On July 17, 2026, Agenus announced that three abstracts from investigator-sponsored trials evaluating botensilimab plus balstilimab, known as BOT+BAL, had been accepted for poster presentation at ESMO Congress 2026.
The studies span three clinical settings: neoadjuvant mismatch repair-deficient colorectal cancer, refractory microsatellite-stable/mismatch repair-proficient metastatic colorectal cancer, and advanced sarcoma.
The presentations will take place during ESMO Congress 2026, scheduled for October 23–27, 2026, in Madrid, Spain.
Understanding BOT/BAL
Botensilimab is a human Fc-enhanced, multifunctional anti-CTLA-4 antibody designed to boost innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses. Botensilimab primes and activates T cells, downregulates intratumoral regulatory T cells, activates myeloid cells, and induces long-term memory responses.
Balstilimab is a fully human immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) monoclonal antibody designed to block programmed cell death protein 1 from interacting with its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2.
Approximately 1,300 patients have been treated with botensilimab and/or balstilimab in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials. Balstilimab has been evaluated in more than 900 patients.
BOT/BAL in Colorectal Cancer
Two of the three accepted abstracts will focus on colorectal cancer, examining BOT+BAL in the neoadjuvant and refractory metastatic settings.
One presentation will provide updated findings from the NEOASIS study in patients with dMMR colorectal cancer receiving the combination before surgery. The second will report real-world experience with BOT+BAL in heavily pretreated patients with refractory MSS/pMMR metastatic colorectal cancer.
NEOASIS: Neoadjuvant BOT/BAL in dMMR Colorectal Cancer
The first colorectal cancer presentation will report updated results from the NEOASIS study.
NEOASIS, registered as NCT06279130, is an adaptive, single-center, open-label, pan-cancer basket study evaluating botensilimab and balstilimab in patients with resectable dMMR and pMMR solid tumors of various origins.
Patients are enrolled into baskets according to tumor type and mismatch repair status and receive two cycles of immunotherapy followed by surgery.
The ESMO presentation will focus on the study’s neoadjuvant dMMR colorectal cancer cohort.
Agenus noted that the dMMR population evaluated in NEOASIS is biologically distinct from the MSS/pMMR population planned for ROBBIN. However, the study contributes to the broader clinical rationale for evaluating BOT+BAL before surgery and moving immunotherapy into earlier stages of colon cancer treatment.
The abstract is titled “Neoadjuvant botensilimab plus balstilimab in MMR deficient colorectal cancer: results from the NEOASIS study.”
Emma Van Den Berg, MD, from the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the Netherlands Cancer Institute–Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital in Amsterdam, will present the findings.
The presentation has been assigned poster number 837P and will take place during the colon cancer session on Sunday, October 25, 2026, from 12:00 to 12:45 CET.
Read more about Inside the ROBBIN Phase 3 Strategy on OncoDaily.
Multicenter AGEO Study in Refractory MSS/pMMR mCRC
The second colorectal cancer presentation will report real-world findings from a multicenter AGEO study of BOT+BAL in heavily pretreated patients with refractory pMMR/MSS metastatic colorectal cancer.
The abstract is titled “Botensilimab and balstilimab in refractory pMMR/MSS metastatic colorectal cancer: real-world data from a multicenter AGEO study.”
Louis Piton, MD, from Paris-Cité University, the Department of Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology at Georges Pompidou European Hospital, and SIRIC CARPEM in Paris, France, will present the study.
The presentation has been assigned ePoster abstract number 905eP and will be included in the colon cancer session. The announcement did not provide a specific presentation date or time.
BOT/BAL in Advanced Sarcoma
The third presentation will report real-world data from an investigator-led Spanish expanded-access program evaluating BOT+BAL in heavily pretreated patients with advanced sarcoma.
The abstract is titled “Botensilimab plus balstilimab in advanced sarcoma: real-world data from a Spanish expanded access program.”
Carlos López-Jiménez, MD, PhD, from Fundación Jiménez Díaz University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, will present the study.
The presentation has been assigned poster number 3771P and will take place during the sarcoma session on Monday, October 26, 2026, from 12:00 to 12:45 CET.
Looking Ahead to ESMO 2026
The July 17 announcement confirmed the acceptance of three BOT+BAL presentations at ESMO Congress 2026. The NEOASIS poster will present updated data from a neoadjuvant dMMR colorectal cancer cohort. The AGEO and Spanish expanded-access studies will extend the body of independent clinical experience with BOT+BAL in heavily pretreated patients.
The findings are scheduled to be presented at ESMO Congress 2026 in Madrid.
The full announcement is available on the official Agenus website.
Read more about A New Hope Emerging in Colorectal Cancer with BOT/BAL Immunotherapy on OncoDaily.
