About this episode
Agenus Chief Medical Officer Dr. Steven O'Day joined Fierce's Chris Hayden on a recent sponsored episode of The Top Line podcast to discuss the evolving landscape of cancer immunotherapy. O'Day, a medical oncologist with 30 years of experience, explained the fundamental differences between immunotherapy and traditional cancer treatments like chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. He emphasized immunotherapy's potential for durable responses and even cures by activating the body's own T-cells to fight cancer. The conversation addressed the challenges of treating "cold" tumors, such as colorectal cancer, which are less visible to the immune system. O'Day highlighted Agenus's pipeline of antibodies, botensilimab (BOT) and balstilimab (BAL), designed to trigger T-cell recognition of these colder cancers. O'Day expressed his excitement about a potential "2.0 revolution" of immuno-oncology, expanding the benefits of immunotherapy to a wider range of cancers. He described BOT and BAL as a "one-two punch," with BOT priming T-cells and BAL preventing their exhaustion. Listen to the full conversation on the latest episode of The Top Line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.