The Ash conference is usually a mecca for cell therapy followers. Its 2020 instalment features plenty of Car-T and Car-NK presentations, though investors might rue the fact that these risk being overshadowed by antibody modalities.<\/p>\n
Clinical data to watch on adoptive cell therapies include those on Fates allogeneic Car-NK project FT596 and Celyads Cyad-02, a Car using short hairpin RNA technology. Meanwhile, Allovir will want to justify enthusiasm for its recent flotation, whileBCMA-targeted multiple myeloma assets fight to stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n
The most advanced anti-BCMA Car-T therapy is Bristol Myers Squibb\/Bluebirds ide-cel, which faces a March 27, 2021 US FDA action date despite an earlier refuse-to-file letter. The asset to watch, however, is Johnson & Johnson\/Legend Biotechs cilta-cel, whose Cartitude-1 study is showing a remarkable 95% remission rate, according to the Ash abstract.<\/p>\n
Not only that, but Bristol\/Bluebirds follow-up, bb21217, looks disappointing, Ash data suggest. A US NCI group including Dr James Kochenderfer, who has also worked on ide-cel, is separately presenting clinical results on a new approach, FHVH-BCMA-T, which uses a heavy chain antibody fragment rather than the normal scFv.<\/p>\n
With most abstracts citing relatively early data cut-offs, updates at Ash itself will be keenly awaited. Among these Poseida will no doubt field questions if responses to P-BCMA-101 continue to lookbetter at low than at high doses.<\/p>\n
Long time coming<\/p>\n
First clinical data on FT596, Fates first Car-modified NK cell approach, have been a long time coming: the FDA signed off the IND in September 2019, but the trial did not start until April this year.<\/p>\n
Even so there might be disappointment as the Ash abstract details only a single case study, in a lymphoma subject who went into partial response after a single dose. Expectations for FT596 are high given the 73% response rate cited for an unrelated anti-CD19 Car-NK project run by MD Andersons Dr Katy Rezvani.<\/p>\n
There might be more on FT596 at Ash, but some analysts are reining in expectations of meaningful data before next year. In the unmodified NK cell sphere, meanwhile, FC21-NK data could support Sanofis decision to buy Kiadis for $358m this month.<\/p>\n
Celyad has been working on Car-T cells targeting NKG2D ligands for some time, but Ash will feature the first clinical data on Cyad-02, a construct that aims to improve on an earlier iteration, Cyad-01.<\/p>\n
One problem with Cyad-01 is Car-T fratricide, caused by T cells' own transient expression ofNKG2D ligands; Cyad-02 aims to silence these ligands using shRNA technology. The Ash abstract says Cyad-02 showed threefold better expansion than Cyad-01, and promises to deliver preliminary clinical activity data.<\/p>\n
While Cyad-02 is an autologous therapy, Celyad is separately developing allogeneic Cars. One of its allogeneic approaches also usesshRNA for gene silencing, so the Cyad-02 data could provide proof of concept beyond the use in the abstract.<\/p>\n
Allogeneic therapies will of course be aired extensively at Ash, and a presidential symposium on 8 December will see UCLAs Dr Gay Crooks discussing universal cell sources. Dr Crookss pluripotent stem cell generation technology was licensed to Kite before that company was bought by Gilead.<\/p>\n
Other presentations of general interest include a paper suggesting that CD5 knock-out enhances Car-T cell activity, and another claiming that aberrations in CD58 curtail the efficacy of Yescarta. The latter is also being highlighted at a December 5 press briefing, along with preclinical data on Allovirs anti-Covid-19 T-cell therapy ALVR109.<\/p>\n
Investors in Allovir, whose stock has doubled since the group raised $318m in a July IPO, will pay close attention.<\/p>\n
Ash 2020 will take place in virtual format on December 5-8.<\/p>\n
Vantage analysis previously summarised upcoming Ash presentations that resulted in early share price moves, cancer-focused abstracts outside cell therapy, and those in non-oncology indications.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
View original post here:<\/p>\n
Ash 2020 cell therapy preview the battle for recognition - Vantage<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Ash conference is usually a mecca for cell therapy followers. Its 2020 instalment features plenty of Car-T and Car-NK presentations, though investors might rue the fact that these risk being overshadowed by antibody modalities. Clinical data to watch on adoptive cell therapies include those on Fates allogeneic Car-NK project FT596 and Celyads Cyad-02, a Car using short hairpin RNA technology. Continue reading