A combination of bioengineering techniques on normal cell binding proteins could be the method of the future for selective cell binding. Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have created a synthetic glue based on the expression of membrane receptors to establish the desired connection between cells. The results may be applied in different fields of cell biology or biomedicine, such as regeneration and wound repair, including the nervous system, or cancer.
A new generation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies with advanced functions could hold the answer to improved safety and efficacy for these effective but potentially dangerous cancer therapies, shows research led by Boston University. The scientists showed it is possible to add ‘on’ or ‘off’ switches to CAR T cells, which can be activated using oral drugs with a known safety profile.
A new generation of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies with advanced functions could hold the answer to improved safety and efficacy for these effective but potentially dangerous cancer therapies, shows research led by Boston University. The scientists showed it is possible to add ‘on’ or ‘off’ switches to CAR T cells, which can be activated using oral drugs with a known safety profile.
Galapagos NV is making a decisive shift away from its small-molecule roots, sealing the simultaneous acquisition of CAR T-cell therapy specialist Cellpoint BV and fully-human antibody company Aboundbio Inc. The Cellpoint deal is by far the largest, with Galapagos paying €125 million (US$132 million) cash up front, with a further €100 million to come in milestones. The price for Aboundbio of Pittsburgh, is $14 million.
Atara Biotherapeutics Inc. is keeping the faith and figuring out next steps with its next-generation, mesothelin-directed CAR T-cell therapies after Bayer AG ended their exclusive worldwide licensing agreement, signed in late 2020. The setup included funding and development of ATA-3271, an armored allogeneic T-cell immunotherapy, and an autologous version, ATA-2271, for high mesothelin-expressing tumors such as malignant pleural mesothelioma and non-small-cell lung cancer.
Inceptor Bio LLC, a company developing cell therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers, has closed a $37 million series A financing led by Kineticos Ventures, the second fund founded by Inceptor CEO Shailesh Maingi. Altogether, about 40 investors have supported the company's efforts, he told BioWorld. Proceeds from the round, which follows a $26 million seed financing in 2021, will support moving Inceptor's lead CAR T program into phase I testing, a move targeted for the second half of 2023, and continued development of rare CAR-macrophage and CAR-natural killer cell programs.
For Kevin Friedman, the secret to making newly emergent Kelonia Therapeutics Inc. a success is reducing complexity and keeping everything as simple as possible. The Boston-based company just raised $50 million in series A funding to further its development of genetic medicines encompassing a range of diseases.
Solid tumors have been a tougher nut to crack for CAR T cells than B-cell cancers, for two main reasons. Solid tumors have an inhibitors microenvironment that has made it difficult to get durable responses. And identifying antigens as specific as the B-cell markers CD19 and CD22 has been challenging, leading to problems with on-target, off-tumor toxicity.
“We’re still a far cry from reproducible, durable benefits” with CAR T cells targeting solid tumors, Crystal Mackall told the audience at the 2022 annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). But “we’re beginning to see some signals.” Mackall is the founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy.
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