MolMed, clinical stage biotechnology company focusing on research, development, manufacturing, and clinical validation of cell & gene therapies to treat cancer and rare diseases, during the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT) presented the abstract titled “In vivo antitumor activity of a hCD44v6-specific chimeric antigen receptor in syngeneic models of solid tumors”.
The abstract showed the results of a study conducted on immunocompetent animal models bearing human lung carcinoma and melanoma, and aimed at evaluating and characterizing the activity of CD44v6 CAR T cells, the antitumor immunotherapy of MolMed, in solid tumors.
The results of the study confirmed the high potential of CD44v6 CAR T to treat, in addition to blood cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma, also solid tumors and metastases expressing the CD44v6 antigen.
Catia Traversari, Research Director at MolMed commented: “In these experiments we used murine tumour models grown in animals with an intact immune system, mimicking what happens in humans. The murine tumors have been modified to express the hCD44v6 antigen, the target on which our CAR T acts. This procedure allowed us to observe in vivo the effects of CD44v6 CAR T therapy also on solid tumors and to demonstrate its efficacy in controlling the proliferation of both primary and metastatic lesions. We also observed that combined treatment with CAR T cells against immune check point blockers, drugs successfully used to treat melanoma and lung cancer patients, resulted in a significant increase in survival and in the complete cure of some of the treated animals. Concerning the mechanism of action, we also demonstrated that CD44v6 CAR T cells are able to induce an immune response against new tumor antigens, thus further increasing the efficacy of the treatment.”
Based on the several promising preclinical data collected, MolMed is preparing to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of CAR T CD44v6 in haematological tumors, with the start of the first clinical trial in humans, planned in the first quarter of 2019.
More info: https://www.molmed.com