ASP-1929 + cemiplimab

**ASP-1929 + cemiplimab** is an experimental combination therapy consisting of ASP-1929, an antibody-drug conjugate of cetuximab (an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody) conjugated to the near-infrared activatable dye IRDye 700DX, and cemiplimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting PD-1. ASP-1929 binds to EGFR-expressing tumor cells and, upon local illumination with 690 nm red light, induces selective tumor cell necrosis via photochemical reaction. Cemiplimab acts as an immune checkpoint inhibitor blocking PD-1, thereby enhancing T-cell-mediated immune responses against cancer cells. The combination aims to harness synergistic anti-tumor effects by both direct cell killing and immune activation. This combination is being investigated primarily in recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, but the use of cemiplimab instead of pembrolizumab remains preclinical or early clinical, as the most advanced clinical combinations have primarily involved pembrolizumab.