Page 72«..1020..71727374..8090..»

Magenta Therapeutics Demonstrates First-ever Successful Gene Therapy Transplant Without Chemotherapy in Primates Using a Single Dose of Antibody-drug…

By daniellenierenberg

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Magenta Therapeutics (NASDAQ: MGTA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel medicines to bring the curative power of immune reset to more patients, today announced that new results from its CD117-ADC patient preparation program were presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). These results, which were highlighted in an oral presentation at ASH by John Tisdale, M.D., Director, Molecular and Clinical Hematology Section, National Institutes of Health, showed the first-ever successful transplant of gene-modified cells in non-human primates using a targeted, single-agent antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), without the use of chemotherapy or radiation.

Todays conditioning regimens involve high doses of chemotherapy, often paired with radiation, to remove the disease-causing cells. As a result, patients undergoing gene therapy or stem cell transplant are all faced with a difficult choice: whether to endure severe toxicity and risk infertility and cancer for the chance for a cure. Magentas portfolio of targeted ADCs represents an extremely promising new option to prepare patients for gene therapy or transplant with no need for toxic chemotherapy or radiation, said Dr. Tisdale. The results presented today show that a single dose of single agent CD117-ADC achieves the same level of depletion as four doses of busulfan chemotherapy to enable successful engraftment and persistence of stem cells modified with the -globin gene, the gene that causes sickle cell disease and -thalassemia when mutated. Importantly, the animals undergoing preparation with CD117-ADC showed none of the damaging toxicities associated with busulfan conditioning.

Magenta is the only company with the people, platforms and a product engine committed to comprehensively transforming immune and blood system reset, which includes revolutionizing the toxic methods that are used to prepare patients for gene therapy and transplant today. said Jason Gardner, D.Phil., Chief Executive Officer and President, Magenta Therapeutics. The gene therapy field has learned that higher levels of stem cell depletion, which meant higher doses of busulfan, were needed to ensure long-term engraftment of the gene-modified cells and persistence of gene therapy. Across all the modalities we have tested, we have seen that ADCs are most effective at achieving these high levels of stem cell depletion without chemotherapy to enable engraftment and long-term durability of the transplant. Todays impressive results provide important validation of the ADC approach as well as the CD117 target for patient preparation and underscore Magentas leadership in the field of conditioning.

Results from the CD117-ADC Patient Preparation Program

Title: A Single Dose of CD117 Antibody Drug Conjugate Enables Autologous Gene-Modified Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (Gene Therapy) in Nonhuman Primates (Abstract #610)Presenter: John Tisdale, M.D., Director, Molecular and Clinical Hematology Section, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Magentas most advanced patient preparation program, CD117-ADC, targets CD117, a protein expressed on hematopoietic stem cells. CD117-ADC is designed to remove the genetically mutated cells in the bone marrow that cause certain genetic diseases, such as sickle cell disease, enabling curative stem cell transplant or gene therapy.

Results presented by Dr. Tisdale showed:

About Magenta Therapeutics

Magenta Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing medicines to bring the curative power of immune system reset through stem cell transplant to more patients with autoimmune diseases, genetic diseases and blood cancers. Magenta is combining leadership in stem cell biology and biotherapeutics development with clinical and regulatory expertise, a unique business model and broad networks in the stem cell transplant world to revolutionize immune reset for more patients.

Magenta is based in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, please visit http://www.magentatx.com.

Follow Magenta on Twitter: @magentatx.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release may contain forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as may, will, could, should, expects, intends, plans, anticipates, believes, estimates, predicts, projects, seeks, endeavor, potential, continue or the negative of such words or other similar expressions can be used to identify forward-looking statements. The express or implied forward-looking statements included in this press release are only predictions and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including, without limitation risks set forth under the caption Risk Factors in Magentas Registration Statement on Form S-1, as updated by Magentas most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and its other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of these risks, uncertainties and assumptions, the forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although Magenta believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or occur. Moreover, except as required by law, neither Magenta nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the forward-looking statements included in this press release. Any forward-looking statement included in this press release speaks only as of the date on which it was made. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191209005253/en/

Go here to read the rest:
Magenta Therapeutics Demonstrates First-ever Successful Gene Therapy Transplant Without Chemotherapy in Primates Using a Single Dose of Antibody-drug...

To Read More: Magenta Therapeutics Demonstrates First-ever Successful Gene Therapy Transplant Without Chemotherapy in Primates Using a Single Dose of Antibody-drug…
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Magenta Therapeutics Demonstrates First-ever Successful Gene Therapy Transplant Without Chemotherapy in Primates Using a Single Dose of Antibody-drug… | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

Gracell Announces Progressive Outcomes from Multiple Human Clinical Trials to Investigate FasTCAR and Dual CAR Cell Platform Technologies – PRNewswire

By daniellenierenberg

SUZHOU, Chinaand SHANGHAI, Dec. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Gracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd ("Gracell"), a clinical-stage immune cell therapy company, today announced the progressive clinical outcomes for leading product candidates FasTCAR-19, Dual CAR-19-22, and Dual CAR-BCMA-19 at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, held from December 7-10. Multiple pilot studies intend to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Gracell's first-in-class FasTCAR-19 (GC007F), Dual CAR-19-22 (GC012F) and Dual CAR-BCMA-19 (GC022F) cell therapy.

FasTCAR-19FasTCAR-19 or GC007F uses Gracell's patented FasTCARTM solution, which genetically modifies a patient's T-cells to express CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).

Utilizing the unique bioprocessing, FasTCAR-19 cells can be produced overnight through viral transfection in use of Gracell's proprietary fully-closed manufacturing system (from apheresis to filling). These cells are considered far more potent and durable in comparison to current market alternatives. To date, all 37 patient samples have been successfully manufactured. The process has been proven efficient, stable and duplicable, with a median 36.8% (range 13.1%-70.3%) transfection success and a median copies of 0.95 (range 0.2-4.21).

As of November, this investigational study enrolled 37 adult and adolescent patients aged from 14 to 70 years, who suffered from r/r B-ALL and had failed to respond to multiple prior lines of therapy, from eight clinical centers. All patients received a single infusion of FasTCAR-19 at one of the three-dose level (low: 0.6*10^5/kg; mid: 1.0*10^5/kg, and high: 1.6*10^5/kg), followed by prior conditioning regimen of fludarabine-cyclophosphamide (FC).

The treatment efficacy was assessed in 35 patients over 28 days of follow-up, of which:

During the over six month-durable remission period, FasTCAR-19 demonstrated a good level of persistence in line with previous clinical trials. In terms of safety, all 37 patients tolerated the single infusion of FasTCAR-19 at different dose levels, with no dose-limiting toxicities observed. The most common safety concerns were cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) where mild to moderate side effects were observed. Across 30 patients in the low to mid doses group, only 5 (16.7%) manageable Grade 3 CRS and 5 (16.7%) manageable Grade 3 ICANS were reported; while the remaining 23 (76.7%) had Grade 1-2 CRS. The low to mid doses group will likely be selected for extensive study in future clinical trials.

Beyond single-antigen CAR, Dual CAR-T cells can deliver promising clinical outcomesSingle-antigen CAR-T cells have demonstrated considerable efficacy; however, antigen loss and high relapse rate have been observed in a significant number of patients. To combat this, treatments containing two separate CARs and dual transduction (GC022 targeting CD19 and CD22, GC012 targeting BCMA and CD19) were developed. Following positive results from in vitro and in vivo studies, human clinical trials have commenced testing the safety and feasibility of Dual CAR-19-22 and Dual CAR-BCMA-19 to treat B-ALL and MM, respectively.

Dual CAR-19-22

Dual CAR-19-22 or GC022 has achieved a manufacturing success rate of 20/20, without any patient loss due to manufacturing failure. Enrolled patients aged from 4-45 years old who has B-ALL, received a single infusion of Dual CAR-19-22 at one of the three-dose levels (low: 0.5*10^6/kg; mid: 2.0*10^6/kg, and high: 3.0*10^6/kg), under conventional bioprocessing. The study demonstrated a very good safety profile and high efficacy at mid to high doses.

The treatment efficacy was assessed in 20 patients with a 28-day follow-up, of which:

Dual CAR-19-22 proved effective on patients who had previously been treated with CD19 CAR-T cells and/or received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for r/r B-ALL but failed to benefit from prior treatments. Among these five patients, four (80%) patients achieved MRD-CR with a 28-day follow-up. Surpassing the 3-month durable remission period, fifteenpatients still retain ongoing response.

Furthermore, Dual CAR-19-22 demonstrated an excellent safety profile, with 6/20 (30%) patients indicating no CRS, 14/20 (70%) reporting Grade 1 CRS. No ICANS events were reported.

Dual CAR-BCMA-19Dual CAR-BCMA-19 or GC012 has been demonstrated effective in eliminating multiple myeloma (MM) tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo. The first-in-human study showed a good safety profile and effectiveness. Beyond, FasTCARTM has successfully been applied to Dual CAR-BCMA-19, expected to enhance proliferation, potency, and migration in the human body.

"We are delighted to see that patients with relapsed/refractory B-ALL continue to gain substantial clinical benefit from FasTCAR-19. Furthermore, Dual CAR-19-22 with conventional bioprocess can generate promising clinical data. This marks our confidence to utilize FasTCAR technology to both Dual CAR programs for various indications," said Dr. William Cao, CEO of Gracell. "The results from our latest clinical trials reveal the immense potential of FasTCAR technology, and we are eager to see Gracell's highly efficacious, yet affordable therapies benefit more patients in China and worldwide."

About B-ALLAcute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), although rare, is one of the most common forms of cancer in children between the ages of two and five and adults over the age of 501. In 2015, ALL affected around 837,000 people globally and resulted in 110,000 deaths worldwide2. It is also the most common cause of cancer and death from cancer among children. ALL is typically treated initially with chemotherapy aimed at bringing about remission. This is then followed by further chemotherapy carried out over several years.

About MMMultiple myeloma (MM) is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell known as a plasma cell. MM cells are abnormal plasma cells (a type of white blood cell) that build up in the bone marrow and form tumors in many bones of the body. Healthy plasma cells make antibodies to help the body fight infection and disease. As the number of MM cells increases, more antibodies are produced. This can cause the blood to thicken and keep the bone marrow from making enough healthy blood cells. MM cells can also damage and weaken the bone. In 2018, MM affected around 160,000 people globally and resulted in 106,000 deaths worldwide3. Different types of treatments are available for patients with plasma cell neoplasms. Chemotherapy and targeted therapy are typical treatments; while stem cell transplant, biologic therapy, and radiation therapy, even surgery are also adopted.

About GracellGracell Biotechnologies Co., Ltd. ("Gracell") is a clinical-stage biopharma company, committed to developing highly reliable and affordable cell gene therapies for cancer. Gracell is dedicated to resolving the remaining challenges in CAR-T, such as high production costs, lengthy manufacturing process, lack of off-the-shelf products, and inefficacy against solid tumors. Led by a group of world-class scientists, Gracell is advancing FasTCARTM, TruUCARTM (off-the-shelf CAR), Dual CAR and Enhanced CAR-T cell therapies for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and solid tumors.

CONTACT:

1https://www.cancer.org/cancer/acute-lymphocytic-leukemia/about/key-statistics.html2https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5055577/3https://gco.iarc.fr/today/fact-sheets-cancers

SOURCE Gracell

Go here to see the original:
Gracell Announces Progressive Outcomes from Multiple Human Clinical Trials to Investigate FasTCAR and Dual CAR Cell Platform Technologies - PRNewswire

To Read More: Gracell Announces Progressive Outcomes from Multiple Human Clinical Trials to Investigate FasTCAR and Dual CAR Cell Platform Technologies – PRNewswire
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Gracell Announces Progressive Outcomes from Multiple Human Clinical Trials to Investigate FasTCAR and Dual CAR Cell Platform Technologies – PRNewswire | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

Mustang Bio Announces Updated Clinical Data on MB-107 Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Patients with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency -…

By daniellenierenberg

MB-107 preceded by low-dose busulfan conditioning continues to be well tolerated and results in development of functional immune system in newly diagnosed infants with XSCID

Enhanced transduction procedure is demonstrating improvements in older patients with XSCID who received prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Data presented by St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and National Institutes of Health at 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, Dec. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mustang Bio, Inc. (Mustang) (NASDAQ: MBIO), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating todays medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies into potential cures for hematologic cancers, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases, announced today that updated Phase 1/2 clinical data for MB-107 lentiviral gene therapy for X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID) were presented on Saturday by St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital (St. Jude) and today by the National Institutes of Health at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting.

MB-107 is currently being assessed in two Phase 1/2 clinical trials for XSCID: the first in newly diagnosed infants under the age of two at St. Jude, and the second in patients over the age of two who have received prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the National Institutes of Health. Under a licensing partnership with St. Jude, Mustang intends to develop the lentiviral gene therapy for commercial use as MB-107. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to MB-107 for the treatment of XSCID in August 2019.

Manuel Litchman, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Mustang, said, The updated clinical data presented at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting underscore the curative potential of MB-107 for newly diagnosed infants with XSCID, as well as its meaningful impact on older XSCID patients who received prior hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. St. Jude recently received the 2019 Smithsonian Magazine American Ingenuity Award for development of the lentiviral gene therapy, highlighting its potential to have an impact on this devastating disease. We are excited to be working with St. Jude and NIH to advance MB-107 and look forward to transferring the IND from St. Jude to Mustang in the first quarter of 2020.

Lentiviral Gene Therapy with Low Dose Busulfan for Infants with X-SCID Results in the Development of a Functional Normal Immune System: Interim Results of an Ongoing Phase I/II Clinical Study (Abstract Number: 2058)Poster presentation: Ewelina Mamcarz, M.D., Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA

Interim data from the multicenter Phase 1/2 clinical trial for infants under the age of two treated with the lentiviral gene therapy preceded by low exposure-targeted busulfan conditioning were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Updated data presented at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting include three more patients (n=11), 8 months additional median follow up (23.6 months; range: 1.5 to 33.9 months), more extensive analysis of T and B cell functional recovery, and detailed vector integration site studies.

Data Highlights:

The results from treatment with low-dose busulfan conditioning and the novel lentiviral gene therapy in newly diagnosed infants with XSCID continue to be very promising, said Dr. Mamcarz. We are pleased that the therapy has been well tolerated and all patients with a follow up of more than 3 months recovered from pre-existing infections, are off protective isolation and prophylactic antimicrobials, and have normal growth in respect to height and weight. This reinforces our belief that the lentiviral gene therapy has the potential to be an attractive alternative to current XSCID therapies.

Enhanced Transduction Lentivector Gene Therapy for Treatment of Older Patients with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (Abstract Number: 608)Oral presentation: Harry Malech, M.D., Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA

Early outcome data for five older children and young adults with XSCID who received the lentivector (also known as lentiviral) gene therapy as salvage therapy after having previously received haplo-identical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as infants without chemotherapy-based conditioning were previously reported and published in Science Translational Medicine. By 2016, three additional patients were treated, and the cohort of eight patients (referred to as Cohort A) has now been followed for 3 to 7 years. Among Cohort A, gradual clinical benefit in the clearance of chronic norovirus and associated improved abdominal complaints, malabsorption, growth and IgG production were observed, and four patients were able to cease immunoglobulin replacement therapy.

While the results were positive, the relatively inefficient transduction of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) required large quantities of vector. This resulted in relatively low VCN in myeloid cells in some patients, with delayed immune cell recovery and persistent clinical disease, especially in the last patient treated (patient 8). To address this, NIH developed a refined enhanced transduction (ET) procedure consisting of a single overnight transduction after 48 hours pre-stimulation in cytokines (Stem cell factor, Thrombopoietin, Flt3-ligand; 100ng/mL) and incorporated transduction enhancers LentiBoost 1:100 and dimethyl prostaglandin 2 (dmPGE2; 1uM).

The presentation at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting included data from six patients (referred to as Cohort B) treated by NIH, including re-treatment of patient 8. The patients, who were aged 12 to 36, had significant problems with donor T cell infiltration of liver, bone marrow and kidneys, and were nearly absent of B and NK cells. The enhanced transduction procedure achieved much greater transduction efficiencies than were observed in Cohort A, with greater than 10-fold less vector, and resulted in faster immune reconstitution and more significant clinical benefit by 3 months.

We are encouraged by the significantly improved measures of early clinical outcomes from lentivector gene therapy in older children and young adults with XSCID using an enhanced transduction procedure with the addition of LentiBoost and dmPGE2, said Dr. Malech. Notably, we have seen an early appearance of B and NK cells at much higher levels in Cohort B than we previously observed in Cohort A, even at years after treatment. We look forward to continuing to closely monitor patients and report outcomes.

About Mustang BioMustang Bio, Inc. (Mustang) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on translating todays medical breakthroughs in cell and gene therapies into potential cures for hematologic cancers, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases. Mustang aims to acquire rights to these technologies by licensing or otherwise acquiring an ownership interest, to fund research and development, and to outlicense or bring the technologies to market. Mustang has partnered with top medical institutions to advance the development of CAR T and CRISPR/Cas9-enhanced CAR T therapies across multiple cancers, as well as a lentiviral gene therapy for XSCID. Mustang is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and files periodic reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Mustang was founded by Fortress Biotech, Inc. (NASDAQ: FBIO). For more information, visit http://www.mustangbio.com.

ForwardLooking Statements This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our growth strategy and product development programs and any other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are based on managements current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial condition and stock value. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated include: risks relating to our growth strategy; our ability to obtain, perform under and maintain financing and strategic agreements and relationships; risks relating to the results of research and development activities; risks relating to the timing of starting and completing clinical trials; uncertainties relating to preclinical and clinical testing; our dependence on third-party suppliers; our ability to attract, integrate and retain key personnel; the early stage of products under development; our need for substantial additional funds; government regulation; patent and intellectual property matters; competition; as well as other risks described in our SEC filings. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations or any changes in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.

Company Contacts:Jaclyn Jaffe and William BegienMustang Bio, Inc.(781) 652-4500ir@mustangbio.com

Investor Relations Contact:Daniel FerryLifeSci Advisors, LLC(617) 430-7576daniel@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Relations Contact:Tony Plohoros6 Degrees(908) 591-2839tplohoros@6degreespr.com

Read more:
Mustang Bio Announces Updated Clinical Data on MB-107 Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Patients with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency -...

To Read More: Mustang Bio Announces Updated Clinical Data on MB-107 Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Patients with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency -…
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Mustang Bio Announces Updated Clinical Data on MB-107 Lentiviral Gene Therapy for Patients with X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency -… | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers – BioSpace

By daniellenierenberg

Investor call to be held December 9 at 8:30 am ET / 1:30 pm GMT to review data

LONDON, Dec. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autolus Therapeutics plc (Nasdaq: AUTL) announced today new data highlighting progress on its next-generation programmed T cell therapies to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and adults with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The data were presented in oral presentations at the 61st American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Orlando, FL. Additional data on pediatric patients with ALL will be presented on December 8.

The data on AUTO1 presented at this years ASH meeting demonstrate the favorable safety profile and high level of clinical activity of AUTO1 in both adults and pediatric patients with ALL, and we look forward to initiation of the pivotal program in adult ALL in the first half of 2020, said Dr. Christian Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Autolus.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Data Presented

Title: AUTO1 A novel fast off CD19CAR delivers durable remissions and prolonged CAR T cell persistence with low CRS or neurotoxicity in adult ALL (Abstract # 226)

Updated results for ALLCAR19, the Phase 1 trial evaluating AUTO1 in adults with recurrent/refractory ALL, were presented by Dr. Claire Roddie MB, PhD, FRCPath, honorary senior lecturer, Cancer Institute, University College London (UCL), in an oral presentation. The trial is designed to assess the primary endpoints of safety ( Grade 3 toxicity) and feasibility of product generation, as well as other secondary endpoints, including efficacy. The trial enrolled patients with a high tumor burden (44% had 50% BM blasts), who were considered high-risk for experiencing cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Product was manufactured for 19 patients; product for 13 of those patients was manufactured using a semi-automated closed process, which will be used for commercial supply.

As of the data cut-off date of November 25, 16 patients had received at least one dose of AUTO1. AUTO1 was well tolerated, with no patients experiencing Grade 3 CRS, and 3 of 16 patients (19%), who had high leukemia burden, experiencing Grade 3 neurotoxicity that resolved swiftly with steroids.

Of 15 patients evaluable for efficacy, 13 (87%) achieved MRD negative CR at 1 month and all patients had ongoing CAR T cell persistence at last follow up. CD19-negative relapse occurred in 22% (2 of 15) patients. In the patients dosed with AUTO1 manufactured in the closed process, 9 of 9 (100%) achieved MRD negative CR at 1 month and 6 months event free survival, and overall survival in this cohort was 100%.

Adult ALL patients, who face a median survival of less than one year after their ALL recurs or relapses, have a significant need for a CAR T cell therapy that is highly active, safe and is a standalone therapy not requiring a stem cell transplant, said Dr. Hagop M. Kantarjian, Chair of the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The novel CD 19 CAR-T therapy, AUTO1, is potentially transformative as a standalone curative option for patients with r/r ALL, especially in adults, given its favorable safety profile, said Dr. Max Topp associate professor of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology at the University of Wuerzburg.

Title: Therapy of pediatric B-ALL with a lower affinity CD19 CAR leads to enhanced expansion and prolonged CAR T cell persistence in patients with low bone marrow tumor burden, and is associated with a favorable toxicity profile (Abstract # 225)

Dr. Sara Ghorashian, honorary senior lecturer, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, presented updated data from the phase 1 CARPALL study of AUTO1 in pediatric ALL patients with low bone marrow tumor burden. The trial is intended to assess the primary endpoints of safety and proportion of patients in molecular complete remission at 1 month. The study recruited a total of 25 patients and stratified them into 2 cohorts. Fourteen patients were treated in cohort 1, which utilized a manual manufacturing process; product was unable to be generated in 3 patients. Median follow-up was 27 months in cohort 1. Seven patients were treated in cohort 2, which utilized the semi-automated closed manufacturing process, which will be used for commercial supply. The aim of cohort 2 was to demonstrate feasibility of manufacture at scale. Product was generated for 100% of patients. Median follow-up was 7 months in cohort 2.

AUTO1 was well-tolerated overall, with no patients experiencing Grade 3 CRS and 1 of 21 (5%) experiencing Grade 4 neurotoxicity, which was considered unrelated to CAR T therapy.

Nineteen of 21 treated patients (90%) achieved molecular complete remission at 1 month post infusion. Consistent with pre-clinical data, CAR T cell expansion was excellent and detectable by flow in a number of patients up to 36 months. Persistence was noted in 15 of 21 patients at last follow-up, up to 36 months. In cohort 2, 100% of patients achieved molecular complete remission at 1 month post infusion.

In the 14 patients in cohort 1, the overall survival at 6 months was 86% and at 12 months was 71%; event free survival (EFS) at 6 months was 71% and at 12 months was 54%. The patients in cohort 2 are not yet evaluable for these parameters. Overall, nine patients relapsed; 5 of 8 evaluable relapses were due to loss of CD19 antigen on the tumor cells.

Title: Clonal dynamics of early responder and long-term surviving CAR-T cells in humans (Abstract # 52)

Dr. Luca Biasco, senior research associate at University College London, presented a detailed analysis of CAR T products, and insertion site analysis from the CARPALL phase 1 patients. This analysis revealed highly polyclonal engraftment, even at very late time-points. Dr. Biasco hypothesized that the propensity for high level polyclonal long-term engraftment was due to favorable phenotype of the CAR T product and the binding kinetic of the receptor.

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Data Presented

Title: Phase 1/2 study of AUTO3, the first bicistronic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 and CD22 followed by an anti-PD1 in patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL): Results of cohort 1 and 2 of the ALEXANDER study (Abstract # 246)

Dr. Kirit Ardeshna, consultant hematologist, Department of Hematology, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, presented updated data from the ALEXANDER Phase 1/2 study of AUTO3, the first bicistronic CAR T targeting CD19 and CD22 followed by an anti-PD1, in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). 16 patients were treated, and fourteen patients were evaluable at one month. AUTO3 was well-tolerated, with no patients experiencing Grade 3 CRS with primary treatment, and 1 of 14 experiencing Grade 3 neurotoxicity that resolved swiftly with steroids. Five of 14 had a complete response, with 4 of 5 complete responses ongoing, the longest at 18 months.

DLBCL is an aggressive and rapidly progressing cancer, and early response is critical to ensuring positive outcomes for these patients. These early data show the promise of AUTO3 in DLBCL, and we expect to advance AUTO3 to a decision point in relapsed/refractory DLBCL by the middle of next year, said Dr. Christian Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Autolus. In addition, we look forward to presenting the data from the AMELIA trial of AUTO3 in pediatric ALL during poster sessions on Sunday, December 8, 6:00 8:00 PM ET.

Investor call to review data on Monday, December 9

Autolus management will host an investor conference call on Monday, December 9, at 8:30 a.m. EDT/ 1:30pm GMT, to review the data presented at ASH.

To listen to the webcast and view the accompanying slide presentation, please go to: https://www.autolus.com/investor-relations/news-and-events/events.

The call may also be accessed by dialing (866) 679-5407 for U.S. and Canada callers or (409) 217-8320 for international callers. Please reference conference ID 9796038. After the conference call, a replay will be available for one week. To access the replay, please dial (855) 859-2056 for U.S. and Canada callers or (404) 537-3406 for international callers. Please reference conference ID 9796038.

About AUTO1

AUTO1 is a CD19 CAR T cell investigational therapy 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 under which Autolus acquired global rights from 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 1 studies, one in pediatric ALL and one in adult ALL.

About AUTO3

AUTO3 is a programmed T cell therapy containing two independent chimeric antigen receptors targeting CD19 and CD22 that have each been independently optimized for single target activity. By simultaneously targeting two B cell antigens, AUTO3 is designed to minimize relapse due to single antigen loss in patients with B cell malignancies. AUTO3 is currently being tested in pediatric ALL in the AMELIA clinical trial and in diffuse large B cell lymphoma in the ALEXANDER clinical trial.

About Autolus Therapeutics plc

Autolus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Using a broad suite of proprietary and modular T cell programming technologies, the company is engineering precisely targeted, controlled and highly active T cell therapies that are designed to better recognize cancer cells, break down their defense mechanisms and eliminate these cells. Autolus has a pipeline of product candidates in development for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. For more information please visit http://www.autolus.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, and in some cases can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "could," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," and "believes." These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Autolus financial condition and results of operations, as well as statements regarding the anticipated development of Autolus product candidates, including its intentions regarding the timing for providing further updates on the development of its product candidates, and the sufficiency of its cash resources. Any forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section titled "Risk Factors" in Autolus' Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on November 23, 2018 as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Autolus' future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor and media contact: Silvia TaylorVice President, Corporate Affairs and CommunicationsAutolus+1-240-801-3850s.taylor@autolus.com

UK:Julia Wilson+44 (0) 7818 430877j.wilson@autolus.com

Read more here:
Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers - BioSpace

To Read More: Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers – BioSpace
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers – BioSpace | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

ASH 2019: Second-gen CAR T-Cell Therapy Overcome Resistance, Reduce Toxicity and Simplify Treatment – OncoZine

By daniellenierenberg

Using immunotherapy with genetically modified T cells that express chimeric antigen receptors or CARs designed to target tumor-associated molecules, have impressive efficacy in the treatment hematological malignancies.

A CAR is a synthetic construct that, when expressed in T cells, mimics T cell receptor activation and redirects specificity and effector function toward a specified antigen.[1]

In the treatment of cancer, this process is accomplished by linking an extracellular ligand-binding domain specific for a tumor cell surface antigen to an intracellular signaling module that activates T cells upon antigen binding.[1]

The presented studies include results from emerging second-generation cellular immunotherapy products that strive to overcome the limitations of existing products such as resistance and reduce toxicity and simplify treatment.

Cellular immunotherapy uses genetic engineering to enhance the ability of the immune system the bodys defense system against infection and disease to kill malignant cells in the blood, the bone marrow, and other sites, in order to keep cancer from coming back.

CAR T-cell TherapyChimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies, better known as CAR T-cell therapies, are developed by harvesting a patients own T-cells, the immune systems primary cancer-killing cells, engineering them to target proteins specific to the surface of cancer cells, and reintroducing these modified T-cells back into the patients immune system to kill the cancer cells.

First generationFirst-generation CAR T-cell therapies primarily target CD-19, a protein found on the surface of most normal and malignant B cells in B cell cancers such as lymphoma. These therapies have been shown to produce long-term remissions in about one-third of patients with B-cell lymphomas that have not responded to prior therapies.

We are now seeing efforts to enhance the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy by designing products capable of attacking multiple targets, expand the availability of cellular immunotherapy to other blood cancers such as multiple myeloma and replace the complex manufacturing process required for CAR T-cell therapy with a uniform off-the-shelf product, noted Gary Schiller, MD, UCLA Health, an academic medical center which includes a number of hospitals and an extensive primary care network in the Los Angeles, California, region.

One of the phase I studies evaluates an off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy product that targets two proteins found on the surface of lymphoma cells, including its potential to revive previously administered CAR T-cells that have stopped working.

Another study presents preclinical results for one of the first cellular immunotherapies to be based on off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cells and the first, according to its manufacturer, to be genetically engineered to contain three active anti-tumor components.

The other two studies, also phase I studies, assess novel CAR T-cell therapies for multiple myeloma that test different dual-target strategies.

One investigational agent is genetically engineered to contain two proteins that attach to BCMA, a protein found almost exclusively on the surface of plasma cells, the immune-system cells that become cancerous in multiple myeloma.

The other is designed to target both BCMA and CD-38, another protein found on the surface of plasma cells. In both studies, many patients achieved minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity, which means that using highly sensitive testing fewer than one myeloma cell per 100,000 cells was identified in the bone marrow. Previous studies have shown that patients who achieve this milestone have a lower risk of relapse after more than three years of follow-up.

Dual-targeted CAR T-cell therapiesThe three phase I studies also hint at the possibility that dual-targeted CAR T-cell therapies might result in fewer patients experiencing moderate to severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a known adverse effect caused by an immune response in the body to the activated T cells that are attacking the cancer. CRS causes flu-like symptoms such as fever, body aches, and fatigue, and in severe cases can be life-threatening. Treatment with the drug tocilizumab can reduce CRS symptoms.

Dual-Targeted Antibody Elicits Durable ResponsesPatients with B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) that had returned after or failed to respond to a median of three prior therapies showed complete responses (CR) and durable remissions after being treated with an investigational drug called mosunetuzumab (RG7828; Genentech/Roche). [2]

This investigational agent is a humanized, T-cell bispecific antibody designed to engage T cells and redirect their cytotoxic activity against malignant B cells. The drug works by activating the patients own T-cells, stimulating them to attack and kill cancerous B cells to which they have been introduced by the novel antibody.

Mosunetuzumab simultaneously binds to CD3 epsilon (CD3), a component of the T-cell receptor (TCR) complex, and to CD20, a B-cell surface protein expressed in a majority of B-cell malignancies. This results in crosslinking of the TCR, inducing downstream signaling events that leads to B-cell killing.

Among patients whose lymphoma progressed after treatment with CAR T-cell therapy, 22% had complete remissions when treated with mosunetuzumab. This new drug targets two proteins, one on the surface of tumor cells and the other on the surface of the recipients Tcells.

Unlike CAR T-cell therapy, mosunetuzumab is an off-the-shelf immunotherapy product that can be given to patients without having to genetically modify their T cells, noted lead author Stephen J. Schuster, MD, of Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Mosunetuzumab generates long-lasting responses with a very tolerable safety profile in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas for whom multiple prior treatments have failed and whose prognosis is poor. Of particular interest, we are seeing durable complete remissions in patients whose lymphomas progressed after CAR T-cell therapy, he added.

The researchers observed many remissions continue after patients stop receiving the drug.

I have stopped therapy in some patients after six months and they have remained in remission. Some patients have remained in remission without additional therapy for more than a year, Schuster said.

New treatment options are needed not only for patients in whom CAR T-cell therapy has failed, but also for those patients whose lymphomas are getting worse so quickly that they cannot wait for CAR T-cell manufacturing, which takes several weeks, Schuster explained.

The data presented during the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology included 270 patients (median age 62, 172 men) enrolled in the phase I trial in seven countries (the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, South Korea, Spain, and the United Kingdom). All participating patients had B-cell lymphomas that had come back or not responded to a median of three prior therapies. Two-thirds of patients (67%) had fast-growing lymphomas; 85 (31%) patients had more slow-growing forms of the disease. In 30 patients (11%), the cancer was resistant to or returned after an initial response to CAR T-cell therapy; in 77 patients (29%), the disease had progressed after a stem cell transplant.

All patients were treated with mosunetuzumab by intravenous infusion. They had an imaging test at either six weeks or three months after starting therapy to assess the initial response to treatment, and responses continued to be followed every three months thereafter.

Forty-six of 124 patients with fast-growing lymphomas (37%) had measurable decreases in the extent of their cancer (objective response); 24 of 124 patients (19%) saw all detectable tumors disappear (complete response). A higher response rate was observed in patients with higher exposure to mosunetuzumab. Among patients with slow-growing lymphomas, 42 of 67 (63%) had objective responses and 29 of 67 (43%) had complete responses. Both objective response rate and complete response rate were maintained in subgroups of patients at high risk for relapse.

Complete remissions appear to be long lasting, Schuster said.

With a median follow-up of six months since first complete remission, 24 of 29 patients (83%) who achieved complete remissions of their slow-growing lymphomas and 17 of 24 patients (71%) who achieved complete remissions of their fast-growing lymphomas remain free of disease. In some patients whose cancers progressed after receiving CAR T-cell therapy, highly sensitive molecular testing showed that the previously administered CAR T cells increased in number.

This suggests that, in addition to its ability to kill cancerous B cells, mosunetuzumab may also help augment the effect of the prior CAR-T treatment, Schuster noted.

Cytokine-release syndromeIn this study, 29% of patients treated with mosunetuzumab experienced cytokine-release syndrome that was mostly mild.

Cytokine release syndrome or CRS is caused by a large, rapid release of cytokines into the blood from immune cells affected by the immunotherapy. While most patients have a mild reaction, sometimes patients may have a severe, life threatening, reaction.

In 3% of patients, CRS was treated with tocilizumab (Actemra; Genentech/Roche). Four percent of patients experienced moderately severe neurologic side effects. Patients who received higher doses of mosunetuzumab were no more likely to have CRS or neurologic side effects than patients treated at lower doses.

A study of a higher dose of mosunetuzumab is now enrolling patients and long-term follow-up of these patients will ultimately help to better evaluate the durability of response data.

Larger, randomized trials are needed to further confirm these promising data and determine whether the treatment benefit of mosunetuzumab is enhanced when it is used earlier in the course of lymphoma therapy or in combination with other agents, Schuster concluded.

Novel Off-the-Shelf CARPreclinical studies provide the first evidence that cellular immunotherapy for B cell cancers could ultimately become an off-the-shelf product, capable of being uniformly manufactured in large quantities as prescription drugs are.

We have taken the concept of traditional pharmaceutical drug development and applied it to cellular therapy, explained senior author Bob Valamehr, Ph.D, of Fate Therapeutics, a San Diego biopharmaceutical company.

The product called FT596, is among the first cellular immunotherapies to be based on off-the-shelf NK cells the first line of defense of the immune system and is the first cellular immunotherapy to be genetically engineered to contain three active anti-tumor components, Valamehr explained.

Comparable with standard CAR T-cell therapyFT596 demonstrated comparable ability to kill cancerous white blood cells as standard CAR T-cells and, when combined with the drug rituximab (Rituxan; Genentech/Roche), killed cancerous white blood cells that were no longer responding to standard CAR T-cell therapy due to loss of the CD19 antigen target.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Fate Therapeutics Investigational New Drug Application for FT596 in September 2019 and the company hopes to begin a first-in-human phase I clinical trial for the treatment of B-cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in the first quarter of 2020.

The primary purpose of this trial will be to assess the safety and activity of FT596 in patients.

ManufacturingThe development and manufacturing of FT596 begins with human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that are uniquely capable of unlimited self-renewal and can differentiate into more than 200 types of human cells. These iPSCs are genetically engineered, after which a single genetically engineered cell or clone is selected and multiplied in the laboratory to create a master engineered cell line that can be repeatedly used to generate cancer-fighting immune-system cells such as NK and T cells.

Natural Kiler Cells or NK cells are a type of lymphocyte and a component of innate immune system, the bodys first line of defense against infection and disease. Unlike T-cells, which have to be trained to recognize their target and can kill only cells that display that target on their surface, NK cells do not need special preparation before going on the attack and can kill many different types of transformed or infected cells.

NK cells are multifaceted and can be viewed as a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to protecting the host, whereas T cells can act in only one way, Valamehr explained.

But NK cells are also different in other ways. They are inherently limited in their capacity to multiply and expand when infused into patients, and they have a shorter lifespan.

Valamehr and his colleagues used genetic engineering to address these shortcomings. In addition to engineering FT596 to carry a CAR targeting the CD19 protein, which is produced by nearly all B-cell lymphomas and leukemias, they inserted two other novel proteins: CD16, which boosts and broadens the NK cells ability to kill cancer cells, and IL15, which stimulates FT596 to proliferate and persist.

Valamehr explained that FT596 has been designed to address two more limitations of CAR T-cell therapy .

The investigational agent is an off-the-shelf product. As a result, it significantly improves the current patient-by-patient CAR T-cell treatment paradigm by eliminating the time-consuming and costly process that is currently required to treat a patient with CAR T-cells.

The addition of the CD16 protein gives FT596 broader therapeutic activity and versatility. In combination with rituximab, FT596 has the potential to lead to deeper and more durable responses and overcome resistance that hampers the long-term efficacy of CAR T-cell therapy.

Eliminating the high production cost, weeks of manufacturing time, and complex manufacturing process required for CAR T-cell therapy and replacing it with a mass-produced, off-the-shelf product, promises to expand access to effective cell-based cancer immunotherapy to many more patients who may benefit from it, Valamehr concluded.

Results from CARTITUDE-1 in R/R Multiple MyelomaPatients with multiple myeloma who had received a median of five prior therapies, and for whom standard-of-care treatments were no longer working, had a high response rate when treated with the investigational CAR T-cell therapy JNJ-68284528 (JNJ-4528), which targets BCMA, a protein commonly found on the surface of multiple myeloma cancer cells.

These patients participated in a clinical trials (NCT03548207), supported by Janssen Research & Development, designed to characterize safety of and establish the recommended Phase II dose (RP2D) (Phase Ib) and to evaluate the efficacy of JNJ-68284528 (Phase II).

We are seeing a high response rate, with most patients achieving MRD negativity, noted lead study author Deepu Madduri, MD, of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai in New York.

Considering these patients have all received multiple prior therapies, these results are extremely encouraging, Madduri added.

All evaluable patients receiving this CAR T-cell therapy have achieved MRD-negative disease state and 27 of 29 patients are progression free at a median follow-up of six months, Madduri said.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow and are part of the immune system, the bodys defense system against infection. Typical signs and symptoms of multiple myeloma may be bone pain or fractures, high levels of calcium in the blood, kidney damage, and anemia. Multiple myeloma affects an estimated 160,000 people each year, occurs most often in people over 60. The disease is slightly more common in men than in women.

Although new therapies for multiple myeloma have recently become available that can extend patients life expectancy, a cure for the disease remains elusive.

We can get the disease into remission, but most patients unfortunately relapse, and outcomes are very poor for patients who have relapsed multiple times, she said.

Researchers explained that JNJ-4528 is a novel CAR T-cell therapy featuring two molecules that bind to BCMA, a protein found on the surface of multiple myeloma cells.

We are learning that every CAR T-cell therapy is different, Madduri said.

JNJ-4528 has a unique CAR T-cell composition in patients, preferentially enriched in CD8 T cells, which are believed to be one of the most important T cells in killing cancer cells, she noted.

This phase Ib/II trial is continuing to enroll patients.

During the 2019 annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, Madduri reported results for the first 29 patients enrolled.

Patients T-cells were collected and sent to a laboratory where they were genetically engineered to express JNJ-4528. Prior to re-infusing these CAR T-cells, the patients received three days of chemotherapy to make room in their immune systems for the engineered T-cells.

Following chemotherapy, each patient received a single infusion of the JNJ-4528 CAR T-cells.

After a minimum of 28 days, these patients had blood and bone marrow exams, which was followed by exams at six months, and one year after treatment to assess their response. The primary aims of the trial are to assess the therapys safety and to confirm the dose to be tested in a larger, phase II trial.

The median follow-up time in the current analysis is six months. Overall, 100% of patients had a clinical response to JNJ-4528. Moreover, 66% had a stringent complete response, meaning that sensitive laboratory and microscopic tests found no evidence for myeloma proteins or cells in blood, urine, or bone marrow.

Most patients (93%) experienced some form of CRS. One patient had severe (grade 3) CRS, and one patient died from its complications 99 days after the CAR T-cell infusion. In 76% of patients, CRS was treated with tocilizumab.

To see some patients in this heavily pretreated population surviving for a year or more with a one-time treatment and a manageable safety profile is remarkable, Madduri explained.

These patients feel that they have their quality of life back. They no longer have to come into the clinic for weekly treatments and some are well enough to travel, Madduri concluded.

The phase II portion of this study is ongoing to evaluate the overall response rate of patients treated with JNJ-68284528 (JNJ-4528). Additional clinical studies are evaluating the safety and efficacy of JNJ-4528 in different multiple myeloma treatment settings.

BreakthroughEarlier this week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for JNJ-68284528 (JNJ-4528).

The granting of Breakthrough Therapy Designation for JNJ-68284528 (JNJ-4528) is a significant milestone as we continue to accelerate the global development of this innovative CAR-T therapy in collaboration with Legend Biotech, noted Sen Zhuang, MD, Ph.D., Vice President, Oncology Clinical Development, Janssen Research & Development.

We look forward to continuing to work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to advance the clinical development program for JNJ-68284528 (JNJ-4528) and ultimately bring this BCMA-targeted immunotherapy to patients living with multiple myeloma who are in need of a new therapeutic option, Zhuang concluded.

Encouraging Results for Dual-Targeted CAR T-Cell TherapyMore than three out of four patients with multiple myeloma that returned or did not respond to at least two therapies remained in remission seven months after treatment with a novel CAR T-cell therapy targeting two proteins that are frequently found on myeloma cells.

Nine patients experiencing sustained remissions in this study, which ws supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Major Technological Innovation Special Project fund of Hubei Province of China, and Cellyan Therapeutics, were diagnosed with a difficult-to-treat form of multiple myeloma in which the disease has spread beyond the bone marrow.

Roughly one in 10 patients with multiple myeloma develop tumors in the organs or soft tissues such as the blood vessels, muscles, and nerves. These so-called extramedullary tumors respond poorly to treatment, and patients who develop them have a poor outlook and poor health related quality of life (hrQoL)

Our results show that this CAR T-cell product can effectively achieve elimination of extramedullary tumors, said study author Yu Hu, MD, Ph.D, of Union Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.

Although these are preliminary data, they are encouraging for patients with multiple myeloma who have not responded to other therapies, Hu added.

Hu and his colleagues are developing the first CAR T-cell therapy to be genetically engineered to target BCMA and CD38, two proteins found on the surface of plasma cells. Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow and are part of the immune system, the bodys defense system against infection and disease.

Our thinking was that targeting both of these proteins would improve treatment efficacy without increasing toxicity, and induce deeper, more durable remissions, Hu noted.

The first-in-humans phase I trial enrolled 22 patients whose average age was 59, of whom 11 were men. All had multiple myeloma that had returned or not responded to at least three therapies. Nine of the 22 patients had extramedullary tumors. The study aims were to determine the safest and most effective dose of the CAR T-cell therapy as well as to initially evaluate its effectiveness.

Just like in other trials with CAR T-cell therapies, the participating patients received three days of chemotherapy to make room in their immune systems for the engineered T-cells. Then each patient was infused with the dual-targeted CAR T cells. Patients were divided into five groups, with each group receiving a higher dose than the previous one. Depending on the cell dose, patients received either one or two infusions.

At a median of 36 weeks of follow-up, 18 patients (90.9%) had MRD-negative disease. Twelve patients (54.5%) had a stringent complete response, meaning that no plasma cells were detected in the bone marrow. Seven patients (31.8%) had a good or very good partial response, meaning that the level of M-protein (an abnormal protein produced by cancerous plasma cells) in the blood or urine was reduced but still detectable. In eight of the nine patients with extramedullary lesions, these tumors were undetectable on their computed tomography scans. For the 17 patients who remained in remission at seven months after treatment, the median duration of response was 28.8 weeks.

The adverse events observed included 20 patients who experienced CRS, of whom six needed treatment. No serious adverse neurologic effects such as seizures, movement impairment, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, or fatal swelling in the brain were reported.

With this dual-targeted CAR T-cell therapy, we have demonstrated a high response rate, especially a higher rate and longer duration of stringent complete response, compared with other therapies, as well as effective elimination of extramedullary lesions, with no serious neurologic adverse effects and manageable levels of other adverse effects, Hu concluded.

The investigators continue to follow the patients for the next two years. They are also planning to conduct a phase II trial in both China and the United States to test the treatments effectiveness in a larger number of patients.

Clinical trialsA Study of JNJ-68284528, a Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell (CAR-T) Therapy Directed Against B-Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA) in Participants With Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma (CARTITUDE-1) NCT03548207

References[1] Srivastava S, Riddell SR. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy: Challenges to Bench-to-Bedside Efficacy. J Immunol. 2018;200(2):459468. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.1701155 [Abstract][2] Schuster SJ, Bartlett NL, Assouline S, Yoon SS, Bosch F, Sehn LH, Cheah CY, Shadman M, et al. Mosunetuzumab Induces Complete Remissions in Poor Prognosis Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients, Including Those Who Are Resistant to or Relapsing After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell (CAR-T) Therapies, and Is Active in Treatment through Multiple Lines. 61st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Program: General Sessions. Session: Plenary Scientific Session. Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways: antibodies, Follicular Lymphoma, CRS, Diseases, Biological, Therapies, neurotoxicity, Adverse Events, CAR-Ts, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, DLBCL, immunotherapy, Lymphoid Malignancies. [Abstract][3] Goodridge JP, Mahmood S, Zhu H, Gaidarova S, Blum R, Bjordahl R, Cichocki F, et al. FT596: Translation of First-of-Kind Multi-Antigen Targeted Off-the-Shelf CAR-NK Cell with Engineered Persistence for the Treatment of B Cell Malignancies. 61st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts. Type: Oral. Session: 625. Lymphoma: Pre-ClinicalChemotherapy and Biologic Agents: Targeting Apoptosis Pathways in Lymphoma.[Abstract][4] Madduri D, Usmani SZ, Jagannath S, Singh I, Zudaire E, Yeh TM, Allred AJ, Banerjee A, et al. Results from CARTITUDE-1: A Phase 1b/2 Study of JNJ-4528, a CAR-T Cell Therapy Directed Against B-Cell Maturation Antigen (BCMA), in Patients with Relapsed and/or Refractory Multiple Myeloma (R/R MM). 61st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts. Type: Oral Session: 653. Myeloma: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Novelty in CAR T in Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma. [Abstract][5] Li C, Mei H, Hu Y, Guo T, Liu L, Jiang H, Tang L, Wu Y, et al. A Bispecific CAR-T Cell Therapy Targeting Bcma and CD38 for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: Updated Results from a Phase 1 Dose-Climbing Trial61st annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology. Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts. Type: Oral. Session: 653. Myeloma: Therapy, excluding Transplantation: Novel Therapy for Relapsed Myeloma. Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways: Biological, Diseases, Adult, Therapies, Lymphoma (any), Adverse Events, CAR-Ts, Elderly, Biological Processes, Technology and Procedures, Cell Lineage, Study Population, Clinically relevant, Lymphoid Malignancies.

Read the original here:
ASH 2019: Second-gen CAR T-Cell Therapy Overcome Resistance, Reduce Toxicity and Simplify Treatment - OncoZine

To Read More: ASH 2019: Second-gen CAR T-Cell Therapy Overcome Resistance, Reduce Toxicity and Simplify Treatment – OncoZine
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on ASH 2019: Second-gen CAR T-Cell Therapy Overcome Resistance, Reduce Toxicity and Simplify Treatment – OncoZine | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market Global Industry Study, Trends, Overview, Insights And Outlook 2019-2025 – Markets Gazette 24

By daniellenierenberg

In 2019, the market size of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is million US$ and it will reach million US$ in 2025, growing at a CAGR of from 2019; while in China, the market size is valued at xx million US$ and will increase to xx million US$ in 2025, with a CAGR of xx% during forecast period.

In this report, 2018 has been considered as the base year and 2019 to 2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT).

Get a Sample PDF at:https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=2276986

This report studies the global market size of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT), especially focuses on the key regions like United States, European Union, China, and other regions (Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia).This study presents the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) sales volume, revenue, market share and growth rate for each key company, and also covers the breakdown data (sales, revenue and market share) by regions, type and applications. history breakdown data from 2014 to 2019, and forecast to 2025.For top companies in United States, European Union and China, this report investigates and analyzes the production, value, price, market share and growth rate for the top manufacturers, key data from 2014 to 2019.

In global market, the following companies are covered:Regen Biopharma IncChina Cord Blood CorpCBR Systems IncEscape Therapeutics IncCryo-Save AGLonza Group LtdPluristem Therapeutics IncViaCord Inc

Market Segment by Product TypeAllogeneicAutologous

Market Segment by ApplicationPeripheral Blood Stem Cells Transplant (PBSCT)Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT)Cord Blood Transplant (CBT)

Key Regions split in this report: breakdown data for each region.United StatesChinaEuropean UnionRest of World (Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)

The study objectives are:To analyze and research the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) status and future forecast in United States, European Union and China, involving sales, value (revenue), growth rate (CAGR), market share, historical and forecast.To present the key Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) manufacturers, presenting the sales, revenue, market share, and recent development for key players.To split the breakdown data by regions, type, companies and applicationsTo analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity and challenge, restraints and risks.To identify significant trends, drivers, influence factors in global and regionsTo analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the market

Inquire More About This Report @https://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=E&repid=2276986

In this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) are as follows:History Year: 2014-2018Base Year: 2018Estimated Year: 2019Forecast Year 2019 to 2025

For More Information Kindly Contact:ResearchMozMr. Nachiket Ghumare,90 State Street,Albany NY,United States 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074USA-Canada Toll Free: 866-997-4948Email:sales@researchmoz.usFollow us on LinkedIn @http://bit.ly/1TBmnVGMedia Release:https://www.researchmoz.us/pressreleaseFollow me on :http://marketresearchlatestreports.blogspot.com/

Read the original:
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market Global Industry Study, Trends, Overview, Insights And Outlook 2019-2025 - Markets Gazette 24

To Read More: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market Global Industry Study, Trends, Overview, Insights And Outlook 2019-2025 – Markets Gazette 24
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) Market Global Industry Study, Trends, Overview, Insights And Outlook 2019-2025 – Markets Gazette 24 | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

Aprea Therapeutics Presents Results From U.S. Phase Ib/II Clinical Trial of APR-246 and Azacitidine (AZA) in Patients with TP53 Mutant Myelodysplastic…

By daniellenierenberg

BOSTON, Dec. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aprea Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APRE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel cancer therapeutics that reactivate mutant tumor suppressor protein p53, presented results at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting from its U.S. Phase Ib/II clinical trial in MDS and AML. The trial is evaluating the safety and efficacy of APR-246 in combination with azacitidine for the treatment of TP53 mutated MDS and AML. The clinical trial is sponsored by the Moffitt Cancer Center with financial support from the MDS Foundation and the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation as administrator for the Evans MDS Clinical Research Consortium.

As of the data cutoff, the overall response rate (ORR) in 33 evaluable MDS patients was 88%, with a 61% complete remission (CR) rate, by International Working Group (IWG) criteria. With a median duration of follow-up of 10.8 months, the median duration of response was 8.4 months and the median duration of CR was 7.3 months. Seventeen (52%) evaluable MDS patients discontinued therapy to pursue stem cell transplant. Median overall survival (OS) for all enrolled patients (n=55) was 10.8 months. Median OS in responding patients versus non-responders was 13.7 vs. 3.9 months. Adverse events, regardless of causality, were mostly grade 1/2. Grade 3+ adverse events occurring in 20% of patients were limited to cytopenias and infection, consistent with underlying hematopoietic malignancies, and no exacerbation of the expected AZA-related safety profile has been observed.

About the Clinical Trial

Eligible patients in the Phase Ib/II clinical trial include HMA-nave, TP53 mutated MDS, oligoblastic acute myeloid leukemia (AML, 30% blasts), MDS-myeloproliferative neoplasm (MDS-MPN) overlap and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). In the Phase Ib part of the clinical trial, patients received APR-246 in a 3+3 dose escalation design (50, 75, 100 mg/kg lean body weight) IV daily over 4 days in a lead-in phase (days -14 to -10), followed by the same dose of APR-246 (days 1-4) and AZA 75 mg/m2 SC/IV daily for 7 days (days 4-10 or 4-5 and 8-12) in 28-day cycles. In the Phase II part of the clinical trial, patients receive APR-246 as a 4,500 mg fixed dose IV daily (days 1-4) and AZA daily for 7 days (days 4-10 or 4-5 and 8-12) in 28-day cycles. Primary objective in Phase Ib part of the clinical trial was safety, with AEs graded by CTCAE v4.03 and DLT assessment over 6 weeks. Secondary endpoints included response rate by IWG 2006 criteria, PFS, OS, as well as serial next generation sequencing and p53 immunohistochemistry for evaluation of clonal suppression and depth of remission. In the Phase II part of the clinical trial the primary endpoint is CR rate.

About Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represents a spectrum of hematopoietic stem cell malignancies in which bone marrow fails to produce sufficient numbers of healthy blood cells. Approximately 30-40% of MDS patients progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor protein is thought to contribute to disease progression. Mutations in p53 are found in up to 20% of MDS and AML patients and are associated with poor overall prognosis.

About p53 and APR-246

The p53 tumor suppressor gene is the most frequently mutated gene in human cancer, occurring in approximately 50% of all human tumors. These mutations are often associated with resistance to anti-cancer drugs and poor overall survival, representing a major unmet medical need in the treatment of cancer.

APR-246 is a small molecule that has demonstrated reactivation of mutant and inactivated p53 protein by restoring wild-type p53 conformation and function and thereby induce programmed cell death in human cancer cells. Pre-clinical anti-tumor activity has been observed with APR-246 in a wide variety of solid and hematological cancers, including MDS, AML, and ovarian cancer, among others. Additionally, strong synergy has been seen with both traditional anti-cancer agents, such as chemotherapy, as well as newer mechanism-based anti-cancer drugs and immuno-oncology checkpoint inhibitors. In addition to pre-clinical testing, a Phase I/II clinical program with APR-246 has been completed, demonstrating a favorable safety profile and both biological and confirmed clinical responses in hematological malignancies and solid tumors with mutations in the TP53 gene.

A pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial of APR-246 and azacitidine for frontline treatment of TP53 mutant MDS is ongoing. APR-246 has received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations from the FDA for MDS, and Orphan Drug designation from the EMA for MDS, AML and ovarian cancer.

About Aprea Therapeutics

Aprea Therapeutics Inc., (NASDAQ: APRE) is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with research facilities in Stockholm, Sweden, focused on developing and commercializing novel cancer therapeutics that reactivate mutant tumor suppressor protein, p53. The Companys lead product candidate is APR-246, a small molecule in clinical development for hematologic malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). For more information, please visit the company website at http://www.aprea.com.

The Company may use, and intends to use, its investor relations website at http://www.ir.aprea.com as a means of disclosing material nonpublic information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD.

The Company will host a 2019 ASH Clinical Update meeting and webcast as follows:

Time and Date: Monday, December 9 at 12:00 pm ETLocation: Hyatt Regency Orlando, Rainbow Spring 2 Room, 9801 International Drive, Orlando, FloridaWebcast: The Clinical Update meeting will be webcast live and can be accessed from "Events Calendar" in the News and Events section of the company's website at LinkPresentation: The presentation will be available as a PDF on the Companys website at Link

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information contained in this press release includes forward-looking statements, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, related to our clinical trials and regulatory submissions. We may, in some cases use terms such as predicts, believes, potential, continue, anticipates, estimates, expects, plans, intends, may, could, might, likely, will, should or other words that convey uncertainty of the future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and expectations of our management team that involve risks, potential changes in circumstances, assumptions, and uncertainties. Any or all of the forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong or be affected by inaccurate assumptions we might make or by known or unknown risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties including risks related to the success and timing of our clinical trials or other studies and the other risks set forth in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. For all these reasons, actual results and developments could be materially different from those expressed in or implied by our forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Corporate Contacts:

Christian S. Schade

President and Chief Executive Officer

chris.schade@aprea.com

Gregory A. Korbel

Vice President of Business Development

greg.korbel@aprea.com

Source: Aprea Therapeutics, Inc.

View post:
Aprea Therapeutics Presents Results From U.S. Phase Ib/II Clinical Trial of APR-246 and Azacitidine (AZA) in Patients with TP53 Mutant Myelodysplastic...

To Read More: Aprea Therapeutics Presents Results From U.S. Phase Ib/II Clinical Trial of APR-246 and Azacitidine (AZA) in Patients with TP53 Mutant Myelodysplastic…
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Aprea Therapeutics Presents Results From U.S. Phase Ib/II Clinical Trial of APR-246 and Azacitidine (AZA) in Patients with TP53 Mutant Myelodysplastic… | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

MacroGenics Presents Flotetuzumab Data in Patients with Primary Induction Failure and Early Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the 2019 ASH Annual…

By daniellenierenberg

Rockville, MD, Dec. 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced updated results from a Phase 1/2 dose expansion study of flotetuzumab, an investigational, bispecific CD123 x CD3 DART molecule in patients with primary induction failure and early relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The data were presented in an oral session at the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in Orlando, FL, taking place December 7-10, 2019.

Patients with AML who have failed primary induction therapy or relapsed early after an initial response represent a significant unmet medical need. A remission rate of 32% observed in the ongoing study of flotetuzumab in this extremely challenging patient population is noteworthy, said Geoffrey Uy, M.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Oncology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Importantly, by implementing a lead-in dosing schedule for flotetuzumab, as well as early intervention with tocilizumab in this study, we were able to mitigate cytokine release syndrome, known to be associated with T-cell engagers.

In the Phase 1/2 (NCT02152956) open-label, dose expansion study, 30 patients classified as primary induction failure or early relapsed AML who had received a median of four prior therapies were treated with flotetuzumab at the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of 500 ng/kg/day by continuous infusion. Data were reported as of the cut-off date of November 1, 2019. The study is currently ongoing, with additional patients being enrolled.

Responses, including complete remission (CR), CRh (CR with partial hematological recovery) and CRi (CR with incomplete hematological improvement) per a modified International Working Group (IWG) Response Criteria for AML, are summarized in the table below. Four responders received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as consolidation therapy and remain in remission after 6 to 21 months.

The most common treatment-related adverse event (TRAE) was infusion-related reaction/cytokine release syndrome (IRR/CRS) that occurred in all (30/30) patients. However, most CRS events observed were of short duration and mild to moderate (grade 1 or 2) in severity, with only one grade 3 event reported in one patient.

Based on the encouraging data from this study, and pending anticipated discussions with the FDA in the first half of 2020, we are planning for a potential registration-enabling study of flotetuzumab in this high unmet need population of patients with refractory AML, who have limited treatment options, said Scott Koenig, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of MacroGenics.

A separate oral presentation described translational research that showed an inflammatory (IFN--related) gene expression signature in a subset of patients with AML that correlated with a lack of response to induction chemotherapy. Furthermore, the same gene signature was associated with patients more likely to respond to flotetuzumab, supporting the mechanism being exploited by this molecule. In addition, AML patients with an immune-infiltrated tumor micro-environment show high expression of immune checkpoint molecules, including PD-L1, which provides a scientific rationale for combining flotetuzumab with checkpoint blockade as a potential mechanism for enhanced anti-leukemic activity. MacroGenics has initiated a study combining flotetuzumab with MGA012, an anti-PD-1 antibody, given the strong preclinical and translational data that indicate the combination may enhance CD123-directed T cell killing.

Flotetuzumab Presentations at ASH

Oral Presentations

Poster Presentations

These slide and poster presentations are available on the Events & Presentations page on MacroGenics' website at http://ir.macrogenics.com/events.cfm.

Conference Call & Webcast

MacroGenics management and external guest speakers will host a conference call and audio webcast today at 8:00 p.m. ET to review the flotetuzumab data presented at the ASH Annual Meeting and discuss ongoing clinical development plans.

To participate in the MacroGenics ASH 2019 Conference Call, please dial (877) 303-6253 (domestic) or (973) 409-9610 (international) five minutes prior to the start of the call and provide the Conference ID: 3625435. A listen-only slide and audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at http://ir.macrogenics.com/events.cfm. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and archived on the Company's website for 30 days.

About Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematopoietic stem cell malignancy characterized by differentiation arrest and uncontrolled clonal proliferation of neoplastic precursors that prevent normal bone marrow hematopoiesis. Nearly 20,000 new cases of AML are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, with a median age of 69 years at diagnosis. Approximately 40-50% of newly diagnosed patients fail to achieve a complete remission with intensive induction therapy (primary induction failure) or experience disease recurrence after a short remission duration (<6 months; early relapsed). A very small number of these patients are expected to respond to salvage therapy. In addition, although new targeted agents have been approved for the treatment of frontline or relapsed/refractory AML in recent years, approximately 50% of patients have no known targetable mutations.

About Flotetuzumab

Flotetuzumab (also known as MGD006) is a clinical-stage molecule that recognizes both CD123 and CD3. CD123, the interleukin-3 receptor alpha chain, has been reported to be over-expressed on cancer cells in AML and other hematologic malignancies. The primary mechanism of action of flotetuzumab is believed to be its ability to redirect T lymphocytes to kill CD123-expressing cells. To achieve this, the DART molecule combines a portion of an antibody recognizing CD3, an activating molecule expressed by T cells, with an arm that recognizes CD123 on the target cancer cells.

Flotetuzumab is currently being evaluated in the U.S. and Europe in a Phase 1/2 dose expansion study designed to assess the safety, tolerability, and initial anti-leukemic activity of the molecule in patients with relapsed/refractory AML. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted orphan drug designation to flotetuzumab for the treatment of AML. A Phase 1/2 study in combination with MGA012, a proprietary anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody, in patients with relapsed/refractory AML is being conducted ex-U.S. MGA012 (also known as INCMGA00012) was exclusively licensed to Incyte Corporation in 2017 under a global collaboration and license agreement; MacroGenics retains the right to develop its pipeline molecules with MGA012. MacroGenics retains global development and commercialization rights to flotetuzumab.

About MacroGenics, Inc.

MacroGenics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing innovative monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer. The Company generates its pipeline of product candidates primarily from its proprietary suite of next-generation antibody-based technology platforms, which have applicability across broad therapeutic domains. The combination of MacroGenics' technology platforms and protein engineering expertise has allowed the Company to generate promising product candidates and enter into several strategic collaborations with global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. For more information, please see the Company's website at http://www.macrogenics.com. MacroGenics, the MacroGenics logo and DART are trademarks or registered trademarks of MacroGenics, Inc.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for the Company, including statements about the Company's strategy, future operations, clinical development of the Company's therapeutic candidates, milestone or opt-in payments from the Company's collaborators, the Company's anticipated milestones and future expectations and plans and prospects for the Company and other statements containing the words "subject to", "believe", "anticipate", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "project", "may", "will", "should", "would", "could", "can", the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including: the uncertainties inherent in the initiation and enrollment of future clinical trials, expectations of expanding ongoing clinical trials, availability and timing of data from ongoing clinical trials, expectations for regulatory approvals, other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of the Company's product candidates and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company's views only as of the date hereof. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as may be required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date hereof.

Here is the original post:
MacroGenics Presents Flotetuzumab Data in Patients with Primary Induction Failure and Early Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the 2019 ASH Annual...

To Read More: MacroGenics Presents Flotetuzumab Data in Patients with Primary Induction Failure and Early Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the 2019 ASH Annual…
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on MacroGenics Presents Flotetuzumab Data in Patients with Primary Induction Failure and Early Relapsed Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the 2019 ASH Annual… | dataDecember 9th, 2019
Read All

Company Profile for Jasper Therapeutics, Inc – Business Wire

By daniellenierenberg

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jasper Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on enabling safer conditioning agents and therapeutics to allow for expanded use of curative hematopoietic stem cell transplants and gene therapies. Jasper Therapeutics lead compound, JSP191, is in clinical development as a conditioning antibody that clears hematopoietic stem cells from bone marrow in patients undergoing a stem cell transplant. For more information, please visit us at http://www.jaspertherapeutics.com.

Company:

Jasper Therapeutics, Inc

Headquarters Address:

3000 Sand Hill Road B1-145

Menlo Park, CA

Main Telephone:

1-650-254-6687

Website:

https://jaspertherapeutics.com/

Type of Organization:

Private

Industry:

Biotechnology

Key Executives:

Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer: William Lis

Chief Business Officer, Chief Financial Officer: Jeet Mahal

Company Contact

Contact:

Jeet Mahal

Phone:

1-650-254-6687

Email:

jmahal@jaspertherapeutics.com

Public Relations

Contact:

Julie Normart

Phone:

1-415-946-1087

Email:

jnormart@w2ogroup.com

View post:
Company Profile for Jasper Therapeutics, Inc - Business Wire

To Read More: Company Profile for Jasper Therapeutics, Inc – Business Wire
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Company Profile for Jasper Therapeutics, Inc – Business Wire | dataDecember 8th, 2019
Read All

3-year-old needs bone marrow transplant to survive, says UAE-based father – Gulf News

By daniellenierenberg

mohammad hassan 3 years and two months Image Credit:

Dubai: The father of a three-year-old boy in Dubai, whose only hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant, is desperately appealing for help.

Hafeez Khan, father of Mohammad Hassan, said the boy who is suffering from acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), needs Rs4.8 million (Pakistani) or Dh114,000 for his treatment, which includes one-two cycles of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, in Pakistan.

Hassan, who has not been able to attend school as he has been in and out of hospitals in Dubai and Pakistan, was first diagnosed with AML when he was only a year and a half. He remained under treatment at a Dubai hospital for nearly a year until October 2018.

After a brief remission, he developed high fever and body pain on October 17 this year. When he did not respond to any regular medications, we took him to a Dubai hospital where his AML relapse was confirmed, said the father.

He said investigations revealed that Hassan had a soft tissue mass in his sinus which was diagnosed as a chloroma, a solid collection of leukemic cells occurring outside the bone marrow.

Khan, who works as a site engineer for a Dubai-based company, said, Hassan is my first born and I will do everything I can to save him. I appeal for any support that I can get towards this effort.

He said the child was earlier scheduled to have a bone marrow transplant in Turkey but due to the prohibitive costs, they were nowconsidering Pakistan. Still, the estimates we have been given are beyond our reach,Khan said, adding that he was praying for a miracle to save his son.

AML is one of the commonest types of leukaemia or blood cancer in children. In AML, the body makes many immature white blood cells. These cells, called myeloid blasts, cant mature into normal white blood cells. Although AML is a serious disease, it can be cured with high intensity chemotherapy and a bone marrow / stem cell transplant at an early stage.

mohammad hassan 3 years and two months Image Credit:

Follow this link:
3-year-old needs bone marrow transplant to survive, says UAE-based father - Gulf News

To Read More: 3-year-old needs bone marrow transplant to survive, says UAE-based father – Gulf News
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on 3-year-old needs bone marrow transplant to survive, says UAE-based father – Gulf News | dataDecember 8th, 2019
Read All

Sickle Cell Anemia Patient Becomes First Person in the US to Have Her Genes Edited With CRISPR – Interesting Engineering

By daniellenierenberg

Last week, a woman namedVictoria Gray became the first person in the U.S. to have her cells edited with CRISPR. The41-year-old patient was sufferingfromsickle cell anemia.

RELATED:FIRST HUMAN TRIAL USING CRISPR GENE-EDITING IN US BEGINS

The condition, caused by a genetic mutation that messes with the shape of red blood cells, causes havoc on patients, and to make things even worse, the options for treatment are very limited and ineffective. The only current treatment for sickle cell anemia patients is a donor transplant that works for just 10% of patients, but all that is about to change.

It was clear that analternative, much more effectivesolutionwas desperately needed. After much consideration, doctors believed that editing cells extracted from a patient's own bone marrow could restore effective red blood cell creation, and this is exactly the operation they attempted on Gray.

The doctors used CRISPR to tweak Gray's bone marrow DNA to turn on a specific protein that would allow proper red blood cell generation. The operation makes Gray the first person in the U.S. to undergo a CRISPR editing procedure and the second globally.

The treatment comes from observations made back in the 1940s.In 1941 a pediatrician named Jane Watson noticed that babies with sickle cell didnt have symptoms until 6 months to 1 year of age, Vivien Sheehan, a hematologist at Baylor University told Popular Science.

The pediatrician also discovered that these infants produced fetal hemoglobin for much longer periods than healthy babies.Following Watson's observations, the research since then has indicated that increasing fetal hemoglobin could provide an effective treatment for the disease.

Now, CRISPR may just make that treatment viable. But before we get too excited, it should be noted that the strategy comes with several risks.

In order for the edited cells to be inserted back into the patients bone marrow, other stem cells need to be deactivated. Otherwise, there is the chance the unedited stem cells may continue to produce sickled red blood cells very fast, outpacing the edited cells' production of healthy cells.

Now researchers say they need to follow Gray's progress for at least 15 years to rule out any other potential dangers of the procedure. Still, for those 90% suffering with sickle cell anemia that don't respond well to current treatment, the procedure, if successful, would offer the much-needed lifeline they've been hoping for.

Read more:
Sickle Cell Anemia Patient Becomes First Person in the US to Have Her Genes Edited With CRISPR - Interesting Engineering

To Read More: Sickle Cell Anemia Patient Becomes First Person in the US to Have Her Genes Edited With CRISPR – Interesting Engineering
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Sickle Cell Anemia Patient Becomes First Person in the US to Have Her Genes Edited With CRISPR – Interesting Engineering | dataDecember 8th, 2019
Read All

Jasper Therapeutics launches out of Stanford with new approach to stem cell treatment – Endpoints News

By daniellenierenberg

The first girl in the trial came in with chronic diarrhea and the immune system of an untreated HIV patient. Born with a rare genetic disease that impeded her ability to make B and T cells, she had once been given a stem cell transplant but it didnt take. Back in the hospital, she was injected with a new experimental antibody and then given a new stem cell transplant. Soon, she gained weight. The diarrhea stopped.

She has normal T cells now, Judith Shizuru, the Stanford scientist who pioneered the antibody, told Endpoints News. Shes in school.

Its the kind of medical story to launch a biotech around, and thats what Shizuruis doing. Today, her company Jasper Therapeutics is emerging out of stealth-mode with $35 million in Series A funding led by Abingworth and Qiming, a molecule from Amgen, and a Phase I trial set for its first readout on Monday at ASH.

Jasper is broadly aimed at making stem cell transplants safer, more accessible and more effective by using antibodies as conditioning agents. Theseagents clear out bone marrow to make room for the new stem cells to graft onto the body.

Their Phase I uses a naked antibody called JSP191 to help patients with severe combined autoimmune deficiency receive stem cell transplants the only possible cure for the life-threatening disease but such transplants are used in a wide variety of conditions and Jasper has broader aims. Those include other autoimmune diseases, acute myeloid leukemia and cell-directed gene therapy.

Theres a significant amount of progress being made in gene therapy, interim CEO William Lis told Endpoints, but no progress being made in a conditioning agent that will help graft gene therapy.

Shizuru path to the new antibody was long and fortuitous. In 1987, Arl Arzst, the legendary ad executive and president of Proctor and Gamble international flew in on a recruiting trip for Stanford business students. There he visited Shizuru, a young biologyPhD candidate, because he knew her roommate. Arzsts daughter had diabetes and as Shizuru explained the work she was doing on pancreatic islet cell transplants, he told her to come to Europe.

Shizuru had never been to Europe, but there Arszt introduced her to Ken Farber and the other founders of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation (now the JDRF). The founders struck a years-long correspondence and encouraged Shizuru to go to medical school, where she decided that if scientists were ever going to develop transplants that didnt trigger an immune response, it would be through stem cell work. She continued her work at the Irv Weissman Stanford regenerative lab, where eventually a graduate student made a discovery that piqued her interest.

To put new stem cells in, you have to get the old stem cells out. Thats not always easy. The cells sit inthese pockets in the bone marrow, and theyre pretty comfortable there. Doctors have to force them out, often using chemotherapy or radiation, which damage DNA and cause severe side effects. The costs sometimes outweigh the benefits.

There are diseases were not treating because its too dangerous, Shizuru said. And the kids were treating, theyre so, so fragile.

The grad student had shown in mice that antibodies could be used to deplete the stem cells and potentially eliminate the need for chemotherapy or radiation. Shizuru and her team began looking to see if anyone had developed a human version of the antibody, CD117. It turned out Amgen had already developed a version of this antibody for a different use. It also turned out she had a former postdoc and a former advisor who worked there. They began a collaboration.

We set out to cross the valley of death, Shizuru said, using an industry slang term for the jump from animal models to human uses.

After making a variety of tweaks to the treatment, they published a paper inScience Translational Medicine in 2016showing the antibodies created a 10,000 fold reduction in the number of stem cells in mice.

The same year, they began a clinical trial on 90 SCID patients. These patients had received stem cell transplants when they were very young but hadnt been given chemo or radiation for fear the side effects would be too severe. The original transplants boosted their numberof immune cells, but without chemo or radiation, the stem cells dont graft into those pockets and the body wont continue producing T cells. Without those, they are extraordinarily prone to infection. Many pass away before age 2.

The hope is that the antibodies allowed the stem cells to graft, and the preliminary answer to that question will be out on Monday. For the first girl in the trial, life has improved but questions about how long her body will make immune cells remain. Still, for that girl and others, Shizuru is confident.

We see there is stem cell engraftment, Shurizi said. They are actually making new T cells.

Read the rest here:
Jasper Therapeutics launches out of Stanford with new approach to stem cell treatment - Endpoints News

To Read More: Jasper Therapeutics launches out of Stanford with new approach to stem cell treatment – Endpoints News
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Jasper Therapeutics launches out of Stanford with new approach to stem cell treatment – Endpoints News | dataDecember 8th, 2019
Read All

Mount Sinai Joins Progressive MS Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy – Multiple Sclerosis News Today

By daniellenierenberg

Mount Sinai Medical Center has joined withBrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to explore the safety and efficacy of NurOwn as a potential treatment for progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) in an ongoing Phase 2 trial.

The New York center is the fourth clinical site participating in the trial, in addition to Keck School of Medicine of The University of Southern California (USC), Stanford University School of Medicine, and the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Mount Sinai is ready to start enrolling patients under the supervision of neurologistFred Lublin, MD, and his clinical team at The Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis.

We are happy to be a part of this exciting study to determine if neurally-directed stem cells can be a therapeutic approach to treating MS, Lublin said in a press release.

NurOwn is a cell-based therapy that uses the patients own bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) to promote and support the repair of nerve cells.

Patients MSCs are modified in the lab to secrete growth factors that are believed to protect nerve cells from damage, to promote the repair of the protective myelin sheath in nerve cells (which is destroyed in MS), and potentially slow or halt disease progression.

The open-label Phase 2 clinical trial (NCT03799718) will enroll and treat up to 20 adults with either primary progressive MS (PPMS) or secondary progressive MS (SPMS).

All participants will undergo a bone marrow biopsy to collect MSCs, which will later on be injected back to the patient through three intrathecal administrations injected directly into the cerebrospinal fluid over 16 weeks.

During this time, and for the following 12 weeks, researchers will evaluate the safety of the procedure, as well as the neuromodulatory effect of the modified MSCs.

To confirm that NurOwn cells are delivering neurotrophic factors and immunomodulatory signaling molecules as expected, the research team will look for an increase in the amount and type of these biomarkers in patients cerebrospinal fluid following the cell transplants.

BrainStorm looks forward to partnering with and supporting Dr. Lublin and the dedicated clinical trial team at the Mount Sinai Hospital to quickly advance the Phase 2 progressive MS clinical trial, said Ralph Kern, MD, MHSc, BrainStorms chief operating officer and chief medical officer.

For more information about the trial, including its sites and contacts, please visit this link.

NurOwn has been tested in animal models for various neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where it showed a good safety profile and promising efficacy signs.

An ongoing Phase 3 trial (NCT03280056) testing NurOwn in people with ALS is expected to conclude in December 2020.

Total Posts: 1,053

Patrcia holds her PhD in Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases from the Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands. She has studied Applied Biology at Universidade do Minho and was a postdoctoral research fellow at Instituto de Medicina Molecular in Lisbon, Portugal. Her work has been focused on molecular genetic traits of infectious agents such as viruses and parasites.

See more here:
Mount Sinai Joins Progressive MS Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy - Multiple Sclerosis News Today

To Read More: Mount Sinai Joins Progressive MS Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy – Multiple Sclerosis News Today
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Mount Sinai Joins Progressive MS Trial of NurOwn Cell Therapy – Multiple Sclerosis News Today | dataDecember 8th, 2019
Read All

Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers – GlobeNewswire

By daniellenierenberg

AUTO1 shows 87% MRD negative complete response in adult patients with r/r ALL, with no severe cytokine release syndrome

Data presented at 61st American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting form basis for advancement of AUTO1 into pivotal clinical trial in adult ALL

Investor call to be held December 9 at 8:30 am ET / 1:30 pm GMT to review data

LONDON, Dec. 07, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autolus Therapeutics plc(Nasdaq: AUTL) announced today new data highlighting progress on its next-generation programmed T cell therapies to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and adults with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The data were presented in oral presentations at the 61stAmerican Society of Hematology(ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition inOrlando, FL. Additional data on pediatric patients with ALL will be presented on December 8.

The data on AUTO1 presented at this years ASH meeting demonstrate the favorable safety profile and high level of clinical activity of AUTO1 in both adults and pediatric patients with ALL, and we look forward to initiation of the pivotal program in adult ALL in the first half of 2020, said Dr. Christian Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Autolus.

Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Data Presented

Title: AUTO1 A novel fast off CD19CAR delivers durable remissions and prolonged CAR T cell persistence with low CRS or neurotoxicity in adult ALL (Abstract # 226)

Updated results for ALLCAR19, the Phase 1 trial evaluating AUTO1 in adults with recurrent/refractory ALL, were presented by Dr. Claire Roddie MB, PhD, FRCPath, honorary senior lecturer,Cancer Institute, University College London (UCL), in an oral presentation. The trial is designed to assess the primary endpoints of safety ( Grade 3 toxicity) and feasibility of product generation, as well as other secondary endpoints, including efficacy. The trial enrolled patients with a high tumor burden (44% had 50% BM blasts), who were considered high-risk for experiencing cytokine release syndrome (CRS). Product was manufactured for 19 patients; product for 13 of those patients was manufactured using a semi-automated closed process, which will be used for commercial supply.

As of the data cut-off date of November 25, 16 patients had received at least one dose of AUTO1. AUTO1 was well tolerated, with no patients experiencing Grade 3 CRS, and 3 of 16 patients (19%), who had high leukemia burden, experiencing Grade 3 neurotoxicity that resolved swiftly with steroids.

Of 15 patients evaluable for efficacy, 13 (87%) achieved MRD negative CR at 1 month and all patients had ongoing CAR T cell persistence at last follow up. CD19-negative relapse occurred in 22% (2 of 15) patients. In the patients dosed with AUTO1 manufactured in the closed process, 9 of 9 (100%) achieved MRD negative CR at 1 month and 6 months event free survival, and overall survival in this cohort was 100%.

Adult ALL patients, who face a median survival of less than one year after their ALL recurs or relapses, have a significant need for a CAR T cell therapy that is highly active, safe and is a standalone therapy not requiring a stem cell transplant, said Dr. Hagop M. Kantarjian, Chair of the Department of Leukemia at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The novel CD 19 CAR-T therapy, AUTO1, is potentially transformative as a standalone curative option for patients with r/r ALL, especially in adults, given its favorable safety profile, said Dr. Max Topp associate professor of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology at the University of Wuerzburg.

Title: Therapy of pediatric B-ALL with a lower affinity CD19 CAR leads to enhanced expansion and prolonged CAR T cell persistence in patients with low bone marrow tumor burden, and is associated with a favorable toxicity profile (Abstract # 225)

Dr. Sara Ghorashian, honorary senior lecturer, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, presented updated data from the phase 1 CARPALL study of AUTO1 in pediatric ALL patients with low bone marrow tumor burden. The trial is intended to assess the primary endpoints of safety and proportion of patients in molecular complete remission at 1 month. The study recruited a total of 25 patients and stratified them into 2 cohorts. Fourteen patients were treated in cohort 1, which utilized a manual manufacturing process; product was unable to be generated in 3 patients. Median follow-up was 27 months in cohort 1. Seven patients were treated in cohort 2, which utilized the semi-automated closed manufacturing process, which will be used for commercial supply. The aim of cohort 2 was to demonstrate feasibility of manufacture at scale. Product was generated for 100% of patients. Median follow-up was 7 months in cohort 2.

AUTO1 was well-tolerated overall, with no patients experiencing Grade 3 CRS and 1 of 21 (5%) experiencing Grade 4 neurotoxicity, which was considered unrelated to CAR T therapy.

Nineteen of 21 treated patients (90%) achieved molecular complete remission at 1 month post infusion. Consistent with pre-clinical data, CAR T cell expansion was excellent and detectable by flow in a number of patients up to 36 months. Persistence was noted in 15 of 21 patients at last follow-up, up to 36 months. In cohort 2, 100% of patients achieved molecular complete remission at 1 month post infusion.

In the 14 patients in cohort 1, the overall survival at 6 months was 86% and at 12 months was 71%; event free survival (EFS) at 6 months was 71% and at 12 months was 54%. The patients in cohort 2 are not yet evaluable for these parameters. Overall, nine patients relapsed; 5 of 8 evaluable relapses were due to loss of CD19 antigen on the tumor cells.

Title: Clonal dynamics of early responder and long-term surviving CAR-T cells in humans (Abstract # 52)

Dr. Luca Biasco, senior research associate at University College London, presented a detailed analysis of CAR T products, and insertion site analysis from the CARPALL phase 1 patients. This analysis revealed highly polyclonal engraftment, even at very late time-points. Dr. Biasco hypothesized that the propensity for high level polyclonal long-term engraftment was due to favorable phenotype of the CAR T product and the binding kinetic of the receptor.

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Data Presented

Title: Phase 1/2 study of AUTO3, the first bicistronic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) targeting CD19 and CD22 followed by an anti-PD1 in patients with relapsed/refractory (r/r) Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL): Results of cohort 1 and 2 of the ALEXANDER study (Abstract # 246)

Dr. Kirit Ardeshna, consultant hematologist, Department of Hematology, University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, presented updated data from the ALEXANDER Phase 1/2 study of AUTO3, the first bicistronic CAR T targeting CD19 and CD22 followed by an anti-PD1, in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). 16 patients were treated, and fourteen patients were evaluable at one month. AUTO3 was well-tolerated, with no patients experiencing Grade 3 CRS with primary treatment, and 1 of 14 experiencing Grade 3 neurotoxicity that resolved swiftly with steroids. Five of 14 had a complete response, with 4 of 5 complete responses ongoing, the longest at 18 months.

DLBCL is an aggressive and rapidly progressing cancer, and early response is critical to ensuring positive outcomes for these patients. These early data show the promise of AUTO3 in DLBCL, and we expect to advance AUTO3 to a decision point in relapsed/refractory DLBCL by the middle of next year, said Dr. Christian Itin, chairman and chief executive officer of Autolus. In addition, we look forward to presenting the data from the AMELIA trial of AUTO3 in pediatric ALL during poster sessions on Sunday, December 8, 6:00 8:00 PM ET.

Investor call to review data on Monday, December 9

Autolus management will host an investor conference call on Monday, December 9, at 8:30 a.m. EDT/ 1:30pm GMT, to review the data presented at ASH.

To listen to the webcast and view the accompanying slide presentation, please go to:https://www.autolus.com/investor-relations/news-and-events/events.

The call may also be accessed by dialing (866) 679-5407 for U.S. and Canada callers or (409) 217-8320 for international callers. Please reference conference ID 9796038. After the conference call, a replay will be available for one week. To access the replay, please dial (855) 859-2056 for U.S. and Canada callers or (404) 537-3406 for international callers. Please reference conference ID 9796038.

About AUTO1

AUTO1 is a CD19 CAR T cell investigational therapy 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 under which Autolus acquired global rights fromUCL 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 1 studies, one in pediatric ALL and one in adult ALL.

About AUTO3

AUTO3 is a programmed T cell therapy containing two independent chimeric antigen receptors targeting CD19 and CD22 that have each been independently optimized for single target activity. By simultaneously targeting two B cell antigens, AUTO3 is designed to minimize relapse due to single antigen loss in patients with B cell malignancies. AUTO3 is currently being tested in pediatric ALL in the AMELIA clinical trial and in diffuse large B cell lymphoma in the ALEXANDER clinical trial.

AboutAutolus Therapeutics plc

Autolus is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation, programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. Using a broad suite of proprietary and modular T cell programming technologies, the company is engineering precisely targeted, controlled and highly active T cell therapies that are designed to better recognize cancer cells, break down their defense mechanisms and eliminate these cells. Autolus has a pipeline of product candidates in development for the treatment of hematological malignancies and solid tumors. For more information please visit http://www.autolus.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts, and in some cases can be identified by terms such as "may," "will," "could," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," and "believes." These statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Autolus financial condition and results of operations, as well as statements regarding the anticipated development of Autolus product candidates, including its intentions regarding the timing for providing further updates on the development of its product candidates, and the sufficiency of its cash resources. Any forward-looking statements are based on management's current views and assumptions and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause our actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section titled "Risk Factors" in Autolus' Annual Report on Form 20-F filed on November 23, 2018 as well as discussions of potential risks, uncertainties, and other important factors in Autolus' future filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investor and media contact: Silvia TaylorVice President, Corporate Affairs and Communications Autolus+1-240-801-3850s.taylor@autolus.com

UK:Julia Wilson+44 (0) 7818 430877j.wilson@autolus.com

Go here to see the original:
Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers - GlobeNewswire

To Read More: Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers – GlobeNewswire
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Autolus Therapeutics Announces New Data Showcasing Clinical Progress of Programmed T Cell Therapy Pipeline in Blood Cancers – GlobeNewswire | dataDecember 8th, 2019
Read All

IFN-: The T cell’s license to kill stem cells in the inflamed intestine – Science

By daniellenierenberg

Abstract

IFN- produced by T cells directly induces intestinal stem cell death upon inflammation-induced intestinal injury (see the related Research Article by Takashima et al.).

Intestinal regeneration upon tissue damage is fueled by intestinal stem cells (ISCs) residing in the crypt bottom of the epithelium and marked by the gene Lgr5 (1, 2). There is growing evidence that tissue repair is at least partially mediated by a regenerative inflammatory response (3, 4). How inflammation-induced intestinal injury influences ISCs and their microenvironment (stem cell niche) remains poorly understood. In this issue of Science Immunology, Takashima et al. (5) explore the changes in the ISC niche in vivo upon T cellmediated injury as a model of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and in vitro using organoid T cell cocultures. Although earlier studies already implicated interferon- (IFN-) as a negative regulator of intestinal epithelial homeostasis (68), Takashima et al. now demonstrate that IFN- directly acts on ISCs by triggering apoptosis.

In an allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) model, Takashima and colleagues found that ISC numbers per intestinal crypt were markedly reduced in mice receiving bone marrow alone or bone marrow and T cells when compared with normal control mice. While the ISCs in the mice receiving only bone marrow recovered 7 days later, the ISC numbers remained reduced in those mice also transplanted with donor T cells. Of note, Paneth cell numbers were also reduced after ISC depletion. The numbers of organoids established from the intestines of mice 10 days after BMT recovered back to that of control mice, whereas the organoid forming capacity from crypts of mice after combined transplantation of bone marrow and T cells remained significantly lower. Similar in vivo and in vitro results were obtained when autoreactive T cells were transplanted, pointing to a common feature of T cellmediated intestinal injury.

As seen by three-dimensional confocal microscopy, intraepithelial T cells (CD3+ IELs) preferentially localized to the villus region, whereas lamina propriaassociated T cells (CD3+ LPLs) were equally distributed along the crypt-villus axis of control mice (Fig. 1A). Conversely, mice receiving bone marrow and allogeneic T cells showed a progressive increase in the density of both CD3+ LPLs and CD3+ IELs in the crypt region.

To identify signaling molecules that cause the loss of ISCs in this model, Takashima and colleagues performed several elegant murine and human epithelial organoid coculture experiments. Murine nave allogeneic T cells did not impair murine intestinal organoid numbers, whereas alloreactive T cells effectively reduced organoid numbers. Likewise, human allogeneic cytotoxic T cells robustly inhibited human intestinal organoid forming efficiency. Even bead-activated autologous T cells suppressed human intestinal organoid growth. The authors then proceeded to screen for potential pathways mediating cytotoxicity. Organoids cocultured with T cells in the presence of antiIFN- neutralizing antibodies showed normal growth. Although IFN- receptor (IFN-R)depleted T cells were still able to affect organoid viability, IFN-Rdepleted organoids were resistant to T cellmediated killing. Organoid toxicity by IFN- was also observed in the absence of T cells. Live imaging confirmed the progressive ISC depletion upon organoid exposure to IFN-. Treatment of organoids with the immunosuppressive JAK1/2 inhibitor ruxolitinib robustly preserved numbers of both organoids and ISCs in the presence of IFN-, irrespective of whether the organoids were cultured alone or together with T cells. The authors additionally demonstrated that JAK1-depleted organoids are resistant to IFN- treatment. Further downstream, ruxolitinib prevented STAT1 phosphorylation by IFN- in intestinal crypts, and, in line, STAT1-depleted organoids were resistant to growth suppression in response to IFN- treatment.

IFN-treated organoids showed reduced expression of ISC marker genes. ISCs underwent apoptosis in vitro in a direct response to IFN-. Next, the authors confirmed in vivo that ISC numbers did not change upon transplanting allogeneic bone marrow and T cells when treating mice with IFN- neutralizing antibodies. Likewise, ruxolitinib treatment protected ISCs from T cellmediated killing in vivo. Donor T cells, particularly T helper 1 cells, were activated and IFN-+. Transplanting IFN-depleted allogeneic T cells robustly reduced the ISC loss and allowed epithelial cell proliferation to increase.

Takashima and colleagues lastly investigated whether IFN- directly induces ISC apoptosis. Using tissue-specific depletion of IFN-R1, the authors found that epithelial loss of the receptor protects from the immune-mediated GVHD phenotype. IFN-R1 is expressed by both ISCs and Paneth cells, the epithelial component of the ISC niche (9). However, Paneth celldeficient organoids remained sensitive to both IFN- and allogeneic T cellmediated cytotoxicity. Likewise, T cells were able to reduce the number of organoids containing IFN-R1deficient Paneth cells, whereas organoids containing IFN-R1deficient ISC were protected from cytotoxicity. The authors demonstrated in further experiments that IFN- directly induces ISC apoptosis independent of Paneth cells (Fig. 1, B and C).

The study by Takashima et al. extends our knowledge on signaling between ISCs and immune cells, identifying ISCs as direct targets of IFN- secreted by T cells in immune-mediated intestinal damage (as caused by GVHD). In the 2015 study by Lindemans et al., this group already identified that interleukin-22 (IL-22) secreted by group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) directly stimulates ISCs to proliferate and regenerate the intestinal epithelium upon inflammation-induced intestinal injury (4). Modulating the effects of T cellderived IFN- on ISC, for instance, by suppressing JAK/STAT signaling via ruxolitinib treatment, may provide a new therapeutic avenue to reducing GVHD-induced damage of the intestinal epithelium (10).

(A) ISCs maintain adult homeostasis of the intestinal epithelium. T lymphocytes patrol the intestine. (B) Takashima et al. show that in GVHD as modeled by BMT and aberrant activation of T lymphocytes, T cellderived IFN- directly acts on ISCs and induces apoptosis via JAK/STAT signaling. (C) Disease progression results in marked intestinal damage due to loss of ISCs and their niche.

Acknowledgments: Funding: K.K. is a long-term fellow of the Human Frontier Science Program Organization (LT771/2015). Competing interests: H.C. and K.K. are named inventors on patents or patents pending on Lgr5 stem cellbased organoid technology.

Follow this link:
IFN-: The T cell's license to kill stem cells in the inflamed intestine - Science

To Read More: IFN-: The T cell’s license to kill stem cells in the inflamed intestine – Science
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on IFN-: The T cell’s license to kill stem cells in the inflamed intestine – Science | dataDecember 6th, 2019
Read All

Cellex Opens New Plant to Manufacture Innovative Cell Therapy Products for Cancer – Yahoo Finance

By daniellenierenberg

COLOGNE, Germany, Dec. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cellex has opened a new Cell Manufacturing Plant in Cologne, Germany that will be the focal point for the production of innovative cell therapy products (e.g. CAR-T cells) as targeted treatments for different types of cancers and other diseases. The new facility has doubled the company's manufacturing capacity. Reasons for the expansion include the rising global demand and worldwide bottlenecks in production, as well as a considerable amount of promising research on new treatment approaches for various types of cancer. With this expansion, Cellex has laid the groundwork to provide comprehensive support to patients all over the world who are dependent on new therapies for the treatment of serious diseases. The facility offers more than 800 square meters of floor space and contains a clean room laboratory and other rooms for manufacturing and quality control.

At the new Cell Manufacturing Plant, advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) such as CAR-T cells are produced using state-of-the-art methods including magnetic selection, cell purification, cryopreservation and cell-based efficacy tests. Other services include long-term cryo-storage for ATMPs. Through international partnerships, Cellex is already operating at a global level and is expecting to see growth in worldwide demand for its products. In addition to specialized expertise in manufacturing cell therapy products, the company also operates collection centers for stem cell and bone marrow donations as well as a CellCommunity for the donation of cells to science and research all over the world.

The Cellex Group was founded in 2001 with a primary focus on the collection of stem cells and bone marrow. Today, the Cellex Collection Center is the world's largest and most experienced collection center for allogeneic blood stem cell and bone marrow donations. Furthermore, Cellex has grown into an important full service provider for other companies in the production of innovative cellular therapy products (e.g. CAR-T cells). Since 2014, the company has been working on the development of its own innovative CAR-T cells and bispecific antibodies for the treatment of cancer in collaboration with its Dresden-based affiliate, GEMoaB.

During the opening ceremonies, Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ehninger, founder and owner of Cellex, pointed to the encouraging possibilities offered by CAR-T cell therapies being developed by Cellex. "Battling cancer with CAR-T cells specifically targeted against tumor cells is one of the most promising treatment approaches today. However, CAR-T cells developed so far harbor various risks, such as excessive cytokine release or the development of resistances. Therefore, we are now collaborating with our affiliate, GEMoaB, to develop new platforms that are easier to control such as bispecific antibodies or UniCAR cells, which are currently undergoing initial testing."

About Cellex

Cellex wants to help people suffering from serious diseases through stem cell donations, but also through innovative treatment options. Cellex develops, tests and establishes new therapy approaches for people with cancer. These new cutting-edge medicines are manufactured by Cellex at the company's Cell Manufacturing Plant.

Story continues

See original here:
Cellex Opens New Plant to Manufacture Innovative Cell Therapy Products for Cancer - Yahoo Finance

To Read More: Cellex Opens New Plant to Manufacture Innovative Cell Therapy Products for Cancer – Yahoo Finance
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Cellex Opens New Plant to Manufacture Innovative Cell Therapy Products for Cancer – Yahoo Finance | dataDecember 6th, 2019
Read All

Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announces First Patient Treated in Global Registrational Phase 2 Study of RP-L102 Process B for Fanconi Anemia – BioSpace

By daniellenierenberg

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (Rocket), a clinical-stage company advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies for rare childhood disorders, today announces that the first patient in the global Phase 2 registration-enabling study of RP-L102 Process B received investigational therapy. RP-L102 is the Companys lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA).

The initiation of Rockets first Phase 2 trial is an important milestone for the company as well as patients throughout the world battling FA, said Kinnari Patel, Pharm.D., MBA, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Development of Rocket. With the recent feedback received from the FDA and EMA of MMC-resistance as the primary endpoint, we are optimistic about the prospect of benefiting patients and, if the data are positive, working towards BLA and MAA submissions.

The registrational package will include twelve patients from the U.S. and EU, two from the U.S. Phase 1 study and 10 additional patients from the global Phase 2 study (NCT04069533). Patients will receive a single intravenous infusion of RP-L102 that utilizes fresh cells and Process B which incorporates a modified stem cell enrichment process, transduction enhancers, as well as commercial-grade vector and final drug product. Improved mitomycin-C (MMC) resistance in bone marrow colony forming (progenitor) cells is the primary endpoint, and may also serve as a surrogate endpoint for accelerated approval. Additional outcome measures include stability or increase in blood counts with no significant worsening in anemia, neutropenia or thrombocytopenia and peripheral blood and bone marrow genetic correction, as demonstrated by progressive increases in vector copy number (VCN) over the months subsequent to infusion.

Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital Stanford and Hospital Infantil Universitario Nio Jess are serving as the lead clinical sites and University of Minnesota is conducting centralized evaluation of bone marrow MMC-resistance and engaging in advisory activities for the global trial of RP-L102. RP-L102 was in-licensed from the Centro de Investigaciones Energticas, Medioambientales y Tecnolgicas (CIEMAT), Centro de Investigacin Biomdica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Instituto de Investigacin Sanitaria Fundacin Jimnez Daz (IIS-FJD) and Fundacion para la Investigacion Biomedica Hospital Infantil Universitario Nio Jesus (FIB-HIUNJ).

About Fanconi Anemia

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare pediatric disease characterized by bone marrow failure, malformations and cancer predisposition. The primary cause of death among patients with FA is bone marrow failure, which typically occurs during the first decade of life. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when available, corrects the hematologic component of FA, but requires myeloablative conditioning, which is highly toxic for the patient. HSCT is frequently complicated by graft versus host disease and also increases the risk of solid tumors, particularly upper aerodigestive tract squamous cell carcinomas. Approximately 60-70% of patients with FA have a FANCA gene mutation, which encodes for a protein essential for DNA repair. Mutations in the FANCA gene leads to chromosomal breakage and increased sensitivity to oxidative and environmental stress. Chromosome fragility induced by DNA-alkylating agents such as mitomycin-C (MMC) or diepoxybutane (DEB) is the gold standard test for FA diagnosis. These assays can further differentiate FA patients from mosaic patients. Somatic mosaicism occurs when there is a spontaneous reversion mutation that can lead to a mixed chimerism of corrected and uncorrected bone marrow cells leading to stabilization or correction of an FA patients blood counts in the absence of any administered therapy. Somatic mosaicism provides strong rationale for the development of FA gene therapy and demonstrates the selective advantage of gene-corrected hematopoietic cells in FA1.

1Soulier, J.,et al. (2005) Detection of somatic mosaicism and classification of Fanconi anemia patients by analysis of the FA/BRCA pathway. Blood 105: 1329-1336

About Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: RCKT) (Rocket) is advancing an integrated and sustainable pipeline of genetic therapies that correct the root cause of complex and rare childhood disorders. The companys platform-agnostic approach enables it to design the best therapy for each indication, creating potentially transformative options for patients contending with rare genetic diseases. Rocket's clinical programs using lentiviral vector (LVV)-based gene therapy are for the treatment of Fanconi Anemia (FA), a difficult to treat genetic disease that leads to bone marrow failure and potentially cancer, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), a severe pediatric genetic disorder that causes recurrent and life-threatening infections which are frequently fatal, and Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD) a rare, monogenic red blood cell disorder resulting in increased red cell destruction and mild to life-threatening anemia. Rockets first clinical program using adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapy is for Danon disease, a devastating, pediatric heart failure condition. Rockets pre-clinical pipeline program is for Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO), a bone marrow-derived disorder. For more information about Rocket, please visit http://www.rocketpharma.com.

Rocket Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Various statements in this release concerning Rocket's future expectations, plans and prospects, including without limitation, Rocket's expectations regarding the safety, effectiveness and timing of product candidates that Rocket may develop, to treat Fanconi Anemia (FA), Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency-I (LAD-I), Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PKD), Infantile Malignant Osteopetrosis (IMO) and Danon disease, and the safety, effectiveness and timing of related pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. You should not place reliance on these forward-looking statements, which often include words such as "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "will give," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "suggest" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Rocket believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Rocket cannot guarantee such outcomes. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, Rocket's ability to successfully demonstrate the efficacy and safety of such products and pre-clinical studies and clinical trials, its gene therapy programs, the pre-clinical and clinical results for its product candidates, which may not support further development and marketing approval, the potential advantages of Rocket's product candidates, actions of regulatory agencies, which may affect the initiation, timing and progress of pre-clinical studies and clinical trials of its product candidates, Rocket's and its licensors ability to obtain, maintain and protect its and their respective intellectual property, the timing, cost or other aspects of a potential commercial launch of Rocket's product candidates, Rocket's ability to manage operating expenses, Rocket's ability to obtain additional funding to support its business activities and establish and maintain strategic business alliances and new business initiatives, Rocket's dependence on third parties for development, manufacture, marketing, sales and distribution of product candidates, the outcome of litigation, and unexpected expenditures, as well as those risks more fully discussed in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Rocket's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, filed November 8, 2019. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and Rocket undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20191206005080/en/

Read more:
Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announces First Patient Treated in Global Registrational Phase 2 Study of RP-L102 Process B for Fanconi Anemia - BioSpace

To Read More: Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announces First Patient Treated in Global Registrational Phase 2 Study of RP-L102 Process B for Fanconi Anemia – BioSpace
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Rocket Pharmaceuticals Announces First Patient Treated in Global Registrational Phase 2 Study of RP-L102 Process B for Fanconi Anemia – BioSpace | dataDecember 6th, 2019
Read All

2019: the year gene therapy came of age – FRANCE 24

By daniellenierenberg

Washington (AFP)

In the summer, a mother in Nashville with a seemingly incurable genetic disorder finally found an end to her suffering -- by editing her genome.

Victoria Gray's recovery from sickle cell disease, which had caused her painful seizures, came in a year of breakthroughs in one of the hottest areas of medical research -- gene therapy.

"I have hoped for a cure since I was about 11," the 34-year-old told AFP in an email.

"Since I received the new cells, I have been able to enjoy more time with my family without worrying about pain or an out-of-the-blue emergency."

Over several weeks, Gray's blood was drawn so doctors could get to the cause of her illness -- stem cells from her bone marrow that were making deformed red blood cells.

The stem cells were sent to a Scottish laboratory, where their DNA was modified using Crispr/Cas9 -- pronounced "Crisper" -- a new tool informally known as molecular "scissors."

The genetically edited cells were transfused back into Gray's veins and bone marrow. A month later, she was producing normal blood cells.

Medics warn that caution is necessary but, theoretically, she has been cured.

"This is one patient. This is early results. We need to see how it works out in other patients," said her doctor, Haydar Frangoul, at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville.

"But these results are really exciting."

In Germany, a 19-year-old woman was treated with a similar method for a different blood disease, beta thalassemia. She had previously needed 16 blood transfusions per year.

Nine months later, she is completely free of that burden.

For decades, the DNA of living organisms such as corn and salmon has been modified.

But Crispr, invented in 2012, made gene editing more widely accessible. It is much simpler than preceding technology, cheaper and easy to use in small labs.

The technique has given new impetus to the perennial debate over the wisdom of humanity manipulating life itself.

"It's all developing very quickly," said French geneticist Emmanuelle Charpentier, one of Crispr's inventors and the cofounder of Crispr Therapeutics, the biotech company conducting the clinical trials involving Gray and the German patient.

- Cures -

Crispr is the latest breakthrough in a year of great strides in gene therapy, a medical adventure started three decades ago, when the first TV telethons were raising money for children with muscular dystrophy.

Scientists practising the technique insert a normal gene into cells containing a defective gene.

It does the work the original could not -- such as making normal red blood cells, in Victoria's case, or making tumor-killing super white blood cells for a cancer patient.

Crispr goes even further: instead of adding a gene, the tool edits the genome itself.

After decades of research and clinical trials on a genetic fix to genetic disorders, 2019 saw a historic milestone: approval to bring to market the first gene therapies for a neuromuscular disease in the US and a blood disease in the European Union.

They join several other gene therapies -- bringing the total to eight -- approved in recent years to treat certain cancers and an inherited blindness.

Serge Braun, the scientific director of the French Muscular Dystrophy Association, sees 2019 as a turning point that will lead to a medical revolution.

"Twenty-five, 30 years, that's the time it had to take," he told AFP from Paris.

"It took a generation for gene therapy to become a reality. Now, it's only going to go faster."

Just outside Washington, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), researchers are also celebrating a "breakthrough period."

"We have hit an inflection point," said Carrie Wolinetz, NIH's associate director for science policy.

These therapies are exorbitantly expensive, however, costing up to $2 million -- meaning patients face grueling negotiations with their insurance companies.

They also involve a complex regimen of procedures that are only available in wealthy countries.

Gray spent months in hospital getting blood drawn, undergoing chemotherapy, having edited stem cells reintroduced via transfusion -- and fighting a general infection.

"You cannot do this in a community hospital close to home," said her doctor.

However, the number of approved gene therapies will increase to about 40 by 2022, according to MIT researchers.

They will mostly target cancers and diseases that affect muscles, the eyes and the nervous system.

- Bioterrorism -

Another problem with Crispr is that its relative simplicity has triggered the imaginations of rogue practitioners who don't necessarily share the medical ethics of Western medicine.

Last year in China, scientist He Jiankui triggered an international scandal -- and his excommunication from the scientific community -- when he used Crispr to create what he called the first gene-edited humans.

The biophysicist said he had altered the DNA of human embryos that became twin girls Lulu and Nana.

His goal was to create a mutation that would prevent the girls from contracting HIV, even though there was no specific reason to put them through the process.

"That technology is not safe," said Kiran Musunuru, a genetics professor at the University of Pennsylvania, explaining that the Crispr "scissors" often cut next to the targeted gene, causing unexpected mutations.

"It's very easy to do if you don't care about the consequences," Musunuru added.

Despite the ethical pitfalls, restraint seems mainly to have prevailed so far.

The community is keeping a close eye on Russia, where biologist Denis Rebrikov has said he wants to use Crispr to help deaf parents have children without the disability.

There is also the temptation to genetically edit entire animal species -- malaria-causing mosquitoes in Burkina Faso or mice hosting ticks that carry Lyme disease in the US.

The researchers in charge of those projects are advancing carefully, however, fully aware of the unpredictability of chain reactions on the ecosystem.

Charpentier doesn't believe in the more dystopian scenarios predicted for gene therapy, including American "biohackers" injecting themselves with Crispr technology bought online.

"Not everyone is a biologist or scientist," she said.

And the possibility of military hijacking to create soldier-killing viruses or bacteria that would ravage enemies' crops?

Charpentier thinks that technology generally tends to be used for the better.

"I'm a bacteriologist -- we've been talking about bioterrorism for years," she said. "Nothing has ever happened."

2019 AFP

See more here:
2019: the year gene therapy came of age - FRANCE 24

To Read More: 2019: the year gene therapy came of age – FRANCE 24
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on 2019: the year gene therapy came of age – FRANCE 24 | dataDecember 5th, 2019
Read All

As per new Study on Stem Cell Therapy Market 2019 Future Strategy, Analysis and Prediction by Leading Manufacturers, its Application and Types…

By daniellenierenberg

A new business intelligence report released by Garner Insights with title Global Stem Cell Therapy Market Research Report 2019 that targets and provides comprehensive market analysis with prospects to 2024. The analysts of the study have garnered extensive research methodologies and data sources (i.e. Secondary & Primary Sources) in order to generate collective and useful information that delivers latest market undercurrents and industry trends.

Stem-cell therapy is the use of stem cells to treat or prevent a disease or condition. Bone marrow transplant is the most widely used stem-cell therapy, but some therapies derived from umbilical cord blood are also in use.

Get a Sample PDF Report: https://www.garnerinsights.com/Global-Stem-Cell-Therapy-Market-2019-by-Company-Regions-Type-and-Application-Forecast-to-2024#request-sample

Some of key competitors or manufacturers included in the study are: Osiris Therapeutics, NuVasive, Chiesi Pharmaceuticals, JCRPharmaceutical, Pharmicell, Medi-post, Anterogen, Molmed, Takeda (TiGenix),

If you are involved in the Global Stem Cell Therapy industry or intend to be, then this study will provide you comprehensive outlook. Its vital you keep your market knowledge up to date segmented by major players. If you have a different set of players/manufacturers according to geography or needs regional or country segmented reports, we can provide customization according to your requirement.

Market Segment by Type, covers: Autologous, Allogeneic

Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into: Musculoskeletal Disorder, Wounds & Injuries, Cornea, Cardiovascular Diseases, Others,

Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversNorth AmericaEuropeChinaRest of Asia PacificCentral & South AmericaMiddle East & Africa

What are the affecting elements that are made reference to in the report?

Market Scenario:The report further highlights the development trends in the global Stem Cell Therapy market. Factors that are driving the market growth and fueling its segments are also analyzed in the report. The report also highlights on its applications, types, deployments, components, developments of this market.

Key Market Highlights:The Stem Cell Therapy report gives a top to bottom examination on a portion of the key elements, involving income, cost, limit, limit usage rate, creation, generation rate, utilization, import/send out, supply/request, net, piece of the pie, CAGR, and gross edge. Furthermore, the report shows a far reaching investigation of the market development factors and their most recent patterns, alongside important market fragments and sub-portions.

Analytical Tools:The Global Stem Cell Therapy Market report incorporates the decisively examined and assessed information of the significant market members and their market scope utilizing various investigative devices. The diagnostic apparatuses incorporate Porters five powers examination, SWOT investigation, achievability study, and venture return investigation, which have been utilized to consider the development of the key players working in the market.

Get Discount on this Report: https://www.garnerinsights.com/Global-Stem-Cell-Therapy-Market-2019-by-Company-Regions-Type-and-Application-Forecast-to-2024#discount

Some of the Points cover in Global Stem Cell Therapy Market Research Report is:

Chapter 1: Overview of Global Stem Cell Therapy Market (2019-2024) Definition Specifications Classification Applications Regions

Chapter 2: Market Competition by Players/Suppliers 2019 and 2024 Manufacturing Cost Structure Raw Material and Suppliers Manufacturing Process Industry Chain Structure. Continued

The main points which are answered and covered in this Report are-

What will be the total Stem Cell Therapy Market in the coming years till 2024?What will be the key factors which will be overall affecting the industry?What are the various challenges addressed?Which are the major companies included?

Thank You For Visiting Our Report : you can likewise get singular part astute segment or locale insightful report form like Asia, United States, Europe.

View Full Report@ https://garnerinsights.com/Global-Stem-Cell-Therapy-Market-2019-by-Company-Regions-Type-and-Application-Forecast-to-2024#description

See the original post here:
As per new Study on Stem Cell Therapy Market 2019 Future Strategy, Analysis and Prediction by Leading Manufacturers, its Application and Types...

To Read More: As per new Study on Stem Cell Therapy Market 2019 Future Strategy, Analysis and Prediction by Leading Manufacturers, its Application and Types…
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on As per new Study on Stem Cell Therapy Market 2019 Future Strategy, Analysis and Prediction by Leading Manufacturers, its Application and Types… | dataDecember 5th, 2019
Read All

Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market is Anticipated to Expand at a CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2025 – Drnewsindustry

By daniellenierenberg

The global bone marrow aspirate concentrates market was valued around US$ 130.0 Mn in 2016 is anticipated to register a stable CAGR of over 5.0% during forecast period of 2017 to 2025, according to a new report published by Transparency Market Research (TMR) titled Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 20172025.

Growth of the global bone marrow aspirate concentrates market is driven by increased prevalence of and incidences of orthopedic diseases, and sports injuries, along with high growth of the cosmetic surgery industry and increasing applications of the BMAC products in the cosmetic and orthopedic surgeries. The bone marrow aspirate concentrates market in Asia Pacific is expanding with a high potential to grow registering a CAGR above 6.0% on the backdrop of unmet clinical needs, rising geriatric population, large patient pool, favorable government regulations, development in health care sector, and increased focus on research and developmental activities.

Request a PDF Sample of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market Report https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=40451

Increase in incidences of Osteoarthritis on the backdrop of rising geriatric population to drive market growth

According to a collaborative survey conducted by the United Nations and the World Health Organization, 1.2 billion people in China are suffering from OA, of which more than 55% are aged 60 years or above. On the backdrop of such a huge patient base, there has been several developments in the field orthopedic surgery. Bone marrow-derived stem cell treatment is considered a promising and advanced therapy. It reduces the injury healing time in orthopedic diseases to five to six weeks from four to six months in case of surgery.

Reduction in the healing time is a factor likely to propel the Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates market during the forecast period. However, pain associated with the treatment, lack of product approval, and preference for alternative treatments are negatively affecting the market growth. Moreover, high investments in R&D and clinical trials, slow approval processes entailing sunken costs, and marginal returns on investment (RoI) for stakeholders are primary concerns faced by manufacturer further hampering growth of the market.

Rise in the Number of BMAC Assisted Procedures to Boost Growth of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Accessories Segment

The product type segment is fragmented into bone marrow aspirate concentrates systems and bone marrow aspirate concentrates accessories. The bone marrow aspirate concentrates accessories segment is anticipated to carry major share of the market on the backdrop of rise in number of BMAC assisted procedures. Cell therapies have been used extensively over the past decade for a variety of medical applications to restore cellular function and enhance quality of life. Owing to the differentiation property, stem cells are being used for repair and regeneration of bone. Moreover, increase in awareness about hygiene and risk of cross-contamination in developing countries such as Brazil, China and India are expected to increase the use of single-use Jamshidi needles for bone marrow stem cell procedures. This is likely to fuel the growth of the accessories segment in the near future.

Request for a Discount on Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market Report https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=D&rep_id=40451

Orthopedic Surgery Application to Dominate the Global Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market

The application segment of global bone marrow aspirate concentrates market is divided into orthopedic surgery, wound healing, chronic pain, peripheral vascular disease, dermatology, and others applications. Of which, orthopedic surgery segment is anticipated to dominate the market owing to rising geriatric population, and surge in incidences of osteoarthritis around the globe.

The dermatology segment is anticipated to expand at the highest CAGR of over 6.0% during forecast period of 2017 to 2025 owing to current boom in the industry, increase in disposable income, and technological advancements in the market. The utilization of the regenerative ability of fibroblasts and keratinocytes from human skin has formed new ways to develop cell-based therapies for patients. Moreover, capacity of bone marrow derived extra-cutaneous cells is being researched for its plasticity in regenerating skin; it is likely to lead to the future growth of cell therapies in dermatology.

Rise in Healthcare Expenditure to Fuel Growth of Hospitals & Clinics End-user Segment

In terms of end-users, market is divided into hospitals & clinics, pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, Contract Research Organizations (CROs) & Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs), and academic & research institutes. The hospitals & clinics segment dominated the bone marrow aspirate concentrates market in 2016. The trend is expected to continue during the forecast period. The hospitals & clinics segment is likely to be followed by the biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies segment in terms of market share during the forecast period. The segment is anticipated to hold more than 8.0% of market share in 2016. Growth of the segment is attributed to increasing number of biotechnology companies and rising partnerships among the market players to expand global presence.

About Us

Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals.

Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving method-ologies and leveraging existing data repositories.TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of re-search is the key to help enterprises reach right decision.

ContactMr. Rohit BhiseyTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: [emailprotected]Website: http://www.transparencymarketresearch.comBlog: https://theglobalhealthnews.com/

The rest is here:
Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market is Anticipated to Expand at a CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2025 - Drnewsindustry

To Read More: Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market is Anticipated to Expand at a CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2025 – Drnewsindustry
categoriaBone Marrow Stem Cells commentoComments Off on Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrates Market is Anticipated to Expand at a CAGR of 5% from 2017 to 2025 – Drnewsindustry | dataDecember 5th, 2019
Read All

Page 72«..1020..71727374..8090..»


Copyright :: 2024