Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $5 million grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to support research aimed at developing new immunotherapies for different types of blood-based cancers.
Killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR)-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies have previously demonstrated superior performance and functional persistence in solid tumor models, and the mesothelin-specific KIR-CAR T cells, Synkir-110, are now being evaluated in phase I trials by Verismo Therapeutics Inc.
Multiple myeloma (MM) is still an uncurable disease. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells directed to tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 17, also known as BCMA, have transformed the field, with high response rate and durable remissions, but the access to this therapy is limited by multiple factors.
Verismo Therapeutics Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA seeking to initiate a phase I trial this year of Synkir-310 for the treatment of relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-cell NHL), including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma and marginal zone lymphoma.
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has received a multiyear $6 million award from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to develop innovative stem cell approaches to treat children and adolescents with recurrent solid tumors. The CIRM funding will support further CHLA research into harnessing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
Xyphos Biosciences Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Astellas Pharma Inc., and Kelonia Therapeutics Inc. have entered into a research collaboration and license agreement to develop novel immuno-oncology therapeutics.
Elicera Therapeutics AB has received approval from the Swedish Medical Products Agency to start a phase I/II study of chimeric antibody receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy ELC-301 in patients with refractory or relapsed B-cell lymphoma.
CAR T cells could be repurposed to target senescent cells and delay the effect of aging. A study by scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory showed how to design them and demonstrated the advantages of this therapy in mice. “We only gave one dose, and we could have benefits [for] really long periods of time,” lead author Corina Amor told BioWorld.
Applying chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to T-cell malignancies presents important limitations due to immune suppression caused by T-cell depletion, in addition to CAR T self-killing and CAR T transfection of malignant cells.
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