Fate Therapeutics Announces Presentations at the 2020 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting – GlobeNewswire

October 15, 2020 08:00 ET | Source: Fate Therapeutics, Inc.

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FateTherapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders, today announced that five abstracts for the Companys induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform were accepted for presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) annual meeting being held virtually from November 9-14, 2020.

Accepted abstracts include clinical data from 15 patients in the dose-escalation stage of the Companys Phase 1 clinical trial of FT500 in advanced solid tumors (NCT03841110), which includes nine patients in Regimen A (three once-weekly doses of FT500 for up to two 30-day cycles as monotherapy) and six patients in Regimen B (three once-weekly doses of FT500 for up to two 30-day cycles in combination with checkpoint inhibitor therapy). The Company is currently enrolling the dose-expansion stage of the Phase 1 clinical trial for patients with non-small cell lung cancer or classical Hodgkin lymphoma who are refractory to, or have relapsed on, checkpoint inhibitor therapy. Each patient in the dose-expansion stage is to receive three once-weekly doses of FT500 at 300 million cells per dose, each with IL-2 cytokine support, for up to two 30-day cycles in combination with the same checkpoint inhibitor on which the patient failed or relapsed.

Oral Presentation

Poster Presentations

All abstracts are scheduled to be available on the SITC website on November 9, 2020.

About Fate Therapeutics iPSC Product Platform The Companys proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform enables mass production of off-the-shelf, engineered, homogeneous cell products that can be administered with multiple doses to deliver more effective pharmacologic activity, including in combination with other cancer treatments. Human iPSCs possess the unique dual properties of unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential into all cell types of the body. The Companys first-of-kind approach involves engineering human iPSCs in a one-time genetic modification event and selecting a single engineered iPSC for maintenance as a clonal master iPSC line. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, clonal master iPSC lines are a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf for patient treatment. As a result, the Companys platform is uniquely capable of overcoming numerous limitations associated with the production of cell therapies using patient- or donor-sourced cells, which is logistically complex and expensive and is subject to batch-to-batch and cell-to-cell variability that can affect clinical safety and efficacy. Fate Therapeutics iPSC product platform is supported by an intellectual property portfolio of over 300 issued patents and 150 pending patent applications.

About FT500 FT500 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line. The product candidate is being investigated in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors (NCT03841110). The study is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of FT500 as a monotherapy and in combination with one of three FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab in patients that have failed prior ICI therapy. Despite the clinical benefit conferred by approved ICI therapy against a variety of tumor types, these therapies are not curative and, in most cases, patients either fail to respond or their disease progresses on these agents. One common mechanism of resistance to ICI therapy is associated with loss-of-function mutations in genes critical for antigen presentation. A potential strategy to overcome resistance is through the administration of allogeneic NK cells, which have the inherent capability to recognize and directly kill tumor cells with these mutations.

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc. Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Companys immuno-oncology product candidates include natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell cancer immunotherapies, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The Companys immuno-regulatory product candidates include ProTmune, a pharmacologically modulated, donor cell graft that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease, and a myeloid-derived suppressor cell immunotherapy for promoting immune tolerance in patients with immune disorders. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding the advancement of, plans related to, and the therapeutic potential of the Company's product candidates, the Companys clinical development strategy and plans for the clinical investigation of its product candidates, and the Companys preclinical research and development programs. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk of difficulties or delay in the initiation of any planned clinical studies, or in the enrollment or evaluation of subjects in any future clinical studies, the risk that the Company may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development of any of its product candidates for a variety of reasons (including requirements that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on the initiation or conduct of clinical trials or to support regulatory approval, difficulties in manufacturing or supplying the Companys product candidates for clinical testing, and any adverse events or other negative results that may be observed during preclinical or clinical development), the risk that results observed in preclinical studies of the Companys product candidates may not be replicated in ongoing or future clinical trials or studies, and the risk that the Companys product candidates may not produce therapeutic benefits or may cause other unanticipated adverse effects. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Companys actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Companys most recently filed periodic report, and from time to time in the Companys press releases and other investor communications.Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Fate Therapeutics Announces Presentations at the 2020 Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting - GlobeNewswire

Global Stem Cell Therapy Market 2020: Trends, and Opportunity Analysis, Top Manufacturers And Forecast to 2027 – PRnews Leader

Reportspedia has recently come up with a new market research report titled, Stem Cell Therapy Market. This statistical market study compromises an extensive understanding of the present-day and impending stages of the industry market based on factors such as major research skills, management schemes, drivers, restraints, opportunities, challenges, and visions include the subdivisions in the industries and regional distribution. Besides, this report emphasizes the latest events such as technological developments and product launches and their consequences on the Market. The research report delivers the global market revenue, parent market trends along with market attractiveness per market segment.

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Chapter 1 Stem Cell Therapy Market Overview

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Global Stem Cell Therapy Market 2020: Trends, and Opportunity Analysis, Top Manufacturers And Forecast to 2027 - PRnews Leader

World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers Provides Exceptional Regenerative Treatment Options To Those in Need – GlobeNewswire

October 16, 2020 12:00 ET | Source: World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 16, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Those who are looking for an alternative treatment option when compared to traditional medicine are now in luck. Recently, World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers announced that it was opening the first of its more than 300 planned locations all over the world. With access to a wide range of treatment options, it is possible for patients to visit World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers and enjoy a more comprehensive recovery process than they ever have in the past. Therefore, it is important to highlight some of the major benefits that come with visiting World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers or health treatment options.

An Introduction to World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers: The First Location is Open

Right now, the first location has opened for World Wide Stem Cell. This treatment center location is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Currently, more than 300 locations are scheduled to open worldwide.

In many situations, treatment options from World Wide Stem Cell can actually work very well when working in combination with traditional medical therapy. The goal of World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers is to provide patients with more options, allowing them to tailor their treatment options to meet their individual needs and avoid invasive surgery whenever possible. In this manner, patients can work with the professionals at World Wide Stem Cell to develop a custom treatment plan to meet their unique needs.

Who Might Need Stem Cell Therapy from World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers?

The reality is that anyone is able to benefit from stem cell therapy from World Wide Stem Cell. At the same time, it is also important for people to know what goes into stem cell therapy.

First, one of the most common patient populations that might benefit from a visit to World Wide Stem Cell is athletes who have suffered an injury. While participating in their sport. While sports are great for conditioning and staying in shape. Injuries are always a very real risk. When an athlete suffers an injury, World Wide Stem Cell is able to treat that athlete and in most cases have that athlete participating back in his sport again in up to 1/10th of the time without invasive surgery. So with that being said the entire population at one time or another are candidates for stem cells. Whether it be a knee, hip, shoulder or any other orthopedic joint. Stem cells in most cases are able to replace invasive surgery; with a stem cell injection. World Wide Stem Cell always treats every condition with the proper cells for that particular situation. We only use orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons that do all our injections and they are all done with ultrasound guided needle injections. Whether you are interested in orthopedic treatments, facial rejuvenation, anti-aging cells, hair replacement, erectile dysfunction. We have them all at World Wide Stem Cell. Call, email, inquire!

Contact:

300 Chapel Harbor Drive Suite 204 Pittsburgh, Pa 15238 Contact: JS Genslinger (founder) 412-408-3183

World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, UNITED STATES

Formats available:

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World Wide Stem Cell Treatment Centers Provides Exceptional Regenerative Treatment Options To Those in Need - GlobeNewswire

Proposition 14: Stem cell research bonds City Times – City Times

New bonds would continue to fund an existing institute

Brandon Manus

California is voting on selling $5.5 billion in new bonds for research and development of stem cell research. Graphic by Brandon Manus

Brandon Manus, Staff Writer October 15, 2020

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California is voting on selling $5.5 billion in new bonds to continue funding grants for research and development of stem cell treatments.

A yes vote on this measure means Proposition 14 would issue $5.5 billion in funding to an existing state stem cell research institute. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, based in Oakland, was created in a 2004 voter-approved measure to support scientific research toward finding treatments and a deeper understanding of diseases such as Alzheimers, heart disease, cancer and strokes. Voters originally approved $3 billion, but that money is now on its last legs. As of June 2020, only $30 million remained.

A no vote on this measure means the state could not sell $5.5 billion in bonds primarily for stem cell research and the development of new medical treatments in California. Some opponents say the institute hasnt produced the kind of life-saving treatments that were promised when it was created. There is also no longer a ban on federal funding for stem cell research, which led to the institutes creation in 2004. The institute is funded with public money, but does not have any legislative oversight or address potential conflicts of interest. Some opponents have also criticized the requirement that $1.5 billion be cordoned off for brain and central nervous system diseases, saying it hampers the institutes flexibility to respond to changing needs.

Vote No on Prop. 14, a costly, unnecessary bond measure, The Sun (article) Stem-cell agency doesnt merit additional funding, The Mercury News (article)Why Prop. 14 is unaffordable, unnecessary, fatally flawed and unsupportable, The San Diego Union-Tribune (article) What Proposition 14 Tells Us About California, The New York Times (article) More borrowing for stem cell research, Los Angeles Times (article)

Californians for Stem Cell Research California Democratic Party Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation University of California Board of Regents Californians For Stem Cell Research

Marcy Darnovsky, executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society

For more information about Prop 14, go to Ballotpedia.org.

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Proposition 14: Stem cell research bonds City Times - City Times

BrainStorm Announces Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2020 and Provides a Corporate Update – PRNewswire

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: BCLI), a leading developer of cellular therapies for neurodegenerative diseases, announced today financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020, and provided a corporate update.

"The most important near-term event for BrainStorm will be the upcoming top-line data readout for the NurOwn Phase 3 trial in ALS, expected by the end of November. A successful outcome will set us on the path to filing a Biologic License Application (BLA) for what we believe will be a valuable new treatment for ALS," said Chaim Lebovits, Chief Executive Officer of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics. "In parallel to our preparations for upcoming data read out, we are very busy planning and executing on other pre-BLA activities. On the management front, we appointed William K. White and Dr. Anthony Waclawski, adding valuable commercial and regulatory expertise to our leadership team. This expertise will be crucial as we work towards obtaining regulatory approval for NurOwn and ensuring that, if approved, it will be readily accessible to ALS patients in need of new treatment options for this devastating disease."

NurOwn has an innovative mechanism of action that is broadly applicable across neurodegenerative diseases and BrainStorm continues to invest in clinical trials evaluating the product in conditions beyond ALS to maximize value creation for its various stakeholders. The company remains on track to complete dosing in its Phase 2 clinical trial in progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS) by the end of 2020. In addition, the Company recently unveiled a clinical development program in Alzheimer's' disease (AD) and is planning a Phase 2 proof-of-concept clinical trial at several leading AD centers in the Netherlands and France.

Third Quarter 2020 and Recent Corporate Highlights:

Presented at the following Investor Conferences:

Cash and Liquidity as of October 14, 2020

Total available funding as of October 14, 2020, which includes cash, cash equivalents and short-term bank deposits of approximately $33.1 million as well as remaining non-dilutive funding from CIRM, IIA and other grants, amounts to approximately $36 million.

Financial Results for the Three Months Ended September 30, 2020

Conference Call & WebcastThursday, October 15, 2020 at 8 a.m. Eastern TimeFrom the US:877-407-9205 International: 201-689-8054 Webcast:https://www.webcaster4.com/Webcast/Page/2354/37811

Replays, available through October 29, 2020 From the US:877-481-4010 International: 919-882-2331 Replay Passcode: 37811

About NurOwn

NurOwn (autologous MSC-NTF) cells represent a promising investigational therapeutic approach to targeting disease pathways important in neurodegenerative disorders. MSC-NTF cells are produced from autologous, bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that have been expanded and differentiated ex vivo. MSCs are converted into MSC-NTF cells by growing them under patented conditions that induce the cells to secrete high levels of neurotrophic factors (NTFs). Autologous MSC-NTF cells can effectively deliver multiple NTFs and immunomodulatory cytokines directly to the site of damage to elicit a desired biological effect and ultimately slow or stabilize disease progression. BrainStorm has fully enrolled a Phase 3 pivotal trial of autologous MSC-NTF cells for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). BrainStorm also recently received acceptance from theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) to initiate a Phase 2 open-label multicenter trial in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) and completed enrollment inAugust 2020.

About BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.is a leading developer of innovative autologous adult stem cell therapeutics for debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. The Company holds the rights to clinical development and commercialization of the NurOwn technology platform used to produce autologous MSC-NTF cells through an exclusive, worldwide licensing agreement. Autologous MSC-NTF cells have received Orphan Drug status designation from theU.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) and theEuropean Medicines Agency(EMA) for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). BrainStorm has fully enrolled a Phase 3 pivotal trial in ALS (NCT03280056), investigating repeat-administration of autologous MSC-NTF cells at sixU.S.sites supported by a grant from theCalifornia Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM CLIN2-0989). The pivotal study is intended to support a filing forU.S.FDA approval of autologous MSC-NTF cells in ALS. BrainStorm also recently receivedU.S.FDA clearance to initiate a Phase 2 open-label multicenter trial in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). The Phase 2 study of autologous MSC-NTF cells in patients with progressive MS (NCT03799718) completed enrollment inAugust 2020. For more information, visit the company's website atwww.brainstorm-cell.com.

Safe-Harbor Statement

Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information, including statements regarding future clinical trial enrollment and data, constitute "forward-looking statements" and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc.'s actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. Terms and phrases such as "may", "should", "would", "could", "will", "expect", "likely", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "predict", "potential", and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, BrainStorm's need to raise additional capital, BrainStorm's ability to continue as a going concern, regulatory approval of BrainStorm's NurOwn treatment candidate, the success of BrainStorm's product development programs and research, regulatory and personnel issues, development of a global market for our services, the ability to secure and maintain research institutions to conduct our clinical trials, the ability to generate significant revenue, the ability of BrainStorm's NurOwn treatment candidate to achieve broad acceptance as a treatment option for ALS or other neurodegenerative diseases, BrainStorm's ability to manufacture and commercialize the NurOwn treatment candidate, obtaining patents that provide meaningful protection, competition and market developments, BrainStorm's ability to protect our intellectual property from infringement by third parties, heath reform legislation, demand for our services, currency exchange rates and product liability claims and litigation,; and other factors detailed in BrainStorm's annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q available athttp://www.sec.gov. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on BrainStorm's forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this press release. We do not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results or assumptions if circumstances or management's beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, unless otherwise required by law. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements.

ContactsInvestor Relations: Corey Davis, Ph.D. LifeSci Advisors, LLC Phone: +1 646-465-1138 [emailprotected]

Media:Paul Tyahla SmithSolve Phone: + 1.973.713.3768 [emailprotected]

BRAINSTORM CELL THERAPEUTICS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS U.S. dollars in thousands (Except share data)

September30,

December31,

2020

2019

U.S.$ inthousands

Unaudited

Audited

ASSETS

Current Assets:

Cash and cash equivalents

$

24,770

$

536

Short-term deposit (Note 4)

4,038

33

Other accounts receivable

1,473

2,359

Prepaid expenses and other current assets (Note 5)

56

432

Total current assets

30,337

3,360

Long-Term Assets:

Prepaid expenses and other long-term assets

27

32

Operating lease right of use asset (Note 6)

1,377

2,182

Property and Equipment, Net

950

960

Total Long-Term Assets

2,354

3,174

Total assets

$

32,691

$

6,534

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)

Current Liabilities:

Accounts payable

$

3,283

$

14,677

Accrued expenses

917

1,000

Operating lease liability (Note 6)

1,216

1,263

Other accounts payable

1,013

714

Total current liabilities

6,429

17,654

Long-Term Liabilities:

Operating lease liability (Note 6)

284

1,103

Total long-term liabilities

284

1,103

Total liabilities

$

6,713

$

18,757

Stockholders' Equity (deficit):

Stock capital: (Note 7)

12

11

Common Stock of $0.00005 par value - Authorized: 100,000,000 shares at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 respectively; Issued and outstanding: 31,567,592 and 23,174,228 shares at September 30,2020 and December31,2019 respectively.

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BrainStorm Announces Financial Results for the Third Quarter of 2020 and Provides a Corporate Update - PRNewswire

How a UCSF team is giving Cronutt the sea lion a second chance with neuroscience – University of California

A cellular therapy for epilepsy developed at UC San Francisco has been employed for the first time in a sea lion with intractable seizures caused by ingesting toxins from algal blooms. The procedure is the first-ever attempt to treat naturally occurring epilepsy in any animal using transplanted cells.

The 7-year-old male sea lion, named Cronutt, first beached in San Luis Obispo County in 2017 and was rescued byThe Marine Mammal Center(TMMC), based in Sausalito, Calif. His epilepsy is due to brain damage caused by exposure to domoic acid released bytoxic algal blooms. Each year, domoic acid poisoning affects hundreds of marine mammals, including both sea lions and sea otters, up and down the West Coast, a problem that is on the rise as climate change warms the worlds oceans, making algal blooms more common.

Like many of these animals, Cronutt cannot survive in the wild due to his epilepsy, and he was transferred by TMMC in 2018 to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, Calif., which has facilities to care for wildlife with special veterinary needs.

In recent months, Cronutts health has declined due to increasingly frequent and severe seizures. With all other options exhausted, his veterinary team sought help from epilepsy researcherScott C. Baraban, Ph.D., in a last-ditch effort to save the sea lions life. For over a decade, Baraban, who holds the William K. Bowes Endowed Chair in Neuroscience Research in UCSFsDepartment of Neurological Surgery, has been developing the cell-based therapy, which has been shown by his research team to be highly effective in experimental lab animals.

This method is incredibly reliable in mice, but this is the first time it has been tried in a large mammal as a therapy, so well just have to wait and see, said Baraban, a member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. Over the years Ive come to learn how many marine mammals cant be released into the wild due to domoic acid poisoning, and its our hope is that if this procedure is successful it will open the door to helping many more animals.

On Tuesday, Oct. 6, a team of 18 specialists, including veterinarians from Six Flags and neurosurgeons and researchers from UCSF, successfully completed a precisely targeted injection of brain cell precursors taken from pig embryos called neural progenitor cells into Cronutts hippocampus, the brain region responsible for seizures. Based on extensive observations in rodents, Baraban said, the injected embryonic cells should migrate through his damaged hippocampus over the course of days and weeks, integrating and repairing the brain circuitry causing his seizures.

It was a remarkable convergence. Every year there are many animals suffering from epilepsy for which there isnt any treatment available, while, just across the bridge from The Marine Mammal Center, we at UCSF are trying to develop this new form of therapy and looking for ways to one day translate it to the clinic, saidMariana Casalia, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher who joined Barabans lab in 2015 to work ontranslating the groups successes in rodentsinto therapies, and who has taken the helm of the sea lion epilepsy project. It seemed very natural for us that these animals could be first patients to hopefully benefit from this therapy.

Domoic acid poisoning in marine mammals causes hippocampal damage very similar to that seen in temporal lobe epilepsy, the most common form of epilepsy in humans. In this disease, damage to hippocampal inhibitory interneurons removes the brakes on electrical activity, leading to seizures. In a vicious cycle, seizures can further damage brain circuitry, which is why epilepsy often worsens over time.

Since 2009, theBaraban labhas been developing a way to replace these damaged interneuronsby transplanting embryonic MGE (medial ganglionic eminence) progenitor cells into the hippocampus. As discovered two decades ago by Barabans UCSF colleaguesArturo lvarez-Buylla, Ph.D., andJohn Rubenstein, Ph.D., MGE cells normallymigrate into hippocampus during brain developmentandintegrate themselves into the local circuitry as inhibitory neurons.

Barabans group has shown that its possible to transplant embryonic MGE cells into the brains of adult rodents with temporal lobe epilepsy, wherethey quickly spread through the hippocampus and repair its damaged circuitry. The procedure reliably reduces seizures in these animals by 90 percent, along with other side effects of epilepsy, such as anxiety and memory problems.

Our laboratorys work has been inspired by the desire to find new solutions for the 30 percent of temporal lobe epilepsy patients who dont respond to available drug treatments, and for whom no new medicines have emerged over the past 50 years. Baraban said. For a number of reasons, including regulatory hurdles, cellular therapies for people with epilepsy are probably still a long way off. However, marine mammals with brain damage from domoic acid poisoning are in a very similar boat with no effective treatments that would let them ever be returned to the wild.

Baraban learned about the hundreds of annual domoic acidrelated strandings of marine mammals from long-time colleague Paul Buckmaster, D.V.M., Ph.D., of Stanford University. Buckmasters seminal studies in collaboration with TMMC in Sausalito had found that these animalssuffer from hippocampal damage almost identical to human temporal lobe epilepsy.

As soon as Mariana and I learned about this issue it was clear that our approach could be a perfect solution to help rehabilitate these animals, Baraban said.

Casalia had spent four years developing and testing a pig source of MGE cells pig tissue is often used for transplants into humans in collaboration with colleagues at UC Davis, work the lab intends to publish soon. On learning about the plight of domoic acidpoisoned sea lions, she partnered with TMMC and the California Academy of Sciences to study sea lion skulls to begin planning an eventual transplant surgery. She ultimately worked with UCSF neurosurgery chairEdward Chang, M.D., and collaborators at the medical software firmBrainLabto create a custom targeting system for the sea lion brain.She had even spent months working closely with the Hamilton Company to create a custom needle for delivering the stem cells to the right spot in a sea lions hippocampus.

All that remained was to find the right patient. And then, in September, 2020, they got a call from a veterinarian at Six Flags asking if they could help save the life of a sea lion named Cronutt.

After rescuing Cronutt in 2017, TMMC had attempted three times to rehabilitate him and release him back into the wild. Each time he would beach himself again, emaciated, disoriented, and approaching humans. Then he began to have seizures. Most marine centers dont have facilities for the long-term care of marine mammals with special needs, but Six Flags volunteered to give Cronutt a new home.

We have cared for a lot of special needs animals over the years, said Dianne Cameron, director of animal care at Six Flags. We adore Cronutt and are committed to providing him a forever home. He has his own apartment in our Sea Lion Stadium with a pool and dry resting area. When hes doing well, he comes out and participates in training sessions. Unfortunately, recently it has been hard to get him to come out of his apartment.

Over this spring and summer, Cronutt had begun a serious decline his seizures were increasing, he was losing weight, and he often seemed disoriented. To oversee Cronutts care, Six Flags hiredClaire Simeone, DVM, a founder and CEO of Sea Change Health, who hadstudied the neurological effects of domoic acid poisoningduring her six years working with TMMC. But it soon became clear that no treatment was working for Cronutt.

Despite our best efforts and all the tools that we have, his seizures were becoming more prolonged and more frequent over time, Simeone said. His brain damage and the effects on his body were getting worse. His decline has been gradual, but we reached a point several months ago where we were questioning what quality of life he had. We had run out of options for how we could successfully manage Cronutts disease and knew that we were going to have to make some hard decisions soon.

Then Simeone recalled a talk Baraban had given at TMMC several years ago about the potential of MGE transplants for marine mammals with domoic acid poisoning. In September, she reached out to ask if the lab might be willing to attempt the procedure as a last-ditch effort to save Cronutts life.

Cronutts health was slipping fast, but Casalias years of preparation for this moment allowed her and her colleagues to quickly assemble everything that would be needed in just one month.

In a bit of serendipity that would prove crucial, Cronutts brain had already been imaged in 2018 by Ben Inglis, Ph.D., of UC BerkeleysHenry H. Wheeler Jr. Brain Imaging Centeras part of an ongoing study ofhow domoic acid poisoning affects the sea lion brain. These MRI images provided critical guideposts that made it possible for UCSF neurosurgeons to plan how they would inject stem cells at just the right spot in Cronutts hippocampus.

Cronutts surgery, conducted in accordance with COVID-19 protocols at the SAGE Veterinary Centers in Redwood City, Calif., went smoothly, and he was returned to Six Flags. In the days after the surgery his veterinary team reported that he had been sleeping and eating well.

Based on prior experiments transplanting pig MGE cells into rats, the researchers expect it to take about a month or so for the cells to fully integrate into Cronutts hippocampus. They will be following up to see if his seizures decrease and his health and behavior improves, and whether his antiseizure medications can be reduced.

This first-ever attempt has been made possible by funding from a Javits Award from the National Institutes of Health and from the UCSFProgram in Breakthrough Biomedical Research. Without these funds, this kind of high-risk, high-reward science would never have gotten off the ground, Baraban added. It also depended on Marianas fearlessness and perseverance in pursuing this very uncertain project.

Casalia, who has degrees in applied science and neurobiology from Universidad National de Quilmes and the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina, says the surgery felt like a culmination of everything shed been working on in her career so far. Ive always wanted to apply what we are doing in the lab to the clinical setting, she said. For me the ability to do this in reality to help these animals who are suffering is a dream come true.

Link:
How a UCSF team is giving Cronutt the sea lion a second chance with neuroscience - University of California

Months after achieving unicorn status, Orca steers into the fast lane with an RMAT designation for cell therapy candidate – Endpoints News

A few months after its last big catch a $192 million Series D and rare unicorn status Orca Bio has reeled in the FDAs regenerative medicine advanced therapy (RMAT) designation for its experimental cell therapy to treat blood stem cell transplant patients.

Orca, one of this years Endpoints 11 startups, was founded by three entrepreneurs who were intrigued by Irv Weissmans cell purification work while studying at Stanford. Novartis then Sandoz had purchased Weissmans spinout SyStemix in the 90s, then scrapped it due to practical challenges. But Jeroen Bekaert, Ivan Dimov and Nate Fernhoff saw potential there.

Now, the biotech has RMAT and orphan drug designation to steer its cell therapy candidate Orca-T through the clinic. RMAT designation comes with the benefits of both fast track and breakthrough therapy designations.Orca-T entered a Phase I/II trial in patients undergoing stem cell transplants for various blood cancers last November, according to an NIH filing. The biotech expects to read out data from that trial this December at the annual American Society of Hematology meeting.

The RMAT and ODD for Orca-T is uplifting news for patients with various blood cancers including acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphoid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome and myelofibrosis, Dimov said in a statement.

While a hematopoietic stem cell transplant is the best option for some patients with blood cancer, the procedure can lead to dangerous complications, such as graft-versus-host disease, in which immune cells from the donor attack the patients healthy cells. Orca-T is designed to reprogram the diseased blood system, by matchinga specific composition of stem and immune cells to the immunological needs of a patient.

Orcas recent Series D brought its total raise to about $300 million, and came in as the companys valuation surpassed $1 billion. Plus, the biotech touts Weissman, former Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez, and Lyell head and former NCI chief Rick Klausner as its advisors.

Dimov spoke with Endpoints Newslast month about the inspiration behind the biotechs 2016 launch:

It almost seems unethical from a human perspective because some of the initial results suggest highly curative effects and the whole thing was shut down for over a decade because of some of these challenges of practically implementing these things and deploying them. So that was sort of the key driver for us to get started. And we always knew we wanted to fulfill that dream all the way through and not really stop at a certain stage and leave it for someone else.

See more here:
Months after achieving unicorn status, Orca steers into the fast lane with an RMAT designation for cell therapy candidate - Endpoints News

EdiGene Gets $67 Million Infusion to Bring Gene Editing to the Clinic – BioSpace

EdiGene raked in approximately $67 million in a series B financing round to further their genome-editing pipeline and expand the team. The Beijing-based biotech is currently leading the gene editing wave in China with four platforms steadily advancing.

Launched in 2015, EdiGenes pipeline was created around CRISPR gene editing technology. Right now, its fastest progressing projects are ET-01 for severe -thalassemia, a hereditary blood disease, and U Car-T ET-02 for cancer. CEO Dong Wei said thisround will help them transform their pipeline into clinical stage, drawing them closer to their goal of bringing innovative and high-quality gene-editing therapies to patients in need.

Their ET-01 therapy uses gene-editing technology to edit BCL11A erythroid enhancer in hematopoietic stem cells. The aim is to increase fetal hemoglobin levels in red blood cells for severe -thalassemia patients. These patients have few options and are desperate for better treatments.

For their second lead candidate, ET-02, EdiGene is leveraging their partner Immunochinas proprietary CAR-T to create a therapy that can edit immuno-rejection molecules in T cells from healthy donors to treat cancer patients.

CEO Dong Wei said of their partnerships potential, We believe that allogenic T-cell therapeutics has tremendous potential, by offering innovative T-cell therapies off the shelf with more effective quality control and lower cost.

EdiGene also has some in vivo therapies in research phase that use an RNA base editing approach using LEAPER technology. Their front-runner aims to treat Hurler Syndrome, the most severe form of mucopolysaccharidosis, a rare lysosomal storage disease resulting in a wide variety of symptoms caused by damage to several organ systems. They are also working on targeted therapeutics focused on solid tumor treatment.

The biotech has raised approximately $100 million in the last two years. This latest round of financing was led by 3H Health investment, with participation from new investors: Sequoia Capital China, Alwin Capital and Kunlun Capital. Previous partners IDG Capital, Lilly Asia Venture, Huagai Capital and Green Pine Capital Partners also joined in.

We are very pleased to have the support and partnership from our investors, which propels the company to an exciting new stage, said Wensheng Wei, Scientific Founder of EdiGene. Together with the investors, we look forward to translating cutting-edge gene editing technologies into innovative therapies, bringing hope and health to patients and their families.

EdiGene was recognized last year by CYZone, a leading innovation service platform, as one of their 2019 Top 50 Healthcare Innovation Enterprises in China.

Original post:
EdiGene Gets $67 Million Infusion to Bring Gene Editing to the Clinic - BioSpace

CAR T-cell Therapies for the Treatment of Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – OncoZine

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (AML), also called acute myeloblastic leukemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia, is an aggressive, fast-growing, heterogenous group of blood cancers that arise as a result of clonal expansion of myeloid hematopoietic precursors in the bone marrow. Not only are circulating leukemia (blast) cells seen in the peripheral blood, but granulocytopenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia are also common as proliferating leukemia cells interfere with normal hematopoiesis.

Approximately 40-45% of younger and 10-20% of older adults diagnosed with AML are cured with current standard chemotherapy. However, the outlook for patients with relapsed and/or refractory disease is gloomy. Relapse following conventional chemotherapy remains is a major cause of death.

The process of manufacturing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies. [1] T-cells (represented by objects labeled as t) are removed from the patients blood. [2] Then in a lab setting the gene that encodes for the specific antigen receptors is incorporated into the T-cells. [3] Thus producing the CAR receptors (labeled as c) on the surface of the cells. [4] The newly modified T-cells are then further harvested and grown in the lab. [5]. After a certain time period, the engineered T-cells are infused back into the patient. This file is licensed by Reyasingh56 under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.Today, the only curative treatment option for patients with AML is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation or allo-HSCT, which through its graft-vs.-leukemia effects has the ability to eliminate residual leukemia cells. But it is an ption for only a minority. And despite a long history of success, relapse following allo-HSCT is still a major challenge and is associated with poor prognosis.

In recent years, rresearchers learned a lot about the genomic and epigenomic landscapes of AML. This understanding has paved the way for rational drug development as new drugable targets, resulting in treatments including the antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) gemtuzumab ozogamycin (Mylotarg; Pfizer/Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories).

CAR T-cell Therapies Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells therapies, using a patients own genetically modified T-cells to find and kill cancer, are one of the most exciting recent developments in cancer research and treatment.

Traditional CAR T-cell therapies are an autologous, highly personalised, approach in which T-cells are collected from the patient by leukopheresis and engineered in the laboratory to express a receptor directed at a cancer antigen such as CD19. The cells are then infused back into the patient after administration of a lymphodepletion regimen, most commonly a combination of fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. Durable remissions have been observed in pediatric patients with B-ALL and adults with NHL.

CD19-targeted CAR T-cell therapies, have, over the last decade, yielded remarkable clinical success in certain types of B-cell malignancies, and researchers have made substantial efforts aimed at translating this success to myeloid malignancies.

While complete ablation of CD19-expressing B cells, both cancerous and healthy, is clinically tolerated, the primary challenge limiting the use of CAR T-cells in myeloid malignancies is the absence of a dispensable antigen, as myeloid antigens are often co-expressed on normal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), depletion of which would lead to intolerable myeloablation.

A different approach Because autologous CAR T-cell therapies are patient-specific, each treatment can only be used for that one patient. Furthermore, because CAR T-cells are derived from a single disease-specific antibody, they are, by design, only recognized by one specific antigen. As a consequence, only a small subset of patients with any given cancer may be suited for the treatment.

This specificity means that following leukopheresis, a lot of work needs to be done to create this hyper personalised treatment option, resulting in 3 5 weeks of manufacturing time.

The manufacturing process of CAR T-cell therapies, from a single academic center to a large-scale multi-site manufacturing center further creates challenges. Scaling out production means developing processes consistent across many collection, manufacturing, and treatment sites. This complexity results in a the realitively high cost of currently available CAR T-cell therapies.

To solve some of the concerns with currently available CAR T-cell therapies, researchers are investigating the option to develop allogenic, off-the-shelf Universal CAR T-cell (UCARTs) treatments that can be mass manufactured and be used for multiple patients.

Allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy are generally created from T-cells from healthy donors, not patients. Similar to the autologous approach, donor-derived cells are shipped to a manufacturing facility to be genetically engineered to express the antibody or CAR, however, in contrast to autologous CAR T-cells, allogeneic CAR T-cells are also engineered with an additional technology used to limit the potential for a graft versus host reaction when administered to patients different from the donor.

One unique benefit ofn this approach is that because these therapies hey are premade and available for infusion, there is no requirement to leukopheresis or a need to wait for the CAR T-cells to be manufactured. This strategy also will benefit patients who are cytopenic (which is not an uncommon scenario for leukemia patients) and from whom autologous T-cell collection is not possible.

Pioneers Among the pioneers of developing allogeneic CAR-T therapies are companies including Celyad Oncology, Cellectis, Allogene Therapeutics, and researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in colaboration with Kite/Gilead.

Researchers at UCLA were, for example, able to turn pluripotent stem cells into T-cells through structures called artificial thymic organoids. These organoids mimic the thymus, the organ where T-cells are made from blood stem cells in the body.

Celyad Oncology Belgium-based Celyad Oncology is advancing a number of both autologous and allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies, including proprietary, non-gene edited allogeneic CAR T-cell candidates underpinned by the companys shRNA technology platform. The shRNA platform coupled with Celyads all-in-one vector approach provides flexibility, versatility, and efficiency to the design of novel, off-the-shelf CAR T-cell candidates through a single step engineering process.

In July 2020, the company announced the start of Phase I trials with CYAD-211, Celyads first-in-class short hairpin RNA (shRNA)-based allogeneic CAR T candidate and second non-gene edited off-the-shelf program. CYAD-211 targets B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) for the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma and is engineered to co-express a BCMA-targeting chimeric antigen receptor and a single shRNA, which interferes with the expression of the CD3 component of the T-cell receptor (TCR) complex.

During the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Virtual Scientific Program in May 2020, the company presented updates from its allogeneic programs, including additional data from the alloSHRINK study, an open-label, dose-escalation Phase I trial assessing the safety and clinical activity of three consecutive administrations of CYAD-101, an investigational, non-gene edited, allogeneic CAR T-cell candidate engineered to co-express a chimeric antigen receptor based on NKG2D (a receptor expressed on natural killer (NK) cells that binds to eight stress-induced ligands and the novel inhibitory peptide TIM TCR Inhibitory Molecule), for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

The expression of TIM reduces signalling of the TCR complex, which is responsible for graft-versus host disease.every two weeks administered concurrently with FOLFOX (combination of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and oxaliplatin) in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

The safety and clinical activity data from the alloSHRINK trial in patients with mCRC demonstrated CYAD-101s differentiated profile as an allogeneic CAR T-cell candidate. Furthermore, the absence of clinical evidence of graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) for CYAD-101 confirms the potential of non-gene edited approaches for the development of allogeneic CAR-T candidates.

Interim data from the alloSHRINK trial showed encouraging anti-tumor activity, with two patients achieving a confirmed partial response (cPR) according to RECIST 1.1 criteria, including one patient with a KRAS-mutation, the most common oncogenic alteration found in all human cancers. In addition, nine patients achieved stable disease (SD), with seven patients demonstrating disease stabilization lasting more than or equal to three months of duration.

Based on these results, clinical trials were broadened to include evaluating CYAD-101 following FOLFIRI (combination of 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin and irinotecan) preconditioning chemotherapy in refractory mCRC patients, at the recommended dose of one billion cells per infusion as an expansion cohort of the alloSHRINK trial. Enrollment in the expansion cohort of the trial is expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 2020.

Cellectis Cellectis is developping a universal CAR T-cell (UCART) platform in an attempy to create off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapies. The companys pipeline includes UCART123, a CAR T-cell therapy designed to targets CD123+ leukemic cells in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The investigational agent is being studied in two open-label Phase I trials: AML123 studying the therapys safety and efficacy in an estimated 156 AML patients, and ABC123 studying the therapys safety and activity in an estimated 72 patients with blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN).

UCART22 Another investigational agent in clinical trials is UCART22 which is designed to treat both CD22+ B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and CD22+ B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Cellectis reported that UCART22 is included in an open-label, dose-escalating Phase I trial to study its safety and activity in relapsed or refractory CD22+ B-ALL patients.

UCART22 harbors a surface expression of an anti-CD22 CAR (CD22 scFv-41BB-CD3z) and the RQR8 ligand, a safety feature rendering the T-cells sensitive to the antibody rituximab. Further, to reduce the potential for alloreactivity, the cell surface expression of the T-cell receptor is abrogated through the inactivation of the TCR constant (TRAC) gene using Cellectis TALEN gene-editing technology.[1]

Preclinical data supporting the development of UCART22 was presented by Marina Konopleva, M.D., Ph.D. and her vteam during the 2017 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting. [1]

Cellectis is also developing UCARTCS1 which is developed to treat CS1-expressing hematologic malignancies, such as multiple myeloma (MM). UCARTCLL1 is in preclinical development for treating CLL1-expressing hematologic malignancies, such as AML.

Cellectis and Allogene Therapeutics, another biotech company involved in the developmen t of CAR T-cell therapies, are developing ALLO-501, another CAR T-cell therapy which targets CD19 and is being developed for the the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory NHL. Allogene Therapeutics is also developing ALLO-715, an investigational CAR T-cell therapy targeting the B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) for treating relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma and ALLO-819, which targets CD135 (also called FLT3), for treating relapsed or refractory AML.

Allogene, in collaboration with both Cellectis, Pfizer (which has a 25% stake in Allogene) and Servier have numerous active open-label, single-arm Phase I trials for an off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR-T therapy UCART19* in patients with relapsed or refractory CD19+ B-ALL. Participating patients receive lymphodepletion with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide with alemtuzumab, followed by UCART19 infusion. Adults patients with R/R B-ALL are eligible.

The PALL aims to evaluate the safety and feasibility of UCART19 to induce molecular remission in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory CD19-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in 18 pediatric patients.

The CALM trial is a dose-escalating study evaluating the therapys safety and tolerability in 40 adult patients; and a long-term safety and efficacy follow-up study in 200 patients with advanced lymphoid malignancies.

Allogene reported preliminary proof-of-concept results during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in December 2018.

Data from the first 21 patients from both the PALL (n=7) and CALM (n=14) Phase I studies were pooled. The median age of the participating patients was 22 years (range, 0.8-62 years) and the median number of prior therapies was 4 (range, 1-6). Sixty-two percent of the patients (13/21) had a prior allogeneic stem cell transplant.

Of the 17 patients who received treatment with UCART19 and who received lymphodepletion with fludarabine, cyclophosphamide and alemtuzumab, an anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody, 14 patients (82%) achieved CR/CRi, and 59% of them (10/17) achieved MRD-negative remission.

In stark contrast, the four patients who only received UCART19 and fludarabine and cyclophosphamide without alemtuzumab did not see a response and minimal UCART19 expansion.

Based on these results, researchers noted that apparent importance of an anti-CD52 antibody for the efficacy of allogeneic CAR-T therapies. In addition, safety data also looked promising. The trial results did not include grade 3 or 4 neurotoxicity and only 2 cases of grade 1 graft-versus-host disease (10%), 3 cases of grade 3 or 4 cytokine release syndrome which were considered manageable (14%), 5 cases of grade 3 or 4 viral infections (24%), and 6 cases of grade 4 prolonged cytopenia (29%).

Precision Biosciences Precision Biosciences is developing PBCAR0191, an off-the-shelf investigational allogeneic CAR T-cell candidate targeting CD19. The drug candidate is being investigated in a Phase I/IIa multicenter, nonrandomized, open-label, parallel assignment, dose-escalation, and dose-expansion study for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) or R/R B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).

The NHL cohort includes patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an aggressive subtype of NHL, for which Precision has received both Orphan Drug and Fast Track Designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

A clinical trial with PBCAR0191 Precision Biosciences is exploring some novel lymphodepletion strategies in addition to fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. Patients with R/R ALL, R/R CLL, R/R Richter transformation, and R/R NHL are eligible. Patients with MRD+ B-ALL are eligible as well. This trial is enrolling patients.

In late September 2020, Precision BioSciences, a clinical stage biotechnology amd Servier, announced the companies have added two additional hematological cancer targets beyond CD19 and two solid tumor targets to its CAR T-cell development and commercial license agreement.

PBCAR20A PBCAR20A is an investigational allogeneic anti-CD20 CAR T-cell therapy being developed by Precision Biosciences for the treartment of patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and patients with R/R chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or R/R small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). The NHL cohort will include patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an aggressive subtype of NHL, for which Precision BioSciences has received orphan drug designation from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

PBCAR20A is being evaluated in a Phase I/IIa multicenter, nonrandomized, open-label, dose-escalation and dose-expansion clinical trial in adult NHL and CLL/SLL patients. The trial will be conducted at multiple U.S. sites.

PBCAR269A Precision Biosciences is, in collaboration with Springworks Therapeutics, also developing PBCAR269A, an allogeneic BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy candidate being evaluated for the safety and preliminary clinical activity in a Phase I/IIa multicenter, nonrandomized, open-label, parallel assignment, single-dose, dose-escalation, and dose-expansion study of adults with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. In this trial, the starting dose of PBCAR269A is 6 x 105 CAR T cells/kg body weight with subsequent cohorts receiving escalating doses to a maximum dose of 6 x 106 CAR T cells/kg body weight.

PBCAR269A is Precision Biosciencess third CAR T-cell candidate to advance to the clinic and is part of a pipeline of cell-phenotype optimized allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies derived from healthy donors and then modified via a simultaneous TCR knock-out and CAR T-cell knock-in step with the =companys proprietary ARCUS genome editing technology.

The FDA recently granted Fast Track Designation to PBCAR269A for the treatment of relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma for which the FDA previously granted Orphan Drug Designation.

TCR2 Therapeutics TCR2 Therapeutics is developing a proprietary TRuC (TCR Fusion Construct) T-cells designed to harness the natural T cell receptor complex to recognize and kill cancer cells using the full power of T-cell signaling pathways independent of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA).

While succesful in hematological malignancies, CAR T-cells therapies have generally struggled to show efficacy against solid tumors. Researchers at TCR2 Therapeutics believe this is is caused by the fact that CAR T-cell therapies only utilize a single TCR subunit, and, as a result, do not benefit from all of the activation and regulatory elements of the natural TCR complex. By engineering TCR T-cells, which are designed to utilize the complete TCR, they have demonstrated clinical activity in solid tumors. However, this approach has also shown major limitations. TCR T-cells require tumors to express HLA to bind tumor antigens. HLA is often downregulated in cancers, preventing T-cell detection. In addition, each specific TCR-T cell therapy can only be used in patients with one of several specific HLA subtypes, limiting universal applicability of this approach and increasing the time and cost of patient enrollment in clinical trials.

In an attempt to solve this problem, researchers at TCR2 Therapeutics have developped a proprieatarry TRuC-T Cells which are designed to incorporate the best features of CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapies and overcome the limitations. The TRuC platform is a novel T cell therapy platform, which uses the complete TCR complex without the need for HLA matching.

By conjugating the tumor antigen binder to the TCR complex, the TRuC construct recognizes highly expressed surface antigens on tumor cells without the need for HLA and engage the complete TCR machinery to drive the totality of T-cell functions required for potent, modulated and durable tumor killing.

In preclinical studies, TCR2 Therapeutics TRuC T-cells technology has demonstrated superior anti-tumor activity in vivo compared to CAR T-cells therapies, while, at the same time, releasing lower levels of cytokines. These data are encouraging for the treatment of solid tumors where CAR T-cells have not shown significant clinical activity due to very short persistence and for hematologic tumors where a high incidence of severe cytokine release syndrome remains a major concern.

TCR2 Therapeutics product candidates include TC-210 and TC-110.

TC-210 is designed to targets mesothelin-positive solid tumors. While its expression in normal tissues is low, mesothelin is highly expressed in many solid tumors. Mesothelin overexpression has also been correlated with poorer prognosis in certain cancer types and plays a role in tumorigenesis. TC-210 is being developed for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, ovarian cancer, malignant pleural/peritoneal mesothelioma and cholangiocarcinoma.

The companys TRuC-T cell targeting CD19-positive B-cell hematological malignancies, TC-110, is being developed to improve upon and address the unmet needs of current CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapies. The clinical development TC-110 focus on the treatment of adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). Preclinical data demonstrates that TC-110 is superior to CD19-CAR-T cells (carrying either 4-1BB or CD28 co-stimulatory domains) both in anti-tumor activity as well as the level of cytokine release which may translate into lower rates of adverse events. The development of TC-110 starts with autologous T-cells collection by leukopheresis. These T-cells undergo genetic engineering to create TRuC-T cells targeting CD19.

This strategy combines the best features of CAR T-cells and the native T-cell receptor. It is open for R/R NHL and R/R B-ALL.

AUTO1 Auto1 is an autologous CD19 CAR T-cell investigational therapyis being developped by Autolus Therapeutics. The investigational drug uses a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) called CAT with a lower affinity for CD19 and a faster off-rate compared to the FMC63 scFv used in other approved CD19 CAR T-cell therapies. The investigational therapy is designed to overcome the limitations in safety while maintaining similar levels of efficacy compared to current CD19 CAR T-cell therapies.

Designed to have a fast target binding off-rate to minimize excessive activation of the programmed T-cells, AUTO1 may reduce toxicity and be less prone to T-cell exhaustion, which could enhance persistence and improve the T-cells abilities to engage in serial killing of target cancer cells.

In 2018, Autolus signed a license agreement UCL Business plc (UCLB), the technology-transfer company of UCL, to develop and commercialize AUTO1 for the treatment of B cell malignancies. AUTO1 is currently being evaluated in two Phase I studies, one in pediatric ALL and one in adult ALL.

CARPALL trial Initial results from the ongoing Phase I CARPALL trial of AUTO1 were presented during European Hematology Association 1st European CAR T Cell Meeting held in Paris, France, February 14-16, 2019.

Enrolled patients had a median age of 9 years with a median of 4 lines of prior treatment. Seventeen patients were enrolled, and 14 patients received an infusion of CAR T cells. Ten of 14 patients had relapsed post allogeneic stem cell transplant. Eight patients were treated in second relapse, 5 in > second relapse and 3 had relapsed after prior blinatumomab or inotuzumab therapy. Two patients had ongoing CNS disease at enrollment.

This data confirmed that AUTO1 did not induces severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) (Grade 3-5). Nine patients experienced Grade 1 CRS, and 4 patients experienced Grade 2 CRS. No patients required tociluzumab or steroids. As previously reported, one patient experienced Grade 4 neurotoxicity; there were no other reports of severe neurotoxicity (Grade 3-5). The mean cumulative exposure to AUTO1 CAR T-cells in the first 28 days as assessed by AUC was 1,721,355 copies/g DNA. Eleven patients experienced cytopenia that was not resolved by day 28 or recurring after day 28: 3 patients Grades 1-3 and 8 patients Grade 4. Two patients developed significant infections, and 1 patient died from sepsis while in molecular complete response (CR).

With a single dose of CAR T cells at 1 million cells/kg dose, 12/14 (86%) achieved molecular CR. Five patients relapsed with CD19 negative disease. Event free survival (EFS) based on morphological relapse was 67% (CI 34-86%) and 46% (CI 16-72%) and overall survival (OS) was 84% (CI 50-96%) and 63% (CI 27-85%) at 6 and 12 months, respectively.

CAR T cell expansion was observed in all responding patients (N=12), with CAR T cells comprising up to 84% of circulating T cells at the point of maximal expansion. The median persistence of CAR T-cells was 215 days.

The median duration of remission in responding patients was 7.3 months with a median follow-up of 14 months. Five of 14 patients (37%) remain in CR with ongoing persistence of CAR T-cells and associated B cell aplasia.

Fate Therapeutics FT819 is an off-the-shelf CAR T-cell therapy targeting CD19 being developed by Fate Therapeutics. The T-cells are derived from a clonal engineered master induced pluripotent stem cell line (iPSCs) with a novel 1XX CAR targeting CD19 inserted into the T-cell receptor alpha constant (TRAC) locus and edited for elimination of T-cell receptor (TCR) expression.

Patients participating in the companys clinbical trial will receive lymphodepletion with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. Some patients will also receive IL-2. Patients with R/R ALL, R/R CLL, R/R Richter transformation, and R/R NHL are eligible. Patients with MRD+ B-ALL are eligible as well.

At the Annual Meeting of the American Societ of Hematology held in December 2019, researchers from Fate Therapeutics presented new in vivo preclinical data demonstrating that FT819 exhibits durable tumor control and extended survival. In a stringent xenograft model of disseminated lymphoblastic leukemia, FT819 demonstrated enhanced tumor clearance and control of leukemia as compared to primary CAR19 T-cells. At Day 35 following administration, a bone marrow assessment showed that FT819 persisted and continued to demonstrate tumor clearance, whereas primary CAR T cells, while persisting, were not able to control tumor growth. [2]

CAR-NK CD19 Allogeneic cord blood-derived Natural Killer (NK) cells are another off-the-shelf product that does not require the collection of cells from each patient.

Unlike T-cells, NK-cells do not cause GVHD and can be given safely in the allogeneic setting. At MD Anderson Cancer Center, Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D, Professor, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, and her team broadly focuses their research on the role of natural killer (NK) cells in mediating protection against hematologic malignancies and solid tumors and strategies to enhance killing function against various cancer.

As part of their research, the team has developed a novel cord blood-derived NK-CAR product that expresses a CAR against CD19; ectopically produces IL-15 to support NK-cell proliferation and persistence in vivo; and expresses a suicide gene, inducible caspase 9, to address any potential safety concerns.

In this phase I and II trial researchers administered HLA-mismatched anti-CD19 CAR-NK cells derived from cord blood to 11 patients with relapsed or refractory CD19-positive cancers (non-Hodgkins lymphoma or chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL]). NK cells were transduced with a retroviral vector expressing genes that encode anti-CD19 CAR, interleukin-15, and inducible caspase 9 as a safety switch. The cells were expanded ex vivo and administered in a single infusion at one of three doses (1105, 1106, or 1107 CAR-NK cells per kilogram of body weight) after lymphodepleting chemotherapy. The preliminarry resilts of the trials confirmed that administration of CAR-NK cells was not associated with the development of cytokine release syndrome, neurotoxicity, or graft-versus-host disease, and there was no increase in the levels of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6, over baseline.

The study results also demonstrated that of the 11 patients who were treated, 8 patients (73%) had a response. Of these patients, 7 (4 with lymphoma and 3 with CLL) had a complete remission ICR), and 1 had remission of the Richters transformation component but had persistent CLL. Noteworthy was that responses were rapid and seen within 30 days after infusion at all dose levels. The infused CAR-NK cells expanded and persisted at low levels for at least 12 months. The researchers also noted that a majority of the 11 participating patients with relapsed or refractory CD19-positive cancers had a response to treatment with CAR-NK cells without the development of major toxic effects.[3]

Note * Servier will hold ex-US commercial rights. Servier is the sponsor of the UCART19 trials.

Clinical trials alloSHRINK Standard cHemotherapy Regimen and Immunotherapy With Allogeneic NKG2D-based CYAD-101 Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells NCT03692429 Study Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of UCART123 in Patients With Relapsed/ Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AMELI-01) NCT03190278 Study to Evaluate the Safety and Clinical Activity of UCART123 in Patients With BPDCN (ABC123) NCT03203369 Study of UCART19 in Pediatric Patients With Relapsed/Refractory B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (PALL) NCT02808442 Dose Escalation Study of UCART19 in Adult Patients With Relapsed / Refractory B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (CALM) NCT02746952 Dose-escalation Study of Safety of PBCAR0191 in Patients With r/r NHL and r/r B-cell ALL NCT03666000. Dose-escalation Study of Safety of PBCAR20A in Subjects With r/r NHL or r/r CLL/SLL NCT04030195 A Dose-escalation Study to Evaluate the Safety and Clinical Activity of PBCAR269A in Study Participants With Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma NCT04171843 TC-110 T Cells in Adults With Relapsed or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma or Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia NCT04323657 Phase 1/2 Trial of TC-210 T Cells in Patients With Advanced Mesothelin-Expressing Cancer NCT03907852 CARPALL: Immunotherapy With CD19 CAR T-cells for CD19+ Haematological Malignancies NCT02443831 Umbilical & Cord Blood (CB) Derived CAR-Engineered NK Cells for B Lymphoid Malignancies NCT03056339

Reference [1] Petti F. Broadening the Applicability of CAR-T Immunotherapy to Treat the Untreatable. OncoZine. October 24, 2019 [Article] [2] Wells J, Cai T, Schiffer-Manniou C, Filipe S, Gouble A, Galetto R, Jain N, Jabbour EJ, Smith J, Konopleva M. Pre-Clinical Activity of Allogeneic Anti-CD22 CAR-T Cells for the Treatment of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Blood (2017) 130 (Supplement 1): 808. https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.V130.Suppl_1.808.808 [3] Chang C, Van Der Stegen S, Mili M, Clarke R, Lai YS, Witty A, Lindenbergh P, Yang BH, et al. FT819: Translation of Off-the-Shelf TCR-Less Trac-1XX CAR-T Cells in Support of First-of-Kind Phase I Clinical Trial. Blood (2019) 134 (Supplement_1): 4434.https://doi.org/10.1182/blood-2019-130584 [4] Liu E, Marin D, Banerjee P, Macapinlac HA, Thompson P, Basar R, Nassif Kerbauy L, Overman B, Thall P, Kaplan M, Nandivada V, Kaur I, Nunez Cortes A, Cao K, Daher M, Hosing C, Cohen EN, Kebriaei P, Mehta R, Neelapu S, Nieto Y, Wang M, Wierda W, Keating M, Champlin R, Shpall EJ, Rezvani K. Use of CAR-Transduced Natural Killer Cells in CD19-Positive Lymphoid Tumors. N Engl J Med. 2020 Feb 6;382(6):545-553. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1910607. PMID: 32023374; PMCID: PMC7101242.

Featured image: T-cells attacking a cancer cell. Photo courtesy: Fotolia/Adobe 2016 2020. Used with permission.

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CAR T-cell Therapies for the Treatment of Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia - OncoZine

Biopharma Money on the Move: October 7-14 – BioSpace

Find out which biopharma companies are raking in the cash this week, as companies from around the globe provide updates on their financing rounds and IPOs.

Evotec

The UAE dropped a load of cash to become a 5.6% stakeholder into Germanys Evotec with $236 million worth of shares purchased by their sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala Investment Company. Not one to be left out, existing investor Novo increased its stake to 11% by throwing in another $59 million, bringing Evotecs haul to about $295 million. Evotec is a drug discovery alliance and development partnership company out of Hamburg, Germany. With revenues nearly quadrupling over the last five years and a goal of 10% yearly growth in the future, its no surprise these investors want in big. Evotec plans to use the cash to reach its goals by growing, particularly in the U.S. and Europe as they ramp up global ops.

SQZ Biotech

Allied with Roche to develop new cancer cell therapies, SQZ has turned its focus to the NYSE. With a preliminary goal of $75 million for its IPO, theyve applied for listing as SQZ. While traditional cell therapies require a depletion of the immune cells to improve efficacy, SQZ claims to avoid those limitations with a proprietary technology that, as its name touts, squeezes cells through a microfluidic chip to open the cell membrane and allow the therapeutic load inside. They also tout a huge leg up in manufacturing 24-hour turnaround in comparison with a month or more for current therapies. Plus, without the pre-conditioning to weaken immune systems, SQZs technology aims to shorten hospital stays. The IPO earnings are intended to finance their groundbreaking cancer and infectious disease research.

Galecto Biotech

Just two weeks after completing a $64 million Series D round, Galecto Biotech rounds the corner and goes after the public market, hoping to raise $100 million in its IPO. If successful, the Copenhagen-based company will have totaled over $250 million in financing in just the last two years. Galectos focus is on a wide range of fibrotic disease, with its lead project, GB0139 for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, currently in a Phase IIb trial. The Series D and the new funding from this IPO will go toward getting the program through to approval and commercialization.

Codiak BioSciences

After filing to go public for a second time after withdrawing in 2019, Codiak finally hit the market with an $83 million IPO, falling short of its $100 million originally sought when filed in September. The bulk of the funds will be used to advance its lead program ExoSTING through a phase study in advanced or metastatic, recurrent solid tumors, support discover and preclinical R&Dand expand its engEx technology that supports its programs. Another $10 million will go into its second program, exoIL-12, through a Phase I trial in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

EdiGene

A Series B of $67 million takes EdiGenes track record up to $100 million raised in the last two years. The Beijing-based biotech is currently leading the gene-editing wave in China with four platforms steadily advancing. The company's top candidate is a treatment for hereditary blood disease, with the next in line being a CAR-T treatment for cancer. CEO Dong Wei hopes their T cell therapeutics can help make a higher quality, lower cost option for patients and their families.

Cedilla Therapeutics

Small molecule-focused Cedilla wraps up a $57.6 million Series B round to drug the undruggable. The funding will go into preclinical work on its first two oncology candidates, which are being kept hush hush for now. They also have about five or six oncology programs running that are years away from the clinic. In addition to the Series B, Cedilla is bringing Casdin CIO and founder Eli Casdin and Boxer senior VP Dominik Naczynski onto its board of directors.

RayzeBio

Debuting with $45 million in Series A money, biotech newbie RayzeBio is ready to defeat cancer with radiopharmaceuticals. With a vision to be the first radiopharma platform in the market, RayzeBio has seven active programs and would like to see one development candidate by the second half of 2021. Radiopharmaceuticals have intrigued the biotech sphere lately, but securing a reliable supply of therapeutic radioisotopes has been a hang up. But recently the industry has devised alternate ways to generate Actinium-225, which is the radioisotope RayzeBio is working with. This new development spurred the drive to launch RayzeBio with the intent to penetrate specific tumor targets. The fledgling biotech is now rolling up its sleeves to get to work with the goal of being first.

Priothera Limited

To get more clinical data on its highly-promising therapy for high risk AML patients, Priothera closed on a $35 million USD Series A. The company's drug mocravimod should enhance the curative potential of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for treating AML. Allogeneic stem cell transplant is currently the only potentially curative approach for AML patients, but has a high mortality rate. This therapy appears promising for improving survival outcomes. Priothera acquired mocravimod from KYORIN Pharmaceutical.

Ori Biotech

Ori Biotech wants to speed up the innovation of cell and gene therapies via its manufacturing platform, and this weeks $30 million Series A is certainly a step in reaching that goal. Typically, a drug discovery pipeline can take an average of a decade to get from lab to patient. Oris platform closes, automates and standardizes manufacturing for cell and gene therapy developers so the company can move its treatments from pre-clinical to scale commercially. This novel automation will reduce cost of goods and the footprint. In addition to taking its platform to the market, Ori is also expecting to double its 8-head employee count in four months, and double that again by next year.

Kanaph Therapeutics

Kanaph beefs up its initial $8 million start in 2019 with a $21 million Series B in South Korea. This round of funding will go toward expediting the clinical development of Kanaphs pipelines, chiefly its TMEkine molecules platform for immuno-oncology and bi-specific Fc fusions for the treatment of retinal disease. Preclinical studies are anticipated to be completed at the end of this year or beginning of next year, and are ready for the next steps.

Rappta Therapeutics

Novo Seeds plants its stake in emerging biotech Rappta Therapeutics in a $10.5 million Series A round. Rapptas primary focus is developing first-in-class anti-cancer drugs that work by activating protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). The PP2A enzyme is a key tumor suppressor which has historically been tricky to target with drugs. Rappta has derived a unique understanding of the protein along with propriety tools to allow therapeutic reactivation of PP2A, which offers the potential of multiple therapies with this as the platform for a new class of anti-cancer drugs. Jeroen Bakker, Principal at Novo Seeds, will join Rapptas board. Novartis Venture Fund, Advent Life Sciences and one family office also participated in the round.

Lixte Biotechnology

Previously listed on the OTCQB, Lixte is ready to take it to Nasdaq with a $9 million offering of 1.5 million shares at a price range of $5.75 to $6.75. The NY-based biotech has developed two active series LB-100 and LB-200. The current focus is on the LB-100, which targets several types of cancer and has potential for vascular and metabolic diseases. A Phase I trial has already been completed and demonstrated antitumor activity in humans. LB-100 is now in Phase Ib/II.

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Biopharma Money on the Move: October 7-14 - BioSpace