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Plymouth Meeting Today
By the People, for the People
INOVIO and Akeso Announce Clinical Collaboration for Novel Glioblastoma Therapy
Combination of INOVIO's INO-5412 and Akeso's cadonilimab to be studied in Phase 2 INSIGhT trial
Published on Mar. 4, 2026
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INOVIO and Akeso have entered a clinical trial collaboration to evaluate INO-5412, INOVIO's DNA immunotherapy, in combination with cadonilimab, Akeso's first-in-class PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody, for the potential treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). The combination therapy will be studied as part of the INSIGhT Phase 2 adaptive platform trial sponsored by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, with dosing expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
Why it matters
GBM is the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer, with a poor prognosis and few effective treatments. Combining INOVIO's targeted DNA immunotherapy with Akeso's novel checkpoint inhibitor has the potential to overcome the challenges of immune checkpoint therapy alone by stimulating an immune response against tumor antigens and driving T cell infiltration into the GBM tumor microenvironment.
The details
INO-5412 is composed of INO-5401 and T cell immune activator INO-9012. When combined with a checkpoint blockade, this targeted DNA immunotherapy has the potential to stimulate an immune response against tumor antigens and drive T cell infiltration. Cadonilimab is Akeso's first-in-class PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody that has received marketing approval in China for several indications, demonstrating effectiveness irrespective of PD-L1 expression status.
- Dosing in the combination therapy trial is expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
The players
INOVIO
An American biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing DNA medicines to help treat and protect people from HPV-related diseases, cancer, and infectious diseases.
Akeso, Inc.
A leading biopharmaceutical company committed to the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of innovative biological medicines, including the first-in-class PD-1/CTLA-4 bispecific antibody cadonilimab.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
A comprehensive cancer center and a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, sponsoring the INSIGhT Phase 2 adaptive platform trial.
Dr. David Reardon
Director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a professor at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Michael Sumner
INOVIO's Chief Medical Officer.
Yu (Michelle) Xia, PhD
Founder, chairwoman, president, and Chief Executive Officer of Akeso.
What they’re saying
“The INSIGhT trial was designed to help quickly advance cutting-edge treatments for GBM, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer for which there are few effective treatments currently available or in development. We are excited to include INOVIO and Akeso's novel combination immunotherapy in the trial and welcome their efforts to help improve potential outcomes for patients.”
— Dr. David Reardon, Director of the Center for Neuro-Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a professor at Harvard Medical School
“This collaboration is an important step forward for our cancer immunotherapy research and we are delighted to partner with two trailblazing organizations to advance this promising candidate in our late-stage clinical pipeline. Combining INO-5412 with Akeso's novel checkpoint modality represents an important evolution of our research in GBM, builds on our previous data showing the potential to improve patient outcomes and highlights our ongoing commitment to advancing innovative treatments for diseases with significant unmet need.”
— Dr. Michael Sumner, INOVIO's Chief Medical Officer
“We are truly excited to collaborate with INOVIO for the treatment of GBM. We are advancing cadonilimab worldwide through Akeso's 'in-house innovation + global partnership' strategy to realize its breakthrough clinical benefits for patients all around the world across multiple cancer types. By collaborating with INOVIO, we aim to harness the benefit of combining INOVIO's DNA medicine with cadonilimab's dual checkpoint inhibition for the treatment of GBM, a particularly challenging central nervous system malignancy. We also look forward to working with one of the world's leading cancer centers in the clinical development of the new cadonilimab and INO-5412 combination treatment for GBM.”
— Yu (Michelle) Xia, PhD, Founder, chairwoman, president, and Chief Executive Officer of Akeso
What’s next
Dosing in the combination therapy trial is expected to begin in the second half of 2026.
The takeaway
This collaboration between INOVIO and Akeso represents an important advancement in the treatment of glioblastoma, a devastating form of brain cancer with limited effective therapies. By combining INOVIO's targeted DNA immunotherapy with Akeso's novel checkpoint inhibitor, the partners aim to harness the potential of dual checkpoint blockade to stimulate a robust immune response and improve outcomes for GBM patients.
