While immunotherapy targeting PD-1 or its ligand PD-L1 has transformed cancer treatment by overcoming T-cell exhaustion, only a minority of patients achieves durable responses after treatment.

Allterum Therapeutics Inc. has obtained IND clearance from the FDA for 4A10, paving the way for initiation of a first-in-human phase I trial in patients with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). 4A10 is a monoclonal antibody with a human immunoglobulin G subclass 1 (IgG1) backbone that specifically binds to CD127 (IL-7Rα).

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co KG has signed an asset purchase agreement with Accent Therapeutics Inc. for Accent’s preclinical small-molecule program that offers a novel approach for treating tumors with high interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression.

The transition from complex and costly ex vivo strategies to platforms that enable direct cellular intervention within the body, known as in vivo therapies, is marking a paradigm change in the field of gene and cell therapies by simplifying manufacturing, improving tissue targeting and expanding clinical access to treatments.

As the many challenges facing cell therapies are being addressed, the CAR T field continues to evolve beyond its original design of T cells engineered to target hematological malignancies. During the 32nd Annual Congress of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT), held in Seville Oct. 7-10, several studies showed how this technology is being redefined as programmable and adaptable immune cells with expanded functional versatility.

Individuals with the inherited disorder Fanconi anemia cannot properly repair damage to their DNA, increasing risk of cancers such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

A team of U.S. and South Korean researchers have developed an AI model called MSI-SEER that can not only predict microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H) tumors based on tissue slides, but also flag “what it does not know.” “Have you ever asked ChatGPT anything, and the response was, ‘I don’t know?’” Cheong Jae-ho asked during an interview with BioWorld. “Probably not, and that is the problem with AI now.”