vopratelimab ICONIC trial, on the association of a predictive RNA signature with the emergence of ICOS hi CD4 T cells and clinical outcomes, will be presented at a poster session at the 2020 ASCO-SITC Clinical Immuno-Oncology Symposium Annual Meeting, being held February 6-8, 2020 in Orlando, Florida.

"We are pleased to present the new data that led to our selection of a predictive biomarker for our next vopratelimab trial. We believe patient selection strategies to identify patients more likely to respond to immuno-oncology therapies may better address unmet medical needs," said Elizabeth Trehu, M.D., chief medical officer of Jounce Therapeutics. "The potential predictive biomarker that we will present at ASCO-SITC is an RNA signature. In 2020, we plan to initiate the new Phase 2 predictive biomarker trial, which will study vopratelimab in combination with our investigational PD-1 inhibitor, JTX-4014, in RNA signature selected patients."

About Vopratelimab 
Jounce's lead product candidate, vopratelimab (formerly JTX-2011), is a clinical-stage monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, the Inducible T cell CO-Stimulator, a protein on the surface of certain T cells commonly found in many solid tumors. Vopratelimab is currently being assessed in the Phase 2 EMERGE clinical trial in sequence with ipilimumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or urothelial cancer who were previously treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapies. Jounce is also planning to initiate a new predictive biomarker trial of vopratelimab with its investigational PD-1 inhibitor, JTX-4014, in RNA signature selected patients. Vopratelimab was previously assessed in the Phase 1/2 ICONIC trial and was found to be safe and well-tolerated, alone and in combination with each of the anti-PD-1 antibodies nivolumab and pembrolizumab, as well as with ipilimumab, an antibody that binds to CTLA-4. Jounce has previously presented data demonstrating the emergence of ICOS hi CD4 T cells in the peripheral blood in patients treated with vopratelimab alone or in combination with nivolumab, and has further shown that emergence of these cells, which is related to vopratelimab and not PD-1 inhibitors, is associated with improved response rate, progression free survival, and overall survival.

About Jounce Therapeutics
Jounce Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage immunotherapy company dedicated to transforming the treatment of cancer by developing therapies that enable the immune system to attack tumors and provide long-lasting benefits to patients through a biomarker-driven approach. Through the use of its Translational Science Platform, Jounce first focuses on specific cell types within the human tumor microenvironment to prioritize targets, and then identifies related biomarkers designed to match the right immunotherapy to the right patient. Jounce is developing two clinical-stage programs, vopratelimab, a monoclonal antibody that binds to and activates ICOS, and JTX-4014, a PD-1 inhibitor intended for potential combination use with Jounce's broader pipeline. Vopratelimab is currently being assessed in a Phase 2 clinical trial and JTX-4014 Phase 1 data were reported in November 2019 with additional studies planned. Jounce is also advancing and building out its broad and wholly-owned discovery pipeline of immuno-oncology targets, including those expressed on T-regulatory cells, macrophages and stromal cells. In addition, Jounce has exclusively licensed worldwide rights to JTX-8064, a LILRB2 receptor antagonist, to Celgene, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. For more information, please visit www.jouncetx.com.

Investor Contact:
Komal Joshi
Jounce Therapeutics, Inc.
(857) 320-2523
kjoshi@jouncetx.com

Media Contact:
Kathryn Morris
The Yates Network
914-204-6412
kathryn@theyatesnetwork.com