NetScientific's portfolio company, PDS Biotechnology, has announced updated interim data from the VERSATILE-002 Phase 2 clinical trial. The trial is evaluating PDS0101 in combination with Merck's anti-PD-1 therapy, KEYTRUDA, in patients with unresectable, recurrent, or metastatic HPV16-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The data showed a 24-month overall survival rate of 74% in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) naïve patients, compared to a published rate of less than 30% for approved ICIs. The 12-month overall survival rate was 56% in ICI refractory patients, compared to a published rate of 17% with no salvage chemotherapy following tumor progression on ICI. The combination treatment was well tolerated with no patients experiencing Grade 4 or 5 adverse events. PDS Biotechnology received feedback from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its amended Investigational New Drug (IND) application, allowing the initiation of the VERSATILE-003 Phase 3 trial in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Phase 3 trial will investigate the efficacy and safety of PDS0101 combined with KEYTRUDA compared to KEYTRUDA monotherapy in ICI-naïve patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV16-positive HNSCC.