Dr Ma on the Rationale and Design of an Evaluation of KB707 in Advanced NSCLC

“Instead of using intravenous [administration, KB707] is inhaled, similar to asthma and a nebulizer…. By delivering [KB707] into the lung, we can avoid a lot of AEs seen with [intravenous] treatment.”

Wen Wee Ma, MBBS, a medical oncologist, director of the Novel Cancer Therapeutics Center, and the enterprise vice chair of research at Cleveland Clinic, discussed the novel herpes simplex virus (HSV)–based immunotherapy KB707 and what the treatment could provide for patients. Additionally, Ma discussed the rationale behind a phase 1/2 study (NCT06228326) that evaluated KB707 in combination with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), data from which were presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Data from the trial showed that evaluable patients in the combination cohort (n = 16) achieved an overall response rate of 31.3%, with 5, 7, and 4 patients experiencing partial responses, stable disease, and progressive disease, respectively. Notably, among safety-evaluable patients who received the combination (n = 21), 1 instance of grade 1 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was observed, and 66.7% of patients experienced at least 1 treatment-related adverse effect (TRAE).

Ma began by detailing how KB707 is a HSV-based treatment, which is designed to deliver interleukin (IL)–2 and IL-12 to patients with advanced NSCLC. However, certain AEs like CRS can arise when administering IL-2 and IL-12 intravenously, he elaborated. The increased risk of CRS with the systemic administration of IL-2 and IL-12 makes these therapies difficult to give patients, Ma said. He then underscored how KB707 offers inhaled delivery of IL-2 and IL-12. Similar to a nebulizer that is often used for patients with asthma, patients can simply breathe in KB707, Ma explained. Through the inhaled delivery of IL-2 and IL-12 that KB707 offers, patients with advance NSCLC may avoid many of the AEs associated with intravenously administered IL-2 and IL-12, he concluded.